- Ticket April 2, 2013 - I don’t even know where to count from anymore. It’s been 21 weeks since Ticket’s first surgery on her right knee, 8 weeks since the second. She’s doing GREAT! Working really hard on the underwater treadmill and at home, and responding the way we want. Today, we measured her thigh muscles to see where we’re […]
- Ticket update — 6.5 weeks and counting - It’s been about 6.5 weeks since Ticket’s second surgery, and I’m very happy with her progress. She still has a limp, but it’s subtle most of the time. It can get worse with exercise, but is back to “normal” the next day, so nothing persists. Xrays show good healing. I’m finally feeling like she’s making […]
- TPLO Redux–4 weeks - Ticket is actually showing some improvement now, 4 weeks after surgery #2. She is walking better, with less of a limp, though it certainly increases with muscle fatigue. However, she also seems to have better exercise tolerance. So, even after working very hard on the underwater treadmill, she is only slightly more lame, and it […]
- TPLO-Redux, 2 weeks - Tomorrow will be 2 weeks after Ticket’s second surgery on her left stifle. We went for a recheck on Friday. Only a small amount of effusion, but she was still very lame. Using the leg at a walk, but carrying it when trying to go faster. However, can’t find anything “wrong,” and it’s likely she […]
- TPLO–Setbacks - So, a week ago, I decided that it was time. Ticket wasn’t improving–if anything, I felt like she was doing worse. I took her back for a recheck, and her surgeon agreed that she wasn’t recovering the way we would expect. So, I elected another surgery. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, but in […]
- TPLO 12 weeks - So, the last two weeks haven’t been great. I didn’t feel like Ticket was progressing. If anything, it felt like she was more lame. And I just wasn’t happy with how she looked. I took her back for a recheck today, and we decided to go back in on her knee. It’s a hard decision […]
- TPLO 10 Weeks - 10 weeks since TPLO surgery. I think Ticket is finally on the upswing. I can see her bearing more weight on the surgery leg, and while she still has some residual lameness at times and alterations in her gait, she is moving much better. Her lameness does increase with exercise, but resolves, which indicates muscle […]
- TPLO 7-8 weeks - Well, followup xrays showed Ticket’s bone hadn’t quite healed yet. So she gets to be a little more free (can be out of the crate if calm inside), but still no running around outside. She still has significant muscle atrophy, as well as pain in the muscles around her hip, and her psoas. Those last […]
- TPLO 6 Weeks - Ticket is getting close to the end–5 days until followup xrays. This week was 6 weeks after her surgery. She is up to 30 minutes on the underwater treadmill with an incline. That is no problem for her. At home, we are doing two strengthening exercises every other day. So we climbed up and down […]
- TPLO — 4 and 5 weeks - Didn’t post about week 4, because basically, it was just like every other week. Still no changes. Last Friday, we did start doing the treadmill at an incline (so more work on those rear legs). This week, 23 minutes on the incline–she’s really kicking butt on the treadmill. We had a late afternoon session, and […]
- TPLO Week 3 — Same old, same old - No real change this week in our rehab plan. I’m going to increase our 10 minute walks by a couple of minutes later in the week, and see how Ticket does. She’s doing great on the treadmill–she did 14 minutes on Tuesday. She’s not having any limping, but is having the occasional weight-shifting in her […]
- TPLO Week 2 - Ticket is doing great 2 weeks post-op. She had her 2 week recheck appointment today, and everything is looking great. Still some mild effusion of the stifle, but nothing unexpected. She continues to use the leg well. She also had her initial rehab evaluation, and is looking great there as well. She is basically just […]
- TPLO Week One - So, the first two weeks of TPLO recovery are pretty boring in the scheme of rehab. Not a lot to be done just yet. Ticket is doing well, except that she is definitely more of a handful then she was the first time. She’s already grabbing her leash to tug, bringing me her toy […]
- TPLO Day 1 - Here’s a break in election coverage for you… Ticket had TPLO surgery on her RIGHT stifle yesterday, and was able to come home today. Surgery went well, however, her cruciate injury was atypical. Usually when a dog injures their cruciate ligament, it’s the medial aspect of the knee that’s affected, and that was the case […]
- Review of bags for flying, Part 2 — Sturdibags - So, the bag I’ve used for flying for several years is the Large Sturdibag. For a smaller dog, it’s a great bag, and is very economical and light. The Sturdibag is designed with flexible poles that give it a curved appearance. The advantage of these poles is that you are able to squish the bag […]
- Bad Things to Eat, Part 2 - So, there’s a list a mile long of things your dog shouldn’t be eating, but here’s one you might not be aware of–sugarfree gum. Sugarfree gum contains an artificial sweetener called xylitol, which can be life-threatening to dogs if ingested. The toxic dose is fairly low, so even a few pieces of gum can be […]
- Bad Things to Eat, Part 1 - Everyone knows that chocolate is bad for dogs. But there are a lot of things out there that you might not know about, that are much more deadly. One of these is a plant called the Sago Palm. Sago palms, or Cycads, are a very popular ornamental plant. They are EXTREMELY prevalent in Texas–you will […]
- Summer Troubles - Besides the increased risk for heat stroke, summer also brings a couple of other potential sources of stress for our dogs. In many parts of the country, summertime thunderstorms are a daily occurrence. And July 4th means fireworks. Herding breeds are overrepresented as being sensitive to sound, so it’s a problem that affects many agility […]
- Heat Stroke - Now that summer is upon us, I want to discuss heat stroke. Heat stroke is when your dog’s core body temperature rises from a normal 100-102 degrees to 106-109 degrees. Heat stroke is life-threatening, and can cause tissue necrosis, sepsis, and death. It occurs in hot, humid environments, where dogs don’t have water and/or shade. […]
- Preparing for an Emergency Evacuation - Now that hurricane season is upon us here along the Gulf Coast, I’ve been thinking about my evacuation and disaster plan. With an event like a hurricane, you have the luxury of forewarning, typically for a couple of days, so admittedly it feels a little less urgent. But your evacuation and disaster preparedness isn’t just […]
