Nasty Scare This Morning

At 6:15 this morning Bocán wanted us up and atom - HE didn't know it's the Friday after T-day...just another day for him! That's OK, I had work to do, so I reluctantly got up to let him go pee.

When I let him out of his enclosure, he ran out of the bedroom, slipped on the turn and fell on his butt. Then, he immediately held up his leg and started hopping, just like a month ago. I wasn't even awake yet, and I thought he'd re-fractured his leg.

But, after a little while he started using it again, and now he seems fine.

YIKES, scary for a while there!

Almost Five weeks...

Tomorrow will mark five weeks post-op, and Bocán's walks are getting longer. We're going almost a 1/4 mile round trip now, and of course he wants to go farther. We're increasing his "maneuvers", too. Having him sit and then immediately stand back up ("puppy squats", to strengthen his atrophied thigh muscles) and "figure eights" (to get him to pivot on his back feet more). By Friday, we hope to try some light trotting!

Four Weeks Post-Op

Bo is walking almost exclusively, now. He still holds the repaired leg up and hops when he's on slippery surfaces, like the kitchen and laundry room floors, or when he's in a hurry, but he walks everywhere else.

He wants to jump up on the bed, and wants to run, and he's more confused than ever that we're still preventing him from doing these things. In many ways, the second four weeks will be a lot harder than the first four, as we must continue to restrict his activities for a full eight weeks. Now that he feels like doing these things, and is capable of trying, it's difficult to prevent them without constant supervision...

Here's Bo, taking me on a very short walk, on the trail adjacent to our driveway. Every day we'll add a few more steps.

Abendessen!

Bo already knew "Frühstück" (breakfast - he learned that a few years ago).

Now we're working on "Abendessen" (dinner ~ or, literally "evening food").

We're also working on "Imbiss" (snack, which is usually "Brokkoli" see Oct 28, below).

Three Weeks Post-Op and All is Well!

Bo just returned from his first post-op exam. The surgeon gave him an A+ on incision healing and an A- on progress with weight-bearing. He said it's not uncommon for dogs that suffered a single traumatic CCL rupture (like Bo, as opposed to a slow tear) to take a little longer, initially, to put weight on the repaired leg. But, the surgeon said they typically "catch up" by the crucial eighth week, when the bone has nearly mended, and activity can be ramped up.

The other good news is that Bo has lost three pounds; no small feat considering his near inactivity. He weighs 51 pounds today. He weighed 54 on the day of surgery; he'd put on a few pounds since the injury occurred. We kept him around 50 pounds for years, and his long-time vet said he was the perfect weight in July. However, we were continuing to feed him the same amount since he ruptured his CCL, even though he was no longer running around all the time! Glad to hear that our efforts, and Bo's sacrifices these last three weeks have paid off.

The surgeon said an optimum weight for him, now that we're trying to prevent a rupture of his right CCL, is 45 pounds! YIKES, that's another 6 pounds to lose! He hasn't weighed that little since he was 2. We have him on a great diet now, and thankfully, he's still loving all the broccoli and squash, so wish us luck!

Our target weight for week 8 is 48 pounds, and a few pounds less by late Spring, when we hope he can run again! Maybe this picture of him as a dorky little puppy will help inspire us!

Now comes the hardest part, keeping the little guy from going mad (and/or injuring himself) while we continue to keep him caged up (and on a strict diet) for 5 more weeks. I have started teaching him some German words (links und rechts, sitzen und bleiben, herkommen, hinlegen ~ guter Hund!) and some German names for his favorite toys. He loves learning new words.

Ann will teach him some Spanish...

Bocán's First Steps!

14 days after his surgery, and 39 days since his injury, Bo took his first actual steps on his repaired leg today.

We were out on a pee break, and he just started walking! I've only seen him hop on 3 legs for almost 7 weeks, so it took a minute to realize something was different; his butt wasn't bouncing up and down!

While I was trying to figure out how much weight he was actually putting on the leg, he showed me! He lifted his GOOD rear leg, (bearing all of his hind end weight on the repaired one), and really took his time! Atta boy!

Thoughts of him hiking with me in the spring are beginning to seem probable again...


At right are Lucky and Bo, taking a break on a trail along the McKenzie River a couple of years ago. Lucky was such a good hiking companion ~ Bo has big shoes to fill! And, we have a LOT of physical therapy and healing ahead of us...

Incremental Improvements

A little more use of the leg today, still mostly for balance, but a few times he actually touched the ground during a step!

Step-by-step, he is still showing signs of incremental improvement!

Today should have been his two-week check-up by the surgeon, to ensure his incision site is healing properly and that there are no signs of infection. The surgeon is out of town today, so the appointment is for next Monday, three weeks out. However, we determined that he is 100% free of infection - another milestone!

He's beginning to use his leg!

Today, Bo began touching the floor with his repaired leg quite a bit. He's not putting any weight on it yet, but he's started using it for balance. Prior to this, he was only doing this while pooping, now he's using it while standing.

The picture at left shows how he usually holds the leg - foot well up off the floor (usually much higher than this).

The picture at right shows him touching the floor for balance. Notice his right front paw is just off the floor...

Some dogs start using the leg the day after TPLO surgery, most by the end of the first week. Some don't begin using it for several weeks, and a few never regain use of the leg - there are no guarantees with this procedure... So, we're trying to remain patient as he continues to hop on three legs whenever he moves around. Step by step ~ literally!

You can also see how thin his upper leg muscles have become. Now that he's begun using his leg again, we can increase his passive range of motion therapy and then introduce exercise.

Notice too how well his fur has begun to grow back. It's nearly covered the incision area, as well.

Oh, and YES, that is SUNSHINE on the floor, it's pouring in today through the atrium skylight!