It's been a while!

Today, we are 4 weeks post op and doing very well. That's why this hasn't been updated, there really isn't much to say! He's walking like he did before his injury, and his scar is almost gone. Most of the hair has grown back as well and his butt dimple is starting to make an appearance! Here's a picture of his scar as of today. He's healing much better than expected! Excuse the photo quality, it's from my iPhone!

2 weeks, 3 days post-op and doing well!

He is doing amazingly well! We took him to the beach today in his stroller and let him walk around a bit. He loved sticking those tiny little paws in the water and even laid in the sand! I'm getting sick of people commenting about him being in the stroller though...I'm not putting him there because I think it's cute (even though he looks adorable!), but because it's either the stroller or being confined at home for the next couple of months. PC and I agree, stroller it is!

And, he got a surprise in the mail today from Aunt Dawn in CT! She sent him some stingray tails and both him and his brother were very happy for quite some time! He needs some low-cal treats that will keep him busy so these are perfect. I bought him a Merrick bone, but PC isn't the smartest one in the bunch and had no idea what to do with it. While his brother took right to his bone, and got most of the meat off, PC stood there confused and licked it every so often. Bless his tiny little heart, at least he's cute!

His incision is barely visible anymore and his hair is growing back very quickly. Still holding out for that butt dimple! Here are some pictures from the beach and of his incision. He'll be up and running in no time!





Giving a dirty look to someone commenting about his stroller!




Thanks Aunt Dawn!

Stitches are out!

His stitches are finally out! The doctor was very pleased with his progress. There was another dog there that had TPLO done 6 weeks ago, and he wasn't putting any weight on that leg still. PC? We can't keep him off that leg! The recovery is so quick and good in fact that we are told to take him on 15 minute walks already and it hasn't even been 2 weeks yet! We saw x-rays of his leg and he has a large plate and 3 screws in there, holding the plate in place. I guess this means he won't be going through airport metal detectors any time soon!

We also got some bad news. He has everted saccules and an elongated soft palate. Because of his terrible reaction to anesthesia, the vet recommends that we do this procedure when we bring him for radiographs in 6 weeks, which require sedation anyway. This surgery would allow him to breathe without gasping for air all the time and is an outpatient procedure, so he'd come home at night. The vet said he'd recover in a day or two, so that's the good part. The bad part? It's $2500 and we just spent $4500 on the TPLO. But, we have to do what is best for him and are going to speak to other Bulldog owners to see if we can get some more info. We have a bit of time to decide which will give us time to do some research about the pros and cons of this procedure.

Here is a picture just before the stitches were taken out:



And right after they came out:



And a couple of pictures of him enjoying his time outside:

Day 11 and boredom is setting in!

Well it's been 11 days since his surgery and he is getting very bored being penned up all this time. He's feeling totally fine, which is great but also means he wants to come out and play. I got him a new chew toy today, which he loves and that kept him busy for a few hours.

His leg is looking much better and when the stitches come out, he should be healing nicely. His hair is also growing back quicker than I expected and soon that butt dimple will be right back where it belongs!

I also found a new line of treats at our local pet store. They are called Smart Pup (not like he needs to be any smarter, he's a genius! :-D) and come in little containers that look like apple sauce. The one I got him is the skin & coat formula, in peanut butter & banana flavor, and he will have one later tonight. He's quite picky with treats, so we will see if he likes it!

Here is his new toy:








UPDATE:
The treat was a huge success! He loved it and licked it all up. Here's a video of him enjoying it as well as one of him seeing his brother. They really haven't seen each other outside of the pen/crate and PC was a bit more excited to see MB than the other way around!

What's that sound?

For the last week, I was convinced that they broke my boy during surgery. He is normally a very loud snorer, much louder than anything my husband can produce! (except that PC's snoring normally does't bother me!) But, since his surgery, I've been waking up in the middle of the night to make sure he's ok because I couldn't hear him.

Well, last night I got my wish. He plopped his chunky self on his bed, laid on his back and snored like you wouldn't believe! We have very thin walls here and I'm sure the neighbors think it's my husband because sounds like that can't possibly come from such a cute little creature! So, needless to say, we both got very little sleep last night as a result of this extra loud snoring, but Porkchop slept like a champ and woke up ready to tackle the world! Ok, maybe not, but ready to go out and pee anyway.

Here is a video of him returning from a pee trip. My very good boy goes right to his pen, and waits for me to lift it. Doesn't try to fight going in and just accepts it as his way of life for now. I'm so proud of him and can't wait until he doesn't need to be in there anymore! Who would have thought that the dog that had half his body shaved, a metal piece bolted into his bones and tons of stitches would be the good one here? His brother has been a nightmare during this ordeal, making this whole process twice as hard as it needs to be! PC alone would be a dream to care for, but his brother it seems requires 24/7 care. Can't win!

One week after surgery!

Today is exactly one week since his surgery. My beautiful, tiny boy is healing so well. He's such a good sport and goes right to his pen after we come in from going out to pee. He's not a dog we ever thought would relax, but he's being a champ! Exactly one week from today, his stitches come out and his incision will begin to heal. His hair is also beginning to grow back and he has a bit of peach fuzz going on. I love him and can't wait to take him to the beach!

So beautiful!

Look at the peach fuzz!

Day 7 and looking good!

So it's been almost a week since the surgery, and if he didn't sport that TPLO haircut, you'd never know he had surgery! He's walking well (only to go outside to pee/poop) and doesn't seem to be in any kind of pain. We haven't done pain pills since Friday night and he is ok. Boredom is another story! I called the vet again, to make sure he is supposed to be walking, and he said absolutely and is very pleased with his progress. He gets his stitches removed a week from today, so the vet will see him then.

Here are two videos. The first one is from 3 days post surgery. He was walking, but still had swelling and a cankle. The next is from 6 days post op. As you can see, no more swelling, cankle is gone, and he's using that leg a lot more. Even his hair is starting to grow back (come on butt dimple!). He is recovering much better than we expected, which makes us very happy to see.

As you can see in the 2nd video, he's not a fan of the leash because he's used to being off-leash 99% of the time. But, he has to bear it for a few more weeks.