6 weeks under our belt

Today is officially the 6 week mark since Heidi's meniscus removal. Last time I checked in with you guys, I was a little concerned that she was still limping but was hopeful that it could take up to 6 weeks for the limp to go away. In the past week or 2 I have really noticed improvements. I think I mentioned before that Heidi's limp would worsen after our therapy walks. After a couple weeks of intermittent limping, I decided to rest her for a week. That apparently did the trick! Much to her disapproval, we reverted back to "outside for bathroom breaks only" for a week, and when we started her walks back up, there was a drastic improvement. She barely limps now and is much like she was BEFORE the meniscal tear. If you can remember back, she never fully recovered after the MMP surgery. When standing still she would favor that leg slightly and maybe had a barely noticeable hitch in her step. I'd say we're back there now and I am thrilled. We are about to bump her walks up to 20 minutes and we're still going to take it slow and not allow her to be TOO wild, but I definitely feel like we're back on track and I am pleased with her recovery. My parents, who see her every couple of weeks, said they noticed a huge difference on her last visit and I'd say it's only gotten better since then. So the lesson here is one of PATIENCE! I also think the rest really helped her, so although that wasn't what the vet originally suggested, remember sometimes you may need to alter "the plan" a little to do what you think is best for your dog :)