Bumps, Yeast & Eye Infections....Oh my!

A couple weeks ago we started to notice a bump on Lainey's left hind leg (this is the leg she had the Lateral Suture done twice on).  As the days went on, it began to get bigger and bigger, so we finally had to take her back to the specialist and have them look at it.

It is not causing her any pain and is not hindering her recovery at all, so at this point we are going to leave it alone.  The surgeon thinks it is her "crimper" that was used during surgery, but can't be 100% sure.  After we get between 8-12 weeks into recovery, the surgeon will take another look at it and make a decision as to what we need to do at that point.

This Friday marks 4 weeks post-op and she is doing great.  She is weight bearing on both legs (although, we need to remind her sometimes to use her left leg, because she has been so used to not using it since August).  She is wearing her brace like a champ, and we have extended her walks this week.

We have lowered the dosage on her meds and she seems to be doing okay, but ironically, she has gotten a yeast infection in one of her ears so now we are battling that issue.  Due to the meds she is on for her legs, the vet can't prescribe the necessary medication for the infection in her ear, so we are using some prescription ointment and hoping it will help.

She is still being very picky with her meals, so we have started making her "work" for her kibble.  When I walk her, I take her kibble rather than treats.  We also use a puzzle like this one...

Overall, I think she is doing great...but with the added issues of her ear infection and both cats having eye infections...I don't seem to ever get a moment of rest.

Thankfully, we had one of my nephew's visiting this past weekend and he was such a good helper.  It was sad to see him go...  He did such a good job with Lainey and spoiled her with so much love and tummy rubs!

Sleeping Beauty

Lainey is still doing great!  Every day I can see improvement and it makes this mama VERY happy.

She still sleeps most of the day, but she continues to eat and her overall demeanor is getting better.  There are small spurts throughout the day that her ears will perk up and I can see that happy-go-lucky puppy we used to know!

Here she is yesterday being her silly old self.....I had just given her some pain medication and a couple minutes later this is what I saw

There's no place like HOME

Monday night hubby and I drove across the state to pick up our Lainey girl.  After the vet gave us clearance for her to come home, we immediately made the decision that we needed to go get her.

It was a long night, to say the least.  We got home from the vet about 11:00pm and then I was up until after midnight getting her all situated.

I functioned all day yesterday on a mere 4 hours of sleep and this old lady just can't do that kind of stuff anymore!

I'm home....I'm home!!!

For the next week or so, I will be bringing Lainey with me to work.  She needs to have a sling for assistance with walking, and since the hubby is in a wheelchair, he can't help at this point.  Unfortunately, since we had to bring her big cage to my office, that leaves us with only having the plastic, octagon "den" for her to sleep in at night.  Do you know what that means?  Mommy has to sleep next to her in the dining room on the floor!!  If I even try to leave the room and attempt to sleep on the couch or in my bed, she cries and whimpers.

Remember when I said I was too old to function on lack of sleep?  Well, I'm really too old to be sleeping on the floor.  We need to come up with a Plan B immediately.

If I look pitiful enough do you think she will take this silly thing off?

Lainey slept most of the day yesterday, which makes it easier on me having her at my work.  She would wake up long enough to eat, take her meds and go potty, but then it was right back to sleep.  I can only hope that it remains this way for her remainder of her stay here.

Today is a new day.....One day closer to complete recovery.

A step forward, no matter how small, is still progress!

The weather here in West Michigan has been horrible!  It has snowed for 5 days straight and they are calling for another 2-4 inches today, with even more expected tomorrow.

I was all set to make the trip over to see Lainey Saturday morning, but with the roads in the condition they were ,and the "white-out" conditions being reported on the highway, I chose against it.

I'm actually glad that I didn't see her on Saturday because it sounds like she had a pretty rough day.  Her TPLO surgery on the 2nd leg was on Friday and she was just a mess on Saturday.  She wouldn't eat, wouldn't get out of her cage and wouldn't even attempt to put either one of her legs to the ground.

Fortunately, by Sunday when the hubby and I arrived for our visit with her, she was a whole new dog!  She was walking ON BOTH LEGS (with assistance from the sling) and was just so happy to see us.  It was the first time in a long time that you could "see" that she felt better.  I was able to feed her and take for a walk to do her "duties".  It felt so good to get a glimpse of the dog that I remember.

If she continues to improve, we should be able to bring her home early this week.

Day 10 Post-Surgery on Leg #1 and Day 2 Post-Surgery on Leg #2

2nd Surgery (technically, the 3rd)

Lainey got the green light to go ahead with the next surgery today. They will conduct what's called a TPLO on her right hind leg this afternoon. This entails cutting her tibia bone and then rotating it to reduce the slope of her knee. A plate and screws are used to hold the tibia in place so that the bone can heal in its new position. This surgery has a faster recovery time and will give her better range of motion of the joint in that leg.
 
As far as her left leg....she is in slow motion with the recovery phase and will continue to be this way probably for the next couple months until we can start physical therapy. She has lost a ton of muscle mass in this leg and the cartilage issue in her hock is causing her issues with walking (although, the new brace should eventually help with this issue). She also has "limited" range of motion in this leg due to the lack of using it the past 6 months, so she is having problems fully extending the leg.  

 If we can get the right leg on the road to recover after today's surgery, we can concentrate more on the left leg and getting it back to "working condition".

I will be traveling to the east side of the state again this weekend to visit with her.  I'm so ready to have her home with us!  Although, I'm a nervous wreck anticipating what the recover process is going to entail once we get her home.

Wish us luck!