Lest you forget . . .

We do have dogs. Here's some pictures of two of them.
Winni does love her sticks. Here she is skipping in the front yard. Please do note that all of her feet are off of the ground.

It has been almost a year since her TPLO surgery which is fully documented in that link to all of the posts about her recovery. She is using her leg so well. Knock on wood, we haven't noticed any problems with the other leg either. We have kept her weight down which I'm sure has helped.There she is, happy as she ever was!

And here's Calvin . . .

He's doing well, too, knock on wood! At 13 and a half, he still keeps up with all of his girlfriends. He either has selective hearing of some hearing loss; my bet is a little of both. His appetite is great, which is what the vet told us to look out for as a sign of kidney problems, but he tries to be first in line for the food every day. We are really lucky that he is doing so well!

As for the other two, they wouldn't stay still long enough to be photographed with my sad camera. Perhaps next time.

Leapin' Lizards it's COLD!!

What's wrong with this picture?

This is what's wrong with that picture.

Yea, the heat has been out for two days. Interior temperature: 58.1 degrees. Last night wasn't as bad as Wednesday night. It is just a bad breaker, which David is fixing today, but really... why does this happen when it is SO COLD.

In other news...

Winni has a new squeeker.

She now has a flamingo and a parrot. Oddly enough, the parrot is noisier than the flamingo, who Chica must have "regulated" on.

Winni went back to the vet on Wednesday and is doing very well. She is using her leg very well now. She can have a little more freedom in a week and isn't due for another recheck until her 12 week final one. YAHOO!

Happy Leap(in' Lizzards) Day.
Can you tell I loved Annie as a kid?

Four Weeks And Two Days...

and she is using her leg about 25% of the time. Yahoo! She uses it when she isn't thinking about it. If she realizes what she is doing, she starts tripodding it again.

I'm off to get ready for work.

I'm doing a craft fair on March 1 and here's a few weekend goals:
-6 make up bags
-15 onsies
-cut out Burda 8087, the Janina pants (not for the craft fair, but fun none the less)

Off to get ready for work!

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mama, oh mama...

Why did you leave me here in this kennel.

I only have my flamingo for company. He doesn't talk much anymore.

Here I sit... my knee hurts, I've squeeked my friend until he can't squeek no more. Why can't I go sing in the choir with you. I have a lovely voice. Just stop and get me a new squeeker on the way.

I'll be good... please...

pretty please.

Oh well. I'll stay here. Too bad I can't watch ants. (Yikes! If you click that link, I'm a little chubby in the picture. Dr. Ballagas said I was doing good with my weight loss. I'm down to a slim-for-me 58.5 pounds.)

Bye mama. Have fun singing. Maybe I'll go next week. Perhaps it would be too much for now. Why yes, I do believe I'll have another nap.

Not much to report...

Winni went to the vet this morning and there doesn't seem to be any major problems with her knee. They sedated her and drew fluid and took x-rays. There was a little blood in her knee, but not too much. The joint is inflamed, not swolen, which is good news. Her x-rays looked fine. Dr. Ballagas prescribed an antibiotic and an anti-inflametory. He said that inflamed joints can lead to infected joints, so hopefully the medicines will ward that off, and the knee will get better.

We have to go back next Wednesday morning for a recheck. I wish I knew what precipitated the re-injury. Dr. Ballagas thought that perhaps she just tweaked it, which inflamed it. If that is the case, then perhaps now she is just being prissy gentle and doesn't want to hurt it again. When they brought her out to wait while the x-rays dried, she was still sedated and was weight-bearing a little.

Now we shall wait and see. Boy, I do love that!

Back at it...

So I survived Southern Voices. I took yesterday off, but I'm back at it today. Not much to report, in house news, but Winni is not putting any weight on her opereated-on leg. No weight at all. It's like she's back to her first week of recovery. Kinda scary, so we have an 8:30 AM appointment tomorrow. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Two Weeks & A Day

Winni went to the vet today to get her staples out. Yahoo!! Dr. Ballagas and the physical therapist, Cindy Grant, both examined her and said she is doing great. She has good range of motion and no swelling at all. We don't have to keep doing the bicycling exercises either. They said that she can walk about 5 minutes 2 times a day in addition to her potty breaks. Right now she is chillin' in her kennel and I'm about to lie down on the couch. I stayed home from work with a stomach bug today... yuck!

It's a Super Fat Tuesday...

First, and most importantly, please go and vote today. Please...

Second, Happy Mardi Gras. It's Fat Tuesday, or as my priest calls it, "The Last Blast Before the Fast." Live it up! Eat some King Cake!

On to other news. This is what I came home to on Saturday. I had to work about half a day, and when I got home, Winni was chillin' in the yard.

Note the girls don't understand why she is outside the fence.

Calvin is also a bit confused.

We also got the house tied together. You can really see how the new construction will connect to the old house now.

I really like all of the angles from the back.

We haven't broken through into the old house yet, but the hallway is constructed. We are also not having any water entry. So great, because the weather guessers are talking about big storms tonight.

Here's a closer view.

These pictures were taken on Saturday afternoon, right before we wrapped it up in Tyvek. We'll be installing some more windows soon!

A week & Three Days

So I jinxed her again. It was the squeeker this time. Below is all that remains of Winni's new "voicebox."

On the left is the cow pirate, on the right is the new piggy

I'll get her another one today. David said that while his back was turned, Ginny must have pulled it through the holes in the kennel and shredded it.

In other news, David put Winni up on the couch last night and she sacked out completely. That is her favorite spot in the house, so to her all was back to normal.

She seems to be lying on her surgery leg to protect it, which seems smart with "The Shredder" looming.

She really loved it, and did very well with staying still.

Also, the new header picture, care of David, is the sunrise from our front door this morning. Sometimes, my house is like a vacation mountain home. I'll have some house pictures up in the next few days.

A Week & A Day

So I worked late today, but got to stay home this morning. Winni and I did some passive range of motion work, some "parlor trick" training, some paw and leg massage, and lots of hanging out.

Even after all that work and attention, she was still not putting any weight on her foot this morning. We went out walking a little in the yard, nothing. We worked inside, nothing. I know it is early, but I still wanted her to be the exception to the rule.

Well, when I got home tonight we went outside and she was putting weight on her foot some. Sometimes it was just to use it as a crutch, but about 15% of the time it was real walking! Yahoo!

I wonder if David worked with her this afternoon. I'll have to ask him when he gets home.

Day 6 Post-TPLO (or as I call it, the return of squeeker, squeeker)

So Winni has always used squeeker toys as her "voice box." She loves to go find her toys when we get home and tell us all about her day, squeeking the living daylights out of any toy she gets. Her pack mates seem to be annoyed by this, and therefore rip any squeeking toy to shreds. It seems toys around here only last about a week. The Survivor of "Squeeker Island 3368" has been a cow pirate that Matina gave the dogs. It lasted a few months, but the last time I saw it, it was half under the refridgerator and literally inside out. So sad.

But, Winni has now found a plus side to her confinement...



No one will shred her Milkbone pig friend. She has Mr. Piggy all to herself for 12 weeks. YAHOO!!

All seems to be going well today, with a little more "toe-touching" or tapping the top of the foot to the ground when walking. Baby steps, that is how we will make it through 12 weeks.

Day 5 Post-TPLO

So I jinxed her. I woke up this morning to Winni licking her incision. As much as I hated to do it, I put the e-collar on her this morning before I went to work. David worked a half day today, so she only had it to wear it for a little while. (On a side note... of course I have to be the mean one that puts on the e-collar and David gets to be the nice one that takes it off. Oh well!) She seemed no worse for wearing it, so it will be her fashion accessory until the staples come out. I doubt that I'll take her picture in it, because I'm not a mean mama, but I might.

Her recovery is still progressing well, with only one "issue." Her paw on her surgery foot seems to curl up. David says that he has felt her flex all of her foot muscles, but I haven't. It makes me nervous, so I think I'll call the vet or the physical therapist tomorrow to make sure it is normal and not some strange neurological craziness. In the mean time, I think I'll ask over at the orthodogs yahoo group, which has a wealth of information about all kinds of othopedic maladies in dogs.

No pics today... sorry. The only thing I have is a picture of her incision, and I think I'll spare you all that.

Day 4 Post-TPLO and rose shopping

Winni is doing well today. She is moving her leg with good range of motion by herself, but still isn't putting any weight on it. Her insision looks good. Thankfully she hasn't been licking at it much at all (no stupid lampshade for her), so the healing is going well.

Winni enjoyed sitting in the yard for pictures today.
The weather was much prettier today than it has been, so she really soaked up the sun. I think she would have stayed out there all afternoon.

In other news, my friend Jennifer and I were talking about my want for roses at my house. She emailed me some suggestions from The Antique Rose Emporium, including the Lamarque, a white rose, and the Buff Beauty, an apricot rose. I think that both of those would look nice in front of the house. I'd like to add a color as well, so I will have to continue shopping. I'm really excited to try my hand at growing some roses, and my start this season so that we will have some blooms in the summer.

Day 3 Post-TPLO

I hope that y'all don't mind all of the TPLO posts, but I find the information from other blogs helpful, so thought I'd add my own two cents, in case anyone wants to know. I will return to regularly scheduled programming in a week or so. Perhaps there will be a multi-post in the next day or so. Who knows?

But without further ado, may I present the Phillip Rivers of Irondale.



His was on the right knee, but Rivers, the qb for the San Diego Chargers, had ACL surgery on the same day as Winni. The picture above is one of Winni's four icing sessions daily. I've been doing 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off for 20-30 minutes.

I was also instructed to do passive range of motion exercises on/with her two to four times daily. The instruction sheet says to perform a "bicycle motion" with the effected leg. We will be working up to that. Right now it is only me pressing up on her paw and the down on her knee very gently. I only push until she resists, which isn't very far right now. Oddly enough, it seems easier to manipulate her leg while she is standing, so we worked a little in the yard this morning.

However, this is the look I get when I sit down on the floor with the ice pack.



Not the most excited look, huh. I am happy to report that Winni's constant brow furrow of the Christmas season is almost gone. I hope you are pleased, Victor!

Today was better. I think she feels much better, and is getting more steady on her feet. I'll update again soon!

Day 2 Post-TPLO

Today was a good day. I stayed home with Winni who hung out like this most of the day...



All swaddled in fleecy (and staticy) blankets. She really seemed to be more comfortable if I was near her, so I spent most of the day behind the desk, barricaded in with her.

She slept most of the day, most likely because she just groaned and moaned all night last night. I don't think she could get comfortable at all.

We made her a little fort on my side of the bed by tying a sheet up to deter her from leaping to her normal sleeping spot.




She like the location, but just was up and down all night. Hopefully tonight will be a more restful night for everyone. I'll let you know. She continues to eat well and her spirits are much improved. Let's just hope she continues to improve.

I'm home...

Hi everyone. Winni here. I wanted to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers while I had trivial plato legoing ice-cremotomy. (I don't think I spelled it right, but my mom has a link a few posts down.)

Here are some pictures of my x-rays.



Yikes, my mom needs a better camera phone... those are terrible. I heard Dr. Ballaga saying that they were fixing my shin bone and making it flatter on top. What you can't really see all that well in those pictures is the metal plate and six screws that hold my shin bone together.

Maybe you'll hear more from me later, but right now I'm going to lie on the floor and moan some more. Hopefully I'll feel better soon, because I miss my friends.

And ps, why they had to shave ALL the hair off my entire leg I don't know. Now I'm in pain AND cold AND look silly.

And pps, Happy Birthday to my Grandma. I'm sorry your dearest darling daughter couldn't make the movie, but I feel better if she is here with me.

Winni must be doing better...

She ate dinner tonight, which is a great sign. I talked to the vet tech at 8:15 and she said that Winni ate dinner but wasn't quite ready to walk around yet. Hopefully we'll get more good news in the morning. I'll let you know.

Elin

News...

They just called from the clinic and Winni made it through surgery just fine. What a relief! We can call tonight and check on her around 8:00, and then we can call around 8:30 in the morning to see if she will be okay to be released.

Thanks for your prayers.

Elin (and Winni)

Please send Winni your good thoughts...

Many of you know that Winni has been limping lately. Her vets have told me in the past that it is artritis, which I wasn't too sure about. I took her back to Kidd Animal Clinic on Monday and we saw Dr. Cobb. She sent us to see Dr. Ballagas at the Emergency and Specialty Clinic on Acton Road. Sure enough... it isn't arthritis. It is a blown ACL, or it's equivalent in the canine world. She is having a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO for short). They went ahead and did it today. (I was a bit of a basket case when they brought her in to see me before I left.)

She will spend the night at the clinic tonight, and I'll pick her up around lunch tomorrow. Then it is six weeks of confinement at home (that should go well, ha ha) and the six weeks of rehab. Then she'll be back to this...



Please keep her and Dr. Ballagas in your thoughts and prayers this afternoon. We'd appreciate it, a lot.