Gluten Free.....No way, not me!

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks that I have had some sort of rash.  It is mostly on my lower back (upper buttocks), on my sides, around my chest, on my lower stomach, behind my ears and all over my scalp.  It is so itchy and drives me nuts.

I have been unable to see my family doctor as they are booked about 3 months out, so I have visited the urgent care 3 times and the emergency room once.  On all 4 visits I was diagnosed with contact dermatitis.  Meaning, I am coming into contact with something that I am having an allergic reaction to.

I've been prescribed mass amounts of prednisone, topical steroid cream and scalp wash....but, it continually keeps coming back.  We have gone through every item in our home (indoors and out) to see if there is something out of the ordinary that I have used and to this day we have thought of nothing.

Thankfully, I had an appointment with my regular physician yesterday for my annual and we were able to discuss my rash.  She made a phone call to a dermatology office and explained my situation and they were able to get me in yesterday afternoon.  Miracles do happen!!

A biopsy was taken off my lower back and will be sent out for testing and I also had some blood work drawn.  The specialist is thinking that I have Duhrings disease (aka dermatitis herpetaformis) and celiac disease.

Unfortunately, if this is the case, I will be on a strict gluten free diet and this will be a lifelong requirement (along with medication).  I've been wanting answers for weeks now as to what is causing all of this....but THIS is not the answer I would have hoped for.  I love food way too much to even "think" about having to go gluten free!

As much as I want this chronic itching to end.....I just never imagined this would be my answer.

Do any of you have to avoid gluten?  If so, what tips do you have.

Best Day Ever!

Yesterday we had Lainey's 8-week check up with the surgeon.  I was literally SO nervous.  This has already been a 10-month process for us and so far, we have gotten nothing but bad news.  I was anticipating "worst case scenario" in my mind the whole way there.

We arrived at the vet after a 2-hour car ride and I was so afraid that Lainey's legs would be sore and tight after being in her cage that whole time.  The cage is small enough to fit in my car so she doesn't have a lot of room to spread out and get comfortable, which I assumed would cause her to limp a little and be sore.  Thankfully, that didn't happen!

The girls at the front desk were amazed that this was the same dog that they took care of for 2 weeks post surgery.  They were loving on her and kept saying "she looks so good" and "look how good she is walking".  It put a smile on my face and put me at ease (a little).

The surgeon came in to the little room to see us and I was a ball of nerves.  She asked a few questions and then took Lainey with her to go get some scans done on her legs. 

The walls aren't very thick so you can hear the doctors and staff on the other side.  As the surgeon was bringing Lainey back after her scans I could hear some of the staff say "is that Lainey? Oh my gosh...what a different dog" and another gal said "Lainey, is that you?".

I felt so warm and fuzzy inside and knew that we made the right decision by bringing her here.  The staff took such great care of her during her stay here and they still love on her when we visit.

And now is when my whole day changed.....the doctor said that Lainey's scans showed that she is TOTALLY HEALED in both legs!  The surgeries were a success!  Lainey is free to run and play in the yard....she can be a DOG again!!!!

I nearly started crying!  It took me a minute to catch my breath before I could even say anything.

She will be sore after running/playing, but that is normal.  Compare it to us sitting on the couch for 10 months and then one day deciding to go run a mile....our muscles would be sore too.

We let her run in the yard yesterday and it was hilarious.  She was doing zoomies with her tongue hanging out and smiling so big!  We could tell she was sore last night, but this morning she was walking like normal.

I just can't believe that our nightmare is almost over!  It's been such a long haul and Lainey has endured so much in her young age.  I can't wait for her to "be a dog" again.  Fetching sticks, chasing squirrels and running after her brother.

Life is good and with patience comes great rewards!

Does this mean War?

Our household is in shambles....and is crumbling more and more every day!  The overall dynamic has been off for quite some time and I think every one (and every pet) is at it's breaking point.

If only I could go back 9 months and do things differently.....

It all started back in September when Lainey had her first ACL surgery.  We had to keep the dogs separated and Lainey was caged or leashed at all times.  We would have random "play" with both dogs together, but it was quiet play and not the "run around the house playing catch me" kind that they really like.  Stewie was often times corrected for trying to "rough house" with Lainey, so most of the time they just cuddled and Stewie would give her comfort.

Lainey (left) & Stewie (right)

Then came November and the nightmare I will never forget.  After the loss of Walker, sadness seemed to overcome each of us (humans and animals).  It was a very dark time for us and you could really feel the dynamics between all the animals start to shift.  Tucker, our other cat, was mourning the loss of his brother and would take it out on the dogs.  The dogs could tell that mommy and daddy were sad and would feed off our energy.  I don't think I realized how bad things were getting.

Walker ~ RIP & Tucker

December rolled around and we decided to adopt Dasher.  We thought that Tucker would appreciate having a play mate and after hearing his story from the shelter, we had to bring him home.  It took about a month for him to settle in, but now he is the happiest cat I've ever seen.  He is so loving and isn't at all afraid of the dogs.  Unfortunately, between still taking care of Lainey and now giving a lot of attention to the new member of the family...Stewie once again was getting the short end of the stick.

Dasher

In January, Lainey tore her other ACL and needed surgery on both legs.  For the couple weeks leading up to her surgery we finally let the dogs get in some good old fashion play time together.  I mean, what was the worst thing that could happen...Lainey was already going in for surgery, so we thought it would be good for them.  They absolutely loved this time together.  They were both so happy.

Then....everything changed!!! 

After surgery, Lainey spent 2+ weeks at the hospital.  During the time that Lainey was gone, Stewie received the most attention he has gotten in a long time.  We had so much more free time on our hands now that we didn't have to spend it on Lainey and her recovery.  Everyone in the house was happy!!!  Unfortunately, Lainey was stuck in a hospital, around strangers with her mama no where to be seen.  I would visit her on the weekends and she was so sad.  She had become a totally different dog and the vet explained it was most likely due to the meds, her pain level, etc.  For such a young pup, she had gone through so much in life, so they told me not to worry. 

The first night we brought Lainey home from the hospital, there was an exchange between the dogs that we had never seen before.  They both growled, got loud and it made me nervous.  I called the vet the next day and they said this was normal for our circumstances.  We were told to keep the dogs separated for a few days and let Lainey start her recovery stress-free.  We did as instructed and Lainey spent her days in a cage in my office at work and her nights in her pen in a room that is gated off from the rest of the house.  The dogs could "see" each other, but they couldn't get near each other.

Those first couple weeks passed without incident so we began slowly introducing the dogs into the same space.  It was a success!  They spent the next couple weeks loving each other and playing (as much as Lainey can play right now).

Unfortunately, this is where the story gets ugly.....

Sunday night I was home alone.  I had fed the dogs, walked Lainey and was doing a training session in the living room with both dogs.  As I always do, I had them both sit on the rug (one on my left side and the other on my right side).  I give each dog a command and then reward with a treat. After treating Stewie, I give Lainey a command and then treat her.  Then go back to Stewie and repeat the process.  After about the 4th-5th command, I gave Lainey a treat.  Unfortunately, I missed her mouth and the treat dropped on the floor.  As Lainey bent her head down to pick it up....Stewie attacked her.  He locked onto her neck and wouldn't let go.  Lainey was thrashing her neck around, but Stewie was not letting go.  I immediately stepped in and got Stewie to release.  The dogs were then separated, but Stewie was still "revved up" and he latched onto my arm.  I screamed, and before I knew it, Lainey was attacking him.  I know she was just trying to protect me, but it got ugly....fast!  Stewie ended up with a cut on each ear and a small cut on the top of his head.

You would think that this was the end of the story, but unfortunately, it is not!  Later that same night, Stewie attacked one of the cats.  He grabbed onto it's neck and would not let go.  Once again, thank goodness I was "right there" when it happened, so I was able to release him from the cat pretty quickly.

Since this incident, we have spoken to the vet and Stewie has been checked over. The vet thinks that not only are we dealing with some aggression issues, but we also have some OCD issues with the dog too. He prescribed clomipramine which treats canine obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety produced by phobias, and aggression. We are going to try the medication for a month and see if there is any improvement and then move on to some behavior modification training techniques. This medication should allow Stewie to learn new desirable behaviors that replace any undesirable behaviors, while calming his fears enough to make the learning process easier for him.
There has been a lot of change in our household over the past 6 months with Lainey's surgery ('s), the loss of one cat, the addition of another cat, etc.  Stewie's anxiety has increased significantly due to all of these changes, along with all of the emotions that we (humans) are feeling due to all of these issues and he may be feeding off of us, leading to an extreme level of anxiety, fear, etc.

We will continue to keep the animals separate for a couple more weeks and assess the situation at that time and see how he is reacting to the new meds.

I'm so afraid that the dogs will never be "best buds" again.  That they will have to be separated at all times and never left unsupervised.  This will be my worst nightmare.  I wish someone could tell me that this happens and that things will get better!  I know I'm not the only one who has dealt with aggression/fear in a dog, but I feel that way.  How did they go from being best friends to worst enemies?  I am stressed and my heart is breaking.  If I could go back to last year I would have never taken Lainey hiking that day that she tore her ACL.  It seems like everything has snowballed since that day.  If she wouldn't have torn her ACL she wouldn't have needed surgery...which means we would have never had the Rimadyl in the house...which means the cat would have never ate it...which means the cat would have never died...which means we would have never gotten another cat...which means that Lainey's "good" leg would have never taken on all the stress causing another ACL tear...which would have meant no hospital stay...etc!!! 

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!

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!

Somewhat of an Update

I didn't get to talk to the vet last night as they had an emergency going on when I called, but as of yesterday afternoon when I spoke to them, all her vitals were good and she finally started eating (only if her favorite nurse fed her though).  Can you say "spoiled"?

She is not walking on the leg at all, but that is normal since the cast was just removed Sunday night. The incision and staples look good and she doesn't have any swelling and only minimal bruising. 

They are waiting on some cultures to come back so they can check her bacteria levels in order to get approval for the second surgery on Friday. She is taking her meds well (pain meds, anti inflammatory & antibiotics), but her fentenyl patch is no longer working, so she has started showing signs of some pain (as to be expected with what she has going on). 

Lainey has 2 favorite nurses and it sounds like everyone there just loves her. A couple of the nurses (her favorites) even get inside her cage with her throughout the day and love on her until she falls asleep in their lap.

This is 2 days post surgery...I think she is saying "Mama, pleeeease get me outta here"

Whirlwind

It's been such a whirlwind the past few days! I was able to visit with Lainey this weekend and planned on doing another update, but I think I will hold off another day or so. Things seem to be changing so quickly, and I would rather have all the information to give you, rather than just bits and pieces.

In the meantime, here is a pic of Lainey 3 days post-op! Doesn't she look so sad? My heart just breaks....

And the Saga Continues!

Yesterday was Lainey's appointment with the Orthopedic Specialist.  Originally, the plan was for the doctor to do surgery on Lainey's new injury, but unfortunately, that is not what happened.

After the initial exam on the new injury, the doctor started examining the old injury and we discussed all of the complications we've been having since Lainey's surgery in September.  After discovering that Lainey has been hyper-extending her leg for 4 months since surgery, causing the cartlidge to harden in an odd position in her hock, we decided that emergency surgery on her first injury was more of a priority at this time.

The plan is to do the surgery on Leg #1 yesterday, board her at the vet for the next 10 days and then do surgery on Leg #2.  The type of surgery we have chosen for Leg #2 will actually allow her to "stand" and bear weight on that leg within 24 hours and the recovery time is only about 8 weeks.  This is a necessity given the fact that the recovery period for Leg #1 will be 4-6 months.

I spoke with the surgeon yesterday after the first surgery was completed, and it sounds like everything went as planned.  She was able to determine what was causing each of our complications and resolve each of those problems (we hope)! 

As of now, Lainey is resting comfortably and is adjusting to the full leg bandage she is wearing.  As for the issue with her hock, she will need to wear a brace for an undetermined amount of time (see pic for example of brace)

Fortunately, the vet is only 10 minutes away from my dad's house on the east side of the state, so I will be staying with him this weekend in order to visit Lainey as much as possible.

Please keep the prayers coming...Lainey (and mama) could use them!

Lainey: 3 Months Post Op

This has not been an easy road...for Lainey or for us!  Today we are officially 4 months out from her ACL surgery.  According to the paperwork, Lainey should be exercising like "normal" and running, jumping and rough play should gradually be introduced until at a normal level.

Unfortunately, she is still not even walking on that leg yet. 

We had another visit with the surgeon last night and he took another set of x-rays (assuming the artificial band had snapped), but everything looks as good as it did the day he placed it in there.  The metal plate is even still in the same spot (he said sometimes it can shift a little). 

He did notice a lot of fluid around Lainey's knee and mentioned that she is in a lot of pain.  He tried touching her knee when she was under anesthesia and she reacted to it.  He said only patients who are in severe pain will react to anything while being "under".

We will be dropping Lainey off at the surgeon's office tomorrow so they can aspirate the knee and get some of the fluid off.  They will then send the fluid to a pathologist to run some tests.

For now, we are back on pain meds and antibiotics.

I JUST WANT MY DOG BACK.....MY PUPPY!!!

I knew this was going to be a loooong process, but knowing that we are 3 months post op and she is healing at about 20-30 days post op is so frustrating.  We have done everything that is expected and it still seems to be one thing after another.

I pray that here is where we will turn the corner....After handling this fluid issue that is around her knee, we will (finally) be headed in the right direction.

Walker is "HOME"!!

Last night I picked up Walker's ashes.  It was such mixed emotions...I cried and cried the whole way home, but once I got him inside, I felt like he was "home" again and a sense of calm came over me.

The second I walked through the door Tucker was all over me.  I finally took out the urn and sat it on the counter and Tucker was rubbing all over it.  My heart literally broke into a million pieces.

I'm not sure how to explain Tucker's reaction to the urn, but it continued all night long.  No matter where I put the urn, Tucker would find it and meow like crazy.  I would take it out of the bag it came in and he would rub all over it.

I ended up having to put it in one of our closets because Tucker just would not leave it alone and it broke my heart to watch his reaction.

This worries me because I ordered a ceramic black cat urn to transfer the ashes to, but I am concerned that Tucker will knock it over and break it.  I will have to see what happens.

In a perfect world, I wouldn't be writing this post...unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world! On the other hand, if the circumstances must be....I at least feel like I have some peace now that Walker is HOME with us again.

Welcome back buddy....Mommy loves you and misses you every day!!!

R.I.P Walker

I can't even begin to describe the pain in my heart! 

We lost one of our family members Friday...

R.I.P Walker

I will never forgive myself for letting him eat one of those pills, which ultimately was the beginning of the end for him. He was suffering from kidney failure and I know I did the right thing by putting him to sleep, but it doesn't make the pain hurt any less. I don't know if I will ever love another 4-legged animal the way I loved him. There was definitely a special bond between Walker and mama and I will hold onto those memories forever. 

Not the best picture of me....but this is the last photo I took of Walker. 
This is a great example of how loving he was.  He would sleep every night with his arms wrapped around my neck...I sure do miss that!  {tear}

R.I.P Walker...you will forever be in our heart!

Google is Always Right....But I Wanted them to be Wrong

Yesterday was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right.  The weather has been crappy which put me in a bad mood....my workday was chaotic....and worst of all, when I picked up Lainey from daycare they informed me that they couldn't watch her anymore.  Evidently, she is starting to feel better and is NOT HAPPY about being confined to a kennel ALL day!  Over the past few days she has chewed up many blankets, chewed up two beds, and yesterday she chewed their floor all the way down to concrete.

This of course stressed me out to the max and required me to come up with a Plan B.  For the next couple weeks my little brother has agreed to come over throughout the day to let her out, take her for her walk and do her therapy.  This is a great plan for now, but what am I going to do in a couple weeks when he isn't available anymore???

Needless to say I went to bed last night not in a very good mood....and I let everyone know about it too!

When I awoke this morning I convinced myself that today was a new day and I was going to leave yesterday in the past.  My morning routine was going great, I was right on schedule and had everything planned out for leaving Lainey at home.  Then the unthinkable happened.....

I feed Lainey every morning before we leave so that I can give her a pain pill.  I got all of her pills out and ready and then noticed that she was still eating her food.  I wanted to let her finish eating so that she can take the pills on a full stomach.  I decided that while she finished eating I would brush my teeth and then be ready to leave for work.  I laid the pills on the counter, stepped over my cats (they tend to always be right at your feet at all times), and went to brush my teeth.  When I came back out of the bathroom I went to grab the pills off the counter and there was only "dust" and a small piece of one of the pills left.  By this time I started to panic.  I immediately looked on the floor to see if one of the cats knocked them off the counter, but there was nothing!

I panicked.  The counter is too high for Lainey to have gotten to them so I knew that one of the cats had ate them.  I wasn't worried about the cats ingesting the glucosamine pills, but the pain pill (Rimadyl) is pretty potent even for my 70 lb dog...I couldn't imagine a 9 lb cat ingesting one.

My first reaction was to jump on google to see what I should do and how harmful this could be.  The first post I read stated that Rimadyl is TOXIC to cats and ingested can cause Kidney failure within the first 24 hrs which most of the time leads to death.  I was HYSTERICAL!!!

Due to my hysteria I failed to think straight.  I should have immediately jumped in the car and headed to the emergency vet, but instead, my next reaction was to wake up my husband and tell him what happened.  I informed him of what I found on Google and of course, he tried to calm me down and actually got irritated that I always try to "self-diagnose" everything using the internet.  (About every 6 months I think I'm dying of cancer or any other 100 diseases you don't want). I agreed that I was probably over-reacting and finished getting ready for work.

After 20 minutes I couldn't take it any longer.  I called the emergency vet to get some answers.  Unfortunately....Google was right!  And the kicker to this whole story is that had I tried to induce vomiting within the first 20 minutes the "fast-acting" Rimadyl wouldn't have been completely absorbed by the cat's system, giving us better chances of reducing the side effects. 

After hanging up the phone, I hollered at my husband to "get your ass out of bed and come say goodbye to the cats, because one of them is probably going to die today".  I never said I was calm under pressure.....Although, he did feel pretty bad that he tried to talk me out of the emergency vet in the first place.

Anywho....Both cats are at the hospital (both of them had to go because I don't know which one ingested the drug) and will be there until Monday evening (assuming they live that long).  The doctors tried to induce vomiting but was unsuccessful.  They are currently both on IV fluids in order to try and flush the kidneys.  As of 10:00 a.m. today both of their liver and kidney tests came back normal, but that can change at any time.  They will test again on Monday and call me with the results.  If there is no change, I will be able to pick them up Monday evening.

Although, we still won't be "out of the woods" even if they test normal on Monday.  The first 3 days after ingestion are the most critical, but it can take up to 3-4 weeks for the Rimadyl to be completely out of a cat's system.  They will both go back every few days for more tests and hopefully there will continue to be no changes.

As you can imagine...I am just beside myself.  The guilt is overwhelming...

How could I have been so stupid?  If I had children I wouldn't have just left pills sitting on the counter....I will just die (not literally) if something happens to one of my precious furbabies!

I'm pretty sure I win the award for the most money paid to a vet in a 2 month period.  Between the dogs and now the cats our savings is non-existent!  I'm really hoping that nobody expects a Christmas gift from us this year...

Please pray for my precious babies....

 

One Step Forward.....Two Steps Back

After my last post, where I declared that my dog is a superstar and I'm rocking this whole "post-surgery recovery" thing....Well, things took a turn (and not for the better).

Last Wednesday evening I was driving Lainey home from doggy daycare and she let out a huge yelp from her cage in the back of the car.  I immediately turned around to check on her, but she was laying down and seemed fine.  We carried out the rest of the evening in our normal manner and she was showing no signs that anything was wrong.

That same night we went to bed and Lainey seemed a little restless.  She seemed like she couldn't get comfortable and would get up repeatedly, walk in a circle and lay back down.  A few hours after falling asleep I was awakened by a blood curdling yelp from her.  I jumped up, grabbed my glasses off the nightstand and she was once again just laying down in her cage.  I slept with her the rest of the night and she seemed a lot more comfortable and a lot less restless.

In the morning when I got her up, I noticed that she was refusing to walk on her leg.  I looked it over and didn't see anything out of the ordinary so I assumed it was probably just sore. 

She continued to not use that leg for the rest of the week.  I was even having trouble getting through her therapy because she DID NOT want me touching her leg.  But, other than not putting any weight on the leg, she seemed normal.  Her eating habits had not changed and she was still perky and wanting to play.

Then Saturday came and her whole demeanor changed.  Not only was she not wanting to put any weight on the leg, but she was not even willing to stand up.  You had to force her into a standing position when it was time to go potty.  By Saturday evening she started shaking, and refused to eat.  You could tell she was not feeling good.  At this point my husband and I started discussing whether we should call the emergency vet or not.  We decided to wait until Sunday and see if she improved any. 

 By Sunday she was feeling a little better but she slept most of the day.  We decided to wait until Monday morning to call the surgeon and not take her to the emergency vet.  Not only would it be cheaper, but the surgeon obviously knows her history and we felt more comfortable having him calling the shots.

Our jack russell, Stewie, must have known that Lainey wasn't feeling well, because he wouldn't leave her side for most of the day on Sunday.  The dogs get along great, but Stewie tends to keep to himself most of the time and it isn't very often that he will "cuddle" up next to her.  At one point Sunday afternoon I was laying on the floor with Lainey while she napped.  I got up to use the bathroom and this is what I saw when I walked back into the room.

My heart was overflowing.....Big brother Stewie knew just what to do.

Doesn't Lainey just look miserable in that last picture? 

Anyways.....long story short, Lainey had an appointment with the surgeon last night.   My biggest fear was that she tore the ACL replacement band that they put in during surgery and that we would be back at square one.  My stomach was in knots all day yesterday.

Fortunately, the x-rays showed that everything was perfect!!!  He thinks that she may have "tweaked" her leg and then tried to stand on it and due to the extreme pain she has refused to use that leg again, anticipating it to hurt like that every time. As for the shaking and the lack of appetite...those are both symptoms from the pain and are normal.  Needless to say, we are back on pain meds for the time being.  Doctor thinks that in a week or so she should be progressing as well as before.  We will continue with her therapy and take things day by day.  I will definitely not rush her recovery and will let her take it at her own pace.

It's frustrating having to take "two steps back", but it could have been much worse. 

And since we are on the topic....here is a picture of Lainey's back legs.  You will notice all the wrinkles in her left leg...this is all the muscle she has lost since surgery.  It makes me sad :(

So we are back at square one, but I still love her to death and will do anything to help in the recovery process.  Wish me luck (and patience)!

It was all worth it

Lainey's stitches came out today and the surgeon said that of all the ACL surgeries he has conducted, that she is in the top 90% as far as recovery. I am beyond thrilled. He said most dogs are still only walking on 3 legs by now and have not even attempted touching even their toes on the ground. She is completely walking on ALL FOUR legs! 

 

The surgeon was very impressed with her flexibility in the leg and pretty much gave me a high-five for following the therapy instructions.  I guess not many people do what they should and then expect results they aren't getting.  Yay for mama (and of course the ladies at daycare) for being consistent with her post-operation instructions.

 

Normally it isn’t until we go back in 3 weeks for another check-up, that he would instruct us to start taking small walks (about 5-10 min), but we get to START TODAY!!!! Yesssss!  The fresh air is going to do both of us some good.

I am feeling so much better today….I can finally say that the past 12 days of hell have been worth it. 

 

Let's hope that Lainey continues to progress in the right direction!

 

And can we get an Amen for mama for not giving up....Aaaaaa-MEN!!!

 

 

Update: Day 6

During my meeting with the Dr after Lainey's surgery, he mentioned that the first 3 days were going to be the most difficult.  HE WAS RIGHT!!!  She looked miserable, would whine in her sleep (from pain I'm assuming), she wouldn't drink any water, was unbalanced walking on 3 legs, put up a fight whenever it was time for physical therapy, and hated the cold compress. 

Doesn't she look pathetic.....

But then day 4 rolled around and I got a small glimpse of my "puppy" again.  She was perkier, her ears were standing up, and her energy level had increased.  I didn't have to fight her to do her therapy, she took her meds like a champ and her overall demeanor had improved greatly. 

Day 5 was her first day at daycare and they said she did fantastic.  I don't know what I would do without those wonderful ladies...they sent home a chart with me last night showing me when she ate, took her meds, did therapy, got a cold compress, went potty, drank water, etc.  Anything and everything that they thought I would like to know, they wrote down for me. 

Today is Day 6 and she was extremely tired looking this morning.  Although, we did have a good therapy session before I dropped her off at daycare.

I hope and pray that every day we start to see improvement.

For those of you with a weak stomach...Look away now!!

Here is a picture of Lainey's incision on Day 1

As of today, the swelling has gone down substantially, the bruising is almost gone and the incision site looks like it is healing nicely.  The staples come out next Monday and I will post another picture so you can see the improvement. 

Update: Day 1

Picked up Lainey and she is here with me in the office today. She looks like one pitiful little girl :( Surgeon said the injury was a lot worse than what he was expecting. The lower portion of her leg wasn't aligned up with the upper portion any longer and she had formed some bone spur type things (little bits of bone growing in odd places).  She also formed some arthritis in that leg, so now we will have to deal with that too.

 

Here she is with her "cold compress" and being the best little patient a doctor (aka mama) could ask for.

 

 

 

 

To you she is "Just a Dog", to me "She is Family"

Today is the day....Surgery for Lainey to repair her torn ACL.

So far I have cried in the shower…cried on the way to the vet….cried after I left the vet...and cried once at my desk!  It was so hard to leave her there.  She was so scared and shaking so badly.  As they took her from me and started heading down the long corridor, she turned around and looked at me and I lost it.  Animals are so hard because they don’t understand.
 
The surgeon came out to the lobby and talked with me for a little bit this morning to try and calm my nerves.  I thought it was very nice of him, but he said NOTHING that made me feel better. 

I don’t think I’m upset over the actual surgery.  I know the surgeon will do his best and is very qualified.  I think it is the recovery process that has my stomach in knots.  I don’t know how to keep her physically contained for that long and still make sure she is a “happy” dog.  Actually…I think that is exactly what is upsetting me.  I want to make sure that she is always happy and most of all feels loved.  I spend too much of my time researching and learning about pit bulls and 90% of the stories will shred your heart into a million pieces.  I don’t ever want her to experience anything negative like those “other dogs”.

I know this is going to turn into a positive thing once she is all healed and can run and play like a puppy again, but getting to that point is going to be a struggle.  I've been told “I love too hard” and I think that’s true (with both people and animals).

 

Please keep Lainey (and myself) in your prayers today!  Hope to come back with an update tomorrow or Friday.

 

 

We can do it

We are now on our 9th day of keeping Lainey on bed rest because of her torn ACL.  The first 6-7 days weren't that bad because she was in pain and would sleep most of the day due to her pain medication.  The last 48 hours however, have been torture.  Her pain is obviously improving because she wants so badly to play and simply get out and run!

Surgery is next Wednesday so we only have to deal with her being stressed for another few days...we can do it!  But, what really scares me is after the surgery.  I know the first couple weeks she won't feel the greatest, but what are we going to do after that?  It is impossible to keep her occupied and "resting" 24 hours a day.  My stress and anxiety are at an all-time high right now anticipating her recovery process.

My heart just breaks when I see her so sad...And I hate being the "bad guy" who makes her stay caged up all day long.  Hopefully, she won't hold any grudges after this is all said and done!

I mean...Look at how pathetic she looks