Jess - thanks for the encouragement - I was a little concerned yesterday but this morning, she was back to using her leg some more. Granted, she's passed out in her crate right now (since we noticed her hip was bothering her back in Feb, she has been spending every spare moment in her crate. She wholeheartedly views it as her safe place from the crazy Ryu.) but she was pretty active this morning. She even invited Ryu to play a few times.
Brad - that makes a lot of sense. I think it must have a lot to do with how active she was right after the surgery. I'm just uber-paranoid about her injuring herself and then being set-back in the recovery sense. Tim tells me I need to relax LOL
Thanks Casey and Jonathan! I would have made the trek (18 hrs!) over to the PA meetup if we weren't on recovery watch. I was planning to ambush it like LJ with my two crazy ones before we scheduled Roxy's surgery. Maybe next time!
I'm super late, but Roxy looks fantastic. I'll third what Jessica and Brad have said about ups and downs post-surgery. There will be a lot of them. But, over time, you'll notice the ups keep getting higher and downs don't get as low as they did before and before you know it, Roxy will be back to her crazy self again.
Did your surgeon recommend any rehab? I honestly believe it did wonders for Lucy. She was supposed to have "bad days" for up to six months post-surgery, but after her 9th week she didn't show *ANY* signs of ever having had an issue in that leg.
Sending more good vibes and well wishes to Roxy and to your all.
Dave: I read about some post-FHO physical therapy techniques on the web but our vet didn't go into detail about any rehab. Just to make sure she uses the leg as much as possible (walking/running). I would love some demonstrations on how to do rehab on her leg.
Casey: Ryu is being EXTREMELY gentle with her. We wanted to keep them separated for at least 5 days but by the second day, Roxy was pawing at the gate between her and Ryu. We let them in the same room together as long as we're with them and Ryu keeps his distance. Every now and again, he'll groom her (his favorite activity) and Roxy has started to invite play. Since she can't play with him on the same level that he is used to, I'm going to start taking him back to daycare to get some of that pent-up energy out!
poor little soul...cant beleive this, not the best start in life but im sure she wil be on the mend and on top form soon...:)least you cought it when you did !
That is a good idea to get Ryu to some play time...
I am so glad the first surgery went so well for Roxi. You might want to consider some water therapy for her if there is a center near you. Hydro does wonders for getting all in order quicker.
Since she is young it is all in her favor. Did the vet say if her improved hips would help ease the knees. Sometimes depending on the grade you can strengthen the muscles so the knees stay in line a bit better and you don't always have to go the surgery route.
Down the road I would think about that option depending on her progression. Stretching and strength training is really helpful as a first option once the hips are in good shape.
Patrice: I just e-mailed a Canine Rehabilitation Center that is about an hour and a half away from me. They offer hydro-therapy in addition to their other services. I'm just waiting to get a reply.
In regards to her knees, I'm hopeful that when her hips are fixed, her knees won't be bothering her as badly. Our vet is convinced that her knee pain will be a piece of cake compared to what she has been dealing with. If we can lessen her pain by strengthening her muscles, we are all for it. We just want her to be as pain-free as possible.
We've been doing some small stretches to help work the muscles around her surgery site. She has been very compliant so far. With painkillers of course
Today has been a good day so far. Roxy is starting to get her appetite back - she ate all of her dinner yesterday and half of her breakfast this morning. We have to make sure that she eats something in the morning so we can give her the pain pill. It's so funny to see the change in her energy after the pain pill takes effect. One minute she's napping in our room and the next, she comes bounding into my office looking for kisses.
Her incision site is looking FABULOUS!! I'm so proud of her for not licking the area and letting it heal. As you can see, most of the iodine has been cleaned off (compliments of Ryu):
Thanks guys! I'm trying to learn the balance between allowing her to use the muscles and restricting her from overusing them. Which is extremely difficult with a 10 month old puppy inside just bursting with energy!
Some background about the video below: I have restricted Roxy to the backyard since her surgery. Today was our first "walk" and she was shaking with excitement. To make matters worse, as soon as we stepped out the front door, two cats ran across our yard in separate directions so Ryu went absolutely BUCK WILD. This sets Roxy off and she does her adorably cute cough/bark. Then she proceeds to run around, not knowing what to do with herself LOL
And a cute cuddle pic of my princess and me I have been dying to hold her like this but was too scared to hurt her. I think she was OK because she almost fell asleep on me LOL
I'm glad you contacted the rehab center. That is what I was referring to when I asked if the surgeon had recommended rehab. Lucy did hydro-therapy post surgery as well as a host of other strength and flexibility exercises. She went in once a week for an hour and the other six days of the week I did home exercises with her. Money well spent IMO.
Also, if I may be so bold, you may want to consider walking her without Ryu as part of her rehab. I don't know if its the same, but with Lucy, when I walked her alone I could walk slower which got her to put more weight on her leg. I would take Joey for his normal walks and then spend another 10-20 minutes slowly walking Lucy around. Once she stopped putting weight on her leg even at slow speeds, I knew she had had enough.
Dave - you know I welcome any advice you have to give On our walk today, she started out gung-ho as you can see in the video but pretty soon, we scaled back and let Tim and Ryu run ahead. We just kinda lollygagged around while she sniffed. When we got about 6-7 houses down the street, she started to stop and rest so we walked even slower back to the house. When Tim is at work, I'll have to do the separate walks like you mentioned
I'm anxious to hear back from the rehab center - I really need demonstrations to know what I should and should not be doing
Well, it's been awhile since my last update but things haven't really gotten any better or worse at this point. I wish she were using her leg more but I'm pretty sure she convinced herself that she can't use it yet. Even though we can move her leg really well during our stretches, she still won't put any weight on it while walking. It's almost as if she knows that she can move faster by using her *good* three legs instead of trying to use all four. *sigh*
We have an appointment with the Canine Rehabilitation center (the only one in our local area is an hour and a half away) next Wednesday. We're hoping to learn more techniques to rehab the leg.
You can see in these videos the small stretches that we're doing in the meantime.
Ryu helps distract Roxy so Tim can work her hip flexors:
Pam meet with the rehab center and see what say and what you need. Maybe an exercise ball that you can stand Roxi on so she starts to distribute her wight a few minutes at a time throughout the day.
See the following link: http://www.wizardofpaws.net/pages/store.htm#ball
She looks like she is taking it well so that's great. You just need to keep her from cheating or getting use to favoring her leg (LOL).
Thanks Patrice! I have an exercise ball lying around here somewhere. I'll try to work with her using it. She is definitely cheating because you can see that the leg isn't painful to manipulate. She's just being a stinker.
Roxy looks like she is doing well. Glad you have Ryu to distract her from her exercises. It doesn't look like she minds being worked out at all which is good!
I don't have any new info but I just wanted to show how Roxy's scar is looking. Her fur is starting to grow back so I won't be able to compare it pretty soon!
She's doing well - still being a stinker about using that leg. If she's standing still, she'll balance herself on all four legs. But if she needs to go anywhere, she'll start out using four legs and then end up using only three because it's faster. I can't wait to see what the rehab specialist says on Wednesday.
I might have to bring something stinky for her to eat next week so we can be friends. Then when she becomes my friend she can run away to Tulsa with me.
I think she'll be OK with you (you seem to be a more mellow kind of guy) but if you bring a bone for her, be prepared to hear the growl of dismemberment! It's amazing to me to hear something so ferocious come out of someone so teeny (and crippled!).
Which brings up a good point. Before Roxy's diagnosis, she was VERY snarky whenever Ryu was near her while eating, chewing a bone, or napping. Since her surgery (especially after a week of recovery), the frequency of snarkiness has DRAMATICALLY reduced! Now, she doesn't particularly care if he eats right next to her and tries to play with her while she's napping. She still guards bones so we only give those when they are separated.
And if you steal my baby girl, you'll have to take Ryu too! They're a package deal!
Comments
Brad - that makes a lot of sense. I think it must have a lot to do with how active she was right after the surgery. I'm just uber-paranoid about her injuring herself and then being set-back in the recovery sense. Tim tells me I need to relax LOL
Thanks Casey and Jonathan! I would have made the trek (18 hrs!) over to the PA meetup if we weren't on recovery watch. I was planning to ambush it like LJ with my two crazy ones before we scheduled Roxy's surgery. Maybe next time!
Did your surgeon recommend any rehab? I honestly believe it did wonders for Lucy. She was supposed to have "bad days" for up to six months post-surgery, but after her 9th week she didn't show *ANY* signs of ever having had an issue in that leg.
Sending more good vibes and well wishes to Roxy and to your all.
How is Ryu handling everything?
Casey: Ryu is being EXTREMELY gentle with her. We wanted to keep them separated for at least 5 days but by the second day, Roxy was pawing at the gate between her and Ryu. We let them in the same room together as long as we're with them and Ryu keeps his distance. Every now and again, he'll groom her (his favorite activity) and Roxy has started to invite play. Since she can't play with him on the same level that he is used to, I'm going to start taking him back to daycare to get some of that pent-up energy out!
I am so glad the first surgery went so well for Roxi. You might want to consider some water therapy for her if there is a center near you. Hydro does wonders for getting all in order quicker.
Since she is young it is all in her favor. Did the vet say if her improved hips would help ease the knees. Sometimes depending on the grade you can strengthen the muscles so the knees stay in line a bit better and you don't always have to go the surgery route.
Down the road I would think about that option depending on her progression. Stretching and strength training is really helpful as a first option once the hips are in good shape.
Sending good wishes Roxis way.
Snf
In regards to her knees, I'm hopeful that when her hips are fixed, her knees won't be bothering her as badly. Our vet is convinced that her knee pain will be a piece of cake compared to what she has been dealing with. If we can lessen her pain by strengthening her muscles, we are all for it. We just want her to be as pain-free as possible.
We've been doing some small stretches to help work the muscles around her surgery site. She has been very compliant so far. With painkillers of course
Her incision site is looking FABULOUS!! I'm so proud of her for not licking the area and letting it heal. As you can see, most of the iodine has been cleaned off (compliments of Ryu):
Going down the stairs:
Trying to decide between being happy for lovin' or being snarky at Ryu being too close:
Coming up the stairs!
Keep up the great work, all of you!
Some background about the video below: I have restricted Roxy to the backyard since her surgery. Today was our first "walk" and she was shaking with excitement. To make matters worse, as soon as we stepped out the front door, two cats ran across our yard in separate directions so Ryu went absolutely BUCK WILD. This sets Roxy off and she does her adorably cute cough/bark. Then she proceeds to run around, not knowing what to do with herself LOL
And a cute cuddle pic of my princess and me
I'm glad you contacted the rehab center. That is what I was referring to when I asked if the surgeon had recommended rehab. Lucy did hydro-therapy post surgery as well as a host of other strength and flexibility exercises. She went in once a week for an hour and the other six days of the week I did home exercises with her. Money well spent IMO.
Also, if I may be so bold, you may want to consider walking her without Ryu as part of her rehab. I don't know if its the same, but with Lucy, when I walked her alone I could walk slower which got her to put more weight on her leg. I would take Joey for his normal walks and then spend another 10-20 minutes slowly walking Lucy around. Once she stopped putting weight on her leg even at slow speeds, I knew she had had enough.
I'm anxious to hear back from the rehab center - I really need demonstrations to know what I should and should not be doing
We have an appointment with the Canine Rehabilitation center (the only one in our local area is an hour and a half away) next Wednesday. We're hoping to learn more techniques to rehab the leg.
You can see in these videos the small stretches that we're doing in the meantime.
Ryu helps distract Roxy so Tim can work her hip flexors:
Roxy is now referred to as "Chicken Leg":
Ryu is being very helpful, Roxy deoesn't even seem to notice Tim working her muscles. What a good boy!
See the following link: http://www.wizardofpaws.net/pages/store.htm#ball
She looks like she is taking it well so that's great. You just need to keep her from cheating or getting use to favoring her leg (LOL).
Snf
Keep up the great work!
Which brings up a good point. Before Roxy's diagnosis, she was VERY snarky whenever Ryu was near her while eating, chewing a bone, or napping. Since her surgery (especially after a week of recovery), the frequency of snarkiness has DRAMATICALLY reduced! Now, she doesn't particularly care if he eats right next to her and tries to play with her while she's napping. She still guards bones so we only give those when they are separated.
And if you steal my baby girl, you'll have to take Ryu too! They're a package deal!