Day 5 and healing nicely

We are amazed at how well he is healing. No redness, no swelling, just a nice clean stitch line that will be removed in a week. He doesn't appear to be in pain at all and is putting pressure on his leg. He is healing a lot better than we expected. Now the issue is to find things to occupy his time! Since he's feeling better, he's going a bit stir crazy and the bully sticks just aren't cutting it.

I also figured out a way to ice his leg. He loves to be held by me, so I put him on my lap and we have Porky-mama time. He loves to be held and kissed, and doesn't mind the cold wash cloth around his leg. Look at my gigantic baby!

So last night, I made a horrifying discovery. My favorite part of him are what I refer to as his butt dimples. The hair next to his tail grows in a circular pattern and he just looks so cute. I fluff them for him every morning and when I went to do it last night, I realized they shaved the right dimple! I guess I was so worried about him that his butt dimples were the last thing on my mind. But now that he's feeling better, I'm inspecting every inch of his body to make sure it's all healing properly. I sure hope his hair grows back the way it used to be!

We've got poop!

Yes, I'm excited about PC finally pooping. Why is it you ask? Because the last time he went was Tuesday morning! The pain meds make him constipated, but he's feeling much better today so he didn't need any. I took him outside, he sniffed a bit and squatted like the good boy he is and out came the most wonderful thing I've ever seen. Ok, maybe not, but I'm still very happy that he's functioning properly. Dawn, you reading this? You're the only one that understands the importance of poop!

So it's day 4 now, and he's doing very well. He seems very happy today and slept all night last night. I know several people were concerned about the post-op instructions, telling us to walk him outside on a leash instead of carrying or using a sling. I called the hospital this morning and they assured me that those instructions are correct.

They said those that are told to carry their dogs end up in physical therapy after, because the muscle atrophies. You want them to use the leg, he said. The doc said he won't put weight on the leg if it's hurting him, but will if it feels ok. He assured me that they've been doing this for years and have never had issues with dogs rupturing the surgical site. So, (very) slow leash walks it is. He only goes out to pee and it's 5 feet from our door, so I'm not worried.

I hope he continues to be pain free and as happy as he is today. Here are some pictures of day 4. Yea, doesn't look good, but he seems to be in very good spirits and from pictures I've seen, right on track.

Under house arrest

So it's been 2 days since the surgery. I swear, I have the world's most restless dog. He just will not relax! I have a play yard for him and despite the small size, he just stands and turns in circles because he cannot relax! I read somewhere that if you put a sheet over the top and sides, leaving only a little bit of a view on the bottom, he will lay down to see out and it seemed to have worked for now. He's fast asleep for the first time today!

The first night home was pure hell. He barely slept and panted all night long, so neither of us got any sleep. Finally, at 3 am, I gave him some more Tramadol and he fell asleep around 4 finally. I'm supposed to be icing his injured leg, but he freaks out any time I go near it so it's not worth a potential re-injury.

So while he's napping, I've been reading up on TPLO surgeries and the healing process and came across some horror stories. Google is not always your friend, as I'm finding out! I got some post-op instructions yesterday, but they weren't as detailed as I would have liked and we didn't even see the doctor that performed the surgery. He was supposed to be there to go over the other issues that were discovered during surgery, but I guess once you get your cash you no longer care about the patient. When I asked the tech that was going over discharge instructions about his bad reaction to the anesthesia, she wasn't even aware he had one. Way to communicate with your staff!

Here are a couple of pictures from today. His wound looks a bit red, but I've heard that's to be expected. I just hope the next few months fly by so that he can heal and go back to being his restless, annoying in a cute way Bulldog and I don't get a heart attack every time he tries to stand!

He's home!

My baby is home! When he saw me, he walked over and wagged that little nubbin. I was under the impression that I'd have to carry him everywhere, but they said to just use a leash and he can walk. He's not putting any weight on that leg at all, so I guess he'll know when it's time to do so.

Right now, he's in his little play yard snoring away. He cried for a bit when we got home and I think the pain meds finally kicked in so he's resting comfortably. I have two pages of post-op care instructions so we'll see how it goes.

Here are the pills he'll be on for the next 2 weeks or so:

1. Tramadol for pain-50 mg, up to 3 times a day as needed.
2. Rimadyl, which is an anti-inflammatory drug. 50 mg every 12 hours.
3. Cephalexin-antibiotic to prevent infection. 500 mg every day.
4. Pepcid every 12 hours since he regurgitated during surgery.

And of course, his glucosamine and fish oil capsules. I think I need to go buy some cheese, since I don't know how I will ever get all that into him in a day.

He goes back on Nov 8 for suture removal. Here are a couple of pictures from 2 days post-op. I'll get better ones eventually, I just don't want to stress him out right now. He cried when we got home and finally fell asleep, so I'm letting him rest.

To maintain some of his dignity, I had to block out his privates. I'm sure he wouldn't want that all over the internet!

Parting is not easy

I dropped PC off at 6:30 this morning. All I kept thinking about was my little boy in some crate, all alone and scared. He has no idea why he is there and probably thinks mama abandoned him. He was happy when the vet tech came to say hi, but not too happy when she tried to lead him away from me. I had to walk with him or he wouldn't budge. When he realized I'm no longer following, he stopped, had a look of panic on his face, and tried to come to me.

That's when the waterworks started. Now I'm just waiting for that phone call. I probably won't be able to wait and will end up calling them before they call me. I don't know how I'm going to sleep without him tonight, his snoring is music to my ears. It's going to be a very long day.

Fingers and paws crossed that everything goes well today.

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Update:

So the vet called about a half hour ago to say that he is out of surgery and doing well. The procedure went well, but he didn't react well to the anesthesia. They also found that he has an elongated soft palate and everted saccules, which is also known as brachycephalic syndrome. Basically, his airway is always partially obstructed which is why he breathes so heavily, randomly vomits foam and is always panting. We'll have to deal with that at a later time and are just happy he's ok. One thing at a time, right? I pick him up tomorrow and can't wait to see that beautiful little creature. Hopefully he's not too mad at me for taking him to the hospital!

Surgery rescheduled

So as if I'm not enough of a nervous wreck, they rescheduled surgery for tomorrow. He needs to be there by 6am and will be the first surgery of the day. I told him that he'll be getting surgery and that we're going to fix his tiny little leg and he laid his gigantic head on me as if to say, "OK, mama." My little boy is the cutest little thing in the world. I can't wait until he's all better and can enjoy all his favorite things.

So what exactly is TPLO surgery, you ask? TPLO is an advanced technique for repair of the torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL - the same as the ACL in humans). Rupture of the cruciate ligament is the most common orthopedic injury of dogs of all breeds and especially large breeds such as Labrador Retrievers and Rottweilers.

The knee (stifle joint) of the dog is similar to a human's knee. Located inside the joint of the knee is the cranial cruciate ligament, which is responsible for maintaining stability of the joint, preventing backward sliding of the femur on the tibia. When the ligament ruptures,the joint becomes unstable and the femur slides backwards and forwards on the tibia, creating what is called "drawer motion". This causes debilitating long-term lameness and accelerated formation of degenerative joint disease.

The vet will make a curved cut along the top of the tibia bone (called an osteotomy), which includes the tibial plateau. The cut piece of bone is then rotated so that the tibial plateau is leveled. When the angle is adjusted to the correct degree, the vet will screw in a stainless steel plate to hold the bone in its new place so that it can heal correctly. Here are some illustrations, showing the metal plate that will be screwed into his leg. Most dogs will get back normal, or near normal weight-bearing function within 4 months.

On October 20, 2010 we got a definitive diagnosis that our English Bulldog, Porkchop, needs TPLO surgery. We hope that by blogging about it, we can help others going through or about to go through the same ordeal. Follow this blog for periodic updates as well as picture of the handsome boy himself!

In preparation of surgery day, we are getting the house ready for his 8-12 week confinement. Since the main living area has pergo flooring, we bought rugs to keep him from slipping. He's not a fan of the crate, so to minimize stress, we purchased him a play yard where he will be confined for several weeks after surgery. We got ours from Amazon, but a lot of other sites sell them as well.

We also got a sling, so that we can help him walk outside without putting weight on his leg. The vet said we won't have to use it with him, since he's light enough to be carried (I disagree with this!) but we'll see as he heals.

So keep my little furbutt in your thoughts as he undergoes this procedure on Monday. I'll be sure to update his blog as soon as he's out of surgery. Porkchop says there will be lots of pictures of him in this blog, so it'll be worth your time!