6 week recheck and xrays

I took Harley back out to Pcola today for her 6 week check up with Dr. Goett. They just love her out there! But who wouldn't love her. haha Their facility is so nice and the people there are just great.

Her xrays look good. Her bone is healing, but of course, not completely healed yet. I understand it can take upwards of 10+ weeks for bone to heal completely. But Dr. Goett said that he didn't feel that she could do anything at this point to hurt her leg. He said that it was healing good and there was no fluid or inflammation on the joint.

I inquired as to her limp. He said that "most" dogs are NOT limping at 6 weeks...but she is and I'm worried. He said that some dogs just take longer and of course, my Harley is going to be one of those dogs. I asked when I should be worried and he said if she's still favoring it and limping in 3 to 4 weeks, to bring her back and we'd recheck things.

At this point, she's doing so much better and walking better this week then last week. So, we will just wait and see how she does. Her spirits are so much better...she's eating...SOMETIMES! Now, it's a game of will...so I'm not playing it. If she shows no interest, I pick it up. That's it. She'll figure out I'm not playing pretty soon.

I took her to the dog park in Pcola after her appointment. Not so she could run around, but I was meeting a lady out there that's interested in adopting a mastiff in rescue. Harley is such a fuddy dud! She was SO not interested in anything out there. Other dogs would come up and want to play....she wanted nothing to do with it. Oh, she was nice to them, no aggression or anything...but stuck up is more the word I'm looking for. She's so "not a dog". haha

It's been 6 weeks....

Well, tomorrow is officially our 6 week point. I have an appointment on Wednesday, 1/28 to take little Miss Harley back for her 6 weeks xrays. I just pray that everything is healing OK. She seems to be doing great. She's walking so much better lately. She still favors it a lot and she still limps...but she's putting more weight on it. It's like sometimes she walks almost normally...then she remembers that she is supposed to limp and starts limping again.

We have been walking so much and she still puts more weight on the toes of that bad leg, that her little paw pads got worn down and she was bleeding. Road rash...poor girl. So, lately, we have just been walking in the grass. There is a big retention pond behind my house....there's never any water in it...so we go back there, circle the pond a few times...and then do our hill work. She sure doesn't like the hill work, but it's a great workout for both her and ME! :-) I think I can see a difference in her walking since we have been doing it.

She's allowed back on the couch now.....there is no jumping to it, so I figured it can't hurt. She's a much happier girl. She's also allowed on the bed, but only with assistance up and off.

She's still being VERY picky about eating. The week before last, Shawn was out of town...the little brat ate every meal, morning and night. He got home last weekend and all of a sudden she decided that she didn't want to eat again. At this point, it's a pity party, so I'm not babying her. If she doesn't show any interest in her food by the time Koda is finished, I pick it up and save it for the next meal. She just doesn't get it though. Shawn keeps telling me to only feed her at night...for a few days i did that and it worked out fine...I just hate feeding her only one big meal. But if it works, I guess that's what I need to do. She's just not a morning dog like Koda is.

I got my homeopathic remedy in.....Phosphorus....which is more known to help the body clean itself after surgery. I gave a dose of the remedy on Sunday night. I think it helped some as she's much happier, feels much better and is very playful for the 1st time in a long time. Now if I could just get her to eat normally, I'd feel so much better.

So, I'm praying that her xrays come out normally on Wednesday and there's no setbacks. I don't think there will be, but you just never know.

Turning a corner?

I think we are finally turning a corner to Harley's recovery. Monday, 1/12 will be 4 weeks. OMG, is that all? When will it end?

1st thing, we had a scare with Koda. He was really sick on Monday, vomited his meal up and lethargic all day. Koda had intestinal blockage surgery back in June, and then in July and August, his system just shut down and quit processing food. But since August, he's been great...until Monday. So, he ate ice cubes all day on Monday and I took him to the vet on Tuesday. They diagnosed him with Giardia, an intestinal parasite obtained from drinking nasty water. And yes, I kept yelling at him for drinking out of the baby pool....and would empty it. But there's just something about rain water that dogs love. So, 10 days of Flagyl and he's already doing tons better. I made up a big batch of chicken and rice and he's in doggy heaven.

So, as far as the eating thing is going....she ate! :-) On Wednesday, I started her on the alfalfa tablets, 2 tablets, 2 times a day with her meals. I think they are working. She ate Thursday p.m. on her own, no begging, no prodding, and no force feeding her. She ate Friday night and Saturday a.m. on her own! I'm so happy. She's helping Koda eat the chicken and rice...but I don't care what she eats as long as she eats. And she ate from her bowl, standing up. That's a first. I didn't have to hand feed her. I'll continue cooking for her for now, and if she continues like she is and doing great on the eating thing, she'll be switched back to raw in no time.

She also has so much more spunk and energy lately. It has to be the food. I know I sure would be happier if I ate. For week 3, we should have been doing about 15-20 minute walks...but she just had NO energy, so we'd walk to the stop sign and back, about 7 or so minutes and she would just be tuckered out to the max. We did our first around the block walk yesterday, 17 minutes and she did great. We did it this a.m also and she was a little tired, but still good. We have to work her leg out and get her energy up. She has to heal. Today on our walk though, a big German Shepherd came charging at us, so she kind of tried to take off. I hope she didn't use that leg too much. I've even had to start using her harness again, as just on collar now, she pulls way too much. So, on harness today, she was a perfect walking angel!

Here's a couple videos of her limp and how she walks right now. Her good leg is so strong and so muscular and she so uses it for everything. But we are getting there.

http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/chelsnshawn/?action=view&current=January2009010.flv

http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/chelsnshawn/?action=view&current=January2009011.flv

I also will be getting my homeopathic remedy's this coming week. I asked for a consult for three main issues: her appetite; her incontinence (which has gotten way worse since surgery) and one to help her leg heal. Fingers crossed that she'll just continue to get better each and every day!

Harley still not eating

Well, Miss Harley is still not eating. Some days she will have a bite or two, but that's it. I have tried everything you can throw out or think of. I'm basically force feeding her right now just to keep her energy up.

I have consulted with a homeopath Magda Aguila (http://www.aquilinedanes.com/) and am awaiting her advice and remedy's. I will update when I get them and with what she says. This is just not normal.

3 weeks post op

I have been slack on updating my blog and posting online. I'm sure glad the Holiday's are over with. I know I shouldn't think like that, but it's a new year and this one is going to be great.

Harley is still limping and toe touching. From talking to my ortho and others, it's completely normal, even though I'm still a worried mom. If we are in the house or she's just standing, she doesn't put any weight on it at all. If we are walking, she does put weight on it, although again, it's still somewhat on her toe. But it's been raining the last couple of days, so we haven't had many walks either. She lets me do her PROM exercises, although she sure doesn't like it. She keeps her surgery knee drawn up close to her, so I really try to stretch it out as to keep it from getting to stiff. The TPLO surgery is a totally new mechanism to her knee....so, I guess it's just weird to re-learn to walk on it. But her leg looks wonderful, her incision and scar looks great and her hair is starting to grow back.


She's still not eating like she should be. She shows interest in food and will walk over to her bowl and sniff....but walk away and go lay down. If I go over and hand feed her, she'll for the most part eat, but she's still not eating near enough. She typically got about 3lbs of food a day and right now, on her own, she's probably only eating half of that. I am still force feeding her quite a bit....it's gotten pretty easy, I just open her mouth, put whatever on the back of her tongue and down the hatch it goes. Shawn says I need to stop that...and when she gets hungry, that she'll eat...but my opinion right now is that she needs food for energy to heal...no food, no energy, no healing. Even on her walks, she tires very quickly....which to me, is a food/energy thing.


So, at this point, I think she's not eating pretty much out of spite. I know people say dogs don't show "emotions", but this one does. I think she's depressed and doesn't understand why she's back in her cage and can't get on the couch or snuggle in bed with us. It's not her fault, but she doesn't know that. We are giving her more "freedom" around the house now. As long as I'm in the house and can watch her, I'll leave her cage door open so she can come and go. She knows she's not allowed on the couch, but I wouldn't trust her not to try if I wasn't watching her. And for the most part, she'll come out and lay down by the couch or on her bed, or even just chill in her cage. I'm also letting her have more freedom outside offleash. I know you are not supposed to let them outside offleash for fear that they'll take off running or playing...but seriuosly, I don't worry about that with Harley. All she does is walk the yard and for the most part, just sit on the steps and enjoy the fresh air. I can see a difference in her mood and personality with the freedom.


She's obviously still not right yet...we still have a long road ahead of us. I just want her to be better. She was kind of walking stiff yesterday and my demented brain told me she was limping on her other leg.....my worse fear is the other ACL tearing also, which is a possibility. But DH says I'm crazy and that leg looks fine.


Here's some pics over the last couple of weeks.


This was day 2....December 17th. She never really did swell all that much or bruise. I gave her Arnica Montana (homeopathic remedy) and I think it really helped.







12/21 pic....6 days post op. Looking great.

12/25 10 days post op (staples come out 12/26)

And pics from today, 1/3