There is absolutely nothing pretty about this:
Poor kid. It’s enough to make you feel like the worst parent ever.
The surgeon’s report was that everything went perfectly. Just as suspected, Penny had a partial tear. The edges of the torn ligament were cleaned up, and her tibial angle had been reduced from 27 degrees down to 7 degrees.
Two things surprised us when we picked her up the next day:
1- She was walking on the operated leg! Toe-touching, weight-bearing walking. This totally changed our outlook on how mobile she would be.
2- No staples! I’m not sure how common this is, but this was great. Don’t get me wrong, that leg was still ugly as hell, but knowing that she wouldn’t need to go in for another procedure to have them removed was a huge relief.
The next few days were a basic routine of Tramadol for pain around the clock and Metacam once a day for pain/swelling. We applied ice packs to both sides of the stifle (a.k.a. dog knee) several times a day, and performed gentle massage.
Penny laid there and looked like the most pathetic, most beautiful creature I have ever seen.
I have 3 suggestions for those first days:
TAKE NOTES of when medication is given. Especially if you’re dosing around the clock, getting up in the middle of the night.
TAKE PICTURES. Your camera is your best ally for documenting swelling & discoloration. We had a few times where we thought her leg was getting redder. We looked at the previous night’s picture and realized it wasn’t any more swollen, it was just that the discoloration was moving with gravity.
KEEP A DIARY. Note poop schedules, swelling, eating habits, gait, everything.
The next few days were a basic routine of Tramadol for pain around the clock and Metacam once a day for pain/swelling. We applied ice packs to both sides of the stifle (a.k.a. dog knee) several times a day, and performed gentle massage.
Penny laid there and looked like the most pathetic, most beautiful creature I have ever seen.
I have 3 suggestions for those first days:
TAKE NOTES of when medication is given. Especially if you’re dosing around the clock, getting up in the middle of the night.
TAKE PICTURES. Your camera is your best ally for documenting swelling & discoloration. We had a few times where we thought her leg was getting redder. We looked at the previous night’s picture and realized it wasn’t any more swollen, it was just that the discoloration was moving with gravity.
KEEP A DIARY. Note poop schedules, swelling, eating habits, gait, everything.
These 3 suggestions will not only help you navigate your pup’s recovery, but may also save you later (as it did for us) when knee #2 decides to crap out and you’re trying to remember what these days were like.
Remember- this is the worst part- it gets better, it really does!
Yours truly- Tigerlily
Remember- this is the worst part- it gets better, it really does!
Yours truly- Tigerlily
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