5 days Post Op-Rnd 2

Patton2-5days
Originally uploaded by sufras.

Patton is doing incredibly well. He is walking much better then he did with the left hip. But the right hip wasn't as bad as the left and that may play a big part of his recovery. He is able to walk up the outside steps on his own, though with them being snow covered I prefer to sling him still. For some odd reason, the last two nights he has taken to crying and howling in the middle of the night. Not sure why this is, but it is not a lot of fun.

The picture was taken a few minutes ago, so this is Patton 5 days post op. You can see where some of the old hair cut lines are from when he had the left hip done. The incisions look good and the swelling is going down. The bruising is still the worst under his leg, as is the swelling. With his left leg I could get away with the exercises that the physical therapist wanted him to do, not so with the right leg. He seems to enjoy chewing on my hands as I try to do his range of motion exercises until I can't take it anymore. He is also found that if he opens his mouth before I get the E-collar on, I can't get the collar on. So new tactics have been developed to thwart him.

On the whole, Patton has gone through this entire process incredibly well. I am truly amazed at his patience with all he has been through.

4 Days Post OP-Rnd 2

Each day Patton is feeling more like his old self. This morning he was his typical rambunctious self. "Punching" people as they walked away. One of his trade mark moves as you try and walk away from him. It is more like he is trying to grab you legs but unfortunately with his big paws it tends to hurt. I have the bruises to prove it. Laying on the boys so they can't go to school. He even managed to "jump" up as I was trying to get his leash on and punch me in the mouth.

We had brought his big bed from upstairs down so he could lay on that instead of just the carpet, tonight he has gone back to his trick of trying to drag it around the house and using it as a chew toy. So I am positive he is feeling better with each passing day. We removed the trans-dermal pain patch that the hospital put on after he came out of surgery, how he does now will be the true test. I was also giving him 3 of the Tramadol 2x a day, I have also backed that down to 2 pills 2x/day.

I spoke with our regular Vet's office yesterday and the countdown has begun to Feb 8th when the staples come out. Swelling is looking better, but there is still a fair amount of bruising.

Three Days Post Op- Rnd 2

Patton continues to improve. Swelling is still pretty bad in certain areas, thank goodness for the snow. He like to sit in it and eat snow balls, so parts of his body I can't reach are getting iced down naturally. One thing I have noticed this time around is that he is not "toe-touching" as much as he did last time. With his left leg he seemed reluctant to put weight on his leg. This time I have to keep reminding him to "SLOW DOWN" when I take him outside. The whining is starting to ease with each passing day. He does not like it when he is on one side of the gate in the living room and anyone else is on the other side in the kitchen. Slippery floors and hip surgery do not mix. He is also beginning to take more interest in his toys once again. Always a good sign that he is feeling better. We bought him a new chew toy while he was in the hospital, this evening he destroyed it. It lasted only 3 days....yep he is on the mend.

Two Days Post Op- Rnd 2

I am glad to report that Patton was quiet through the night. He is doing well today. He is still whiny but mostly after he comes in from outside. But that subsides after a bit. I am also noticing more bruising this time around around all the incisions. A bonus is that he also seems to be tolerating the ice more this time.

Patton comes home - round 2

Patton comes home - round 2
Originally uploaded by sufras.

This time the right leg. More staples this time. Both of the top incisions were closed with staples. Last time he had stitches on the smaller incision.

Patton Comes Home

Imagine my surprise when I was called this morning and heard that Patton could come home THIS morning. "Ummmmmmmmm.....ok" Not even 24 hours post op and he is ready to come home? They said that when they went in to take him out this morning he got himself up on his own and walked out of his cage. Unlike last time where he wanted no part of coming out of his cage less then 24 hours post op He is doing well but in some ways I wish they had kept him until tomorrow. He is very whinny (more so then usual) and even though he seems more steady on his feet...he actually isn't. Trying to walk him in the snow is proving to be somewhat of an adventure. And since he has lost some of the muscle mass on his left leg, he is having some difficulty when he goes to the bathroom. So even though I am glad to have him home, that extra day last time was kind of nice.

Tonight could be a long one.

Surgery is over!

Just heard from VMTH, Patton is out of surgery and doing well. He is still in recovery but the surgery went well. They will start waking him up slowly since he had some troubles last time. So at least the hardest part is over, now we wait to see how he does through the night. They will call me again later tonight to update his prognosis. I'll keep y'all posted.

Oy! What a day!

pattonxray
Originally uploaded by sufras.

Patton went back to The UW Vet School today in Madison. He was happy to see everyone(and no throwing up in the car this time!!). We spoke with the vet on duty about his recovery and what was to be next for him. She wanted to X-ray Patton before we made any further plans. Not only to see how his left hip was healing but to see the condition of his right hip. She asked if we could come back in a few hours. (Weee shopping at the mall! Anyone who knows me knows I would rather be ANYWHERE else then something that involves retail)

Today's X-rays are what you see. He is fully healed in the left hip and there is no arthritis in the right hip. (You can see the two plates and some of the screws, he has 6 total) They examined him further after we left, since he was sedated it it was a little easier I guess. They found that he did have some soreness in his right hip but not nearly as bad as his left was 6 weeks ago. The vet felt that surgery was a 50/50....my decision. UGH! Yes, he had some soreness but was it enough to warrant the surgery? Would also doing the right hip benefit him? If we didn't do this ....what happens if in a year his right goes as bad as his left had? (Or anytime during the course of his life for that matter). Total hip replacement?

After some deliberation and a battle between heart and mind, I decided to leave him with them and let them do the right hip. There are no guarantees that this surgery is a total cure, but from what I have read, the results so far have been great. I also know from watching Patton these last few days run and romp, that it has helped him immensely. But I really hate to put him through it one more time.

So now we wait again. Unfortunately, the vet conducting the surgery is unable to do it tomorrow so his surgery won't be until 8-8:30 Friday morning. I decided to leave him today instead of bringing him back tomorrow due to the hour drive. I figured it would be easier on him. Many of the students were glad to see him back again(cause he is such a cool dog, and I do agree) The physical therapist has been in to see him already and she too is pleased with his progress. She is going to try and work with him a bit tomorrow.(Patton's first water experience?)

So, that's the news for now. If all goes well he could be home Saturday, the latest would be Sunday. Fingers crossed once again.

Things continue to improve

Haven't been posting due to just too much going on. Its hard to believe that we are fast approaching the 6 week post op for Patton. Patton is doing great! You'd never know he had surgery by the way he walks and goofs around. He is loving our recent snow fall. He is back to playing with sticks; throwing them in the air and then trying to find them in the snow again. He is putting full weight on his left leg and is beginning to "run" again.(as much as we will let him anyways) I have begun using our retractable leash on him when he is out in the back yard in order to give him a little more freedom and our walks have gotten to about 6 blocks(20 min at a fairly fast pace) before he begins to tire.

We are beginning to gear up for round two. He is doing so well I hate to put him through it again, but all I have to do is look at video of him walking 6 weeks ago in order to see how much he has benefited from the surgery. The knee is completely in line like it should be, very little turning out any more when he walks. No more bunny hopping when he walks, and best of all, when he gets up he doesn't move like a 9 year old dog. He moves like an almost 9 month old puppy.

Date is set?

I contacted the University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital today since we are coming up on the 4 week mark. Silly me, probably should have called a week ago. Anyway, we go back to Madison on Jan 24 were Patton will have his post-op check-up on his left leg and I assume to decide if we are to go ahead with his right hip. Looking at his PennHip numbers, he is a candidate for the right hip as well. If the VMTH feel the surgery is necessary, the primary deciding factor for doing the surgery now will be how steady he is and how much weight he is able to bear on the left hip. Currently, he still walks with a noticeable limp, but it is getting better each day. He still does not bear full weight on the leg when he turns or pivots. He will do just a little bit more than toe touch. If they feel that all is healing well and he is able to support himself with his left leg, they will operate on Jan 25. If the doctors feel that he doesn't need to have the right hip done at all, we make an appointment with the Physical Therapist and begin his rehab on his left hip. Otherwise, rehab will wait until the right hip is healed.