Slow Progress...

We thought that Daisy's recovery would mostly be about pain, but we had a completely different complication that we weren't expecting. She has lost control of her bowel and leaks while she is sleeping.

Lying down for dinner...

She doesn't have the drop foot so much anymore and is trying to use her leg normally which is a relief. She is also a lot more perky, even though she is still sedated and we are getting a glimpse of the "old" Daisy that was hidden over the past couple of days. She even gazed longingly at the sofa and I am sure was contemplating how to get up! We borrowed a huge crate from her dog walker and it has made all the difference as she has space now to turn around and stretch as she needs to. And because I am such a good shopper, I found some blankets for $3 a piece so I went crazy and bought 7 so that we can cycle them through the wash and keep her crate clean.

The incision...

The bruising is starting to come out and there is a lot of oedema around her stifle joint. She was also shaking a lot yesterday so because of these concerns, we put a call into to the specialist. Because it was Sunday, the call went through to the vet tech on duty who took all our concerns and phoned the on-call vet. He called straight back and gave us the advice and reassurance that we needed.

The bruising starting to appear

For the swelling, he recommended a warm compress if she would tolerate it, and for the pain he said that we can increase her medication. The shaking could be from pain, but we were advised to keep an eye on it. And the poop issue? Apparently this sometimes happens because of anaesthesia and should stop within a few days. She was also very bloated when she got home and I am sure that the drug cocktail that she is on, doesn't help. Jet has been using a towel as a makeshift sling to help take some of the weight of her back legs and it seems to help a little.

Jet walking her with a sling to help support her back legs

We have also reduced her food as she has gone from active dog to sedentary dog. She used to get 1.5 cups twice a day and we have reduced it to 3/4 cup twice a day of the dry food and we camouflage her meds in some of those meat rolls that we chop up into squares. She is such a good girl about everything and only needs a little food incentive to go back into her crate after her mini walks.

Last night we both searched the internet about the TPLO surgery to find out more about her recovery time. Everything said that the first 2 weeks are the hardest and it should start to improve rapidly after that. But also, to keep her from putting too much pressure on her leg for the full 8 weeks to avoid lengthening the recovery time.

So while Daisy has been laid up, Charlotte has decided that it's time she learn some tricks and has been shaking paws on command! We'll see how long it lasts this time. Last time she did this it only lasted for one day. She is so funny. Obstinate, but funny!

The obstinate (but endearing) Charlotte...