6 weeks post-op

Well today we are 6 weeks post-op!  Sorry I missed our 5 week check-in... I just started school this week and was distracted by all the preparations of being a student again, but that's a story for another day.  Today we actually begin going on 20 minute walks.  Heidi has thoroughly enjoyed her 10 minute walks and will love our even longer ones I'm sure.  As far as her limp goes, it's only barely noticeable, yay!  She still does not evenly distribute her weight between her two back legs while standing still, but slowly she seems to be balancing it out more and more.  I think these rehab walks are helping with that because there was such a difference in muscle mass between the two legs and now we're beginning to build that back up in her left.  Surely strengthening the operative leg makes it feel more stable and trustworthy (for lack of better word).

So needless to say, Heidi is doing great.  I can't wait for her to be able to be "normal" again!  But we'll take it slow and ease her into more and more activity.  I cannot remember if I told you guys, but dogs who have cruciate ligament tears are more prone to meniscus tears.  The meniscus is a  cartilaginous cushion (if you will) within the knee joint.  The chance of a meniscus tear is not as great as the chance of tearing the second ACL after the first tear though... I think the doctors quoted us a 10-15% chance of meniscal tear post ACL surgery.  Much better odds than the 60+ percent we were warned of a second cruciate tear after the first.  So we're hoping we're in the majority and don't have to worry about any more tears!

Oh one other thing.  I did notice earlier this week Heidi had a loop of suture coming out of her incision site.  I was afraid that was happening because she kept licking her knee and it looked weird... almost the way an ingrown hair looks.  These sutures aren't the outer sutures that I removed after 14 days, but rather the internal sutures probably used to stitch up the muscle and other tissue under the skin.  These are supposed to dissolve on their own, but I know from experience working with vets, sometimes it takes a while.  So they appear to be working their way out.  I cut what I could because I was not able to pull them out.  They must be connected to other pieces, but I wanted to let you know this happened, so if it were to happen to you, you don't freak out!  I think it's normal (I did not consult a vet, but I've seen this before) so I'm not worried. 

Anywho, I just wanted to give you a quick update!  Enjoy your weekend!

Rehab Walks in Full Swing!

Well, we reached the 4 week post-op mark on Friday and began our walks.  Needless to say, Heidi was thrilled to venture beyond the "potty area".  This week, she gets two 5 minute walks every day.  It doesn't sound like much, but it makes a world of difference for her.  Gives her a chance to briefly release some of that pent up energy.  (She has a LOT of it!)

I would like to note that her limp is continuing to get better.  It's much much less noticeable when she walks- maybe just a tiny hitch in her step- although she still doesn't put full weight on it when standing still.  I do think that has improved a little since my last post, however. 

As far as aesthetics go, her knee looks all kinds of funky.  The wedge of bone they pushed out to make room for the titanium implant looks really creepy and uncomfortable, but obviously it's working because she continues to improve each week.  I'll just have to get over the bumpy knee.  I need to try to get a picture of it... I promise, it's really weird and creepy... more so when she is walking.  Oh well, whatever works!  Her other knee looks very different.  It's still bulkier than a "normal" knee, but in a different slightly less creepy way.

At this moment, Heidi is laying with head against the base of the couch couch looking under it (probably at a toy) and whining with her tail thumping against the floor.  Sorry neighbors :-/  Obviously we haven't burned enough energy today.  We are looking forward to our 10 minute walks next week! Until then, have a great week/weekend and I'll update again soon!

A Little Past 3 weeks

All smiles

This post is going to be boring, but I want to try to post every week for those people who are following along because they find themselves in the same situation we're in.  Heidi is doing great!  Nothing new to report, really.  I will say I think the past couple of days I've actually noticed a difference in her limp!  When she walks it's really not too noticeable, but she does still bear less weight on her most recently surgerized (left) leg when she's just standing still.  It is totally possible this is a result of the reduced muscle mass in that leg and not so much that she's in pain (I'm hoping that is the case at least).  I was checking out her legs this evening as she was snuggling in my lap and it is crazy how big her calf muscle is on her right leg compared to her left.  There's also a pretty noticeable difference in her thighs/glutes, too (ps. I have no idea if dogs muscles are named the same things as humans so use your imagination).  I can't wait to build those back up!  Starting Saturday, she gets to begin her rehab walks :)  We'll start with 5 minute walks twice a day, which will be a real treat to Heidi! 

My only other concern is that she is becoming more and more wild. Obviously her leg is feeling much better because she is reverting back to her wild-woman ways.  We've started giving her Tramadol less than 12 hours apart.  We still only give it twice a day, but I give it when she eats breakfast around 8, then again around dinner time at 5:30ish.  Last time, we began giving the Tramadol three times a day as you may remember, but I'm sort of against over-medicating and this seems to do the trick.

Well, that's enough for now, see ya again in about a week!