Tear Confirmed...

Well depending on how you look at this we are and are not lucky. Lucky to have a diagnosis, but not lucky in that Casey has to have another surgery for a tear in his CCL on the left leg. I guess we knew it was a matter of time anyway.
So after a months of rest nothing changed and my guy was still limping. In fact he got so bored with the confinement he began to behave really badly and we have had to gate him in one room when we are not home to control his acting out. Since he has IBD we need to keep him out of stuff that he may eat that will aggravate this condition. When I reported in to the ortho on the no change in the limp after 2 weeks rest he again suspected a tear that may not be detectable through radio graphs and the drawer sign. He has seen these cases, but said for the behavior issues to let up on the restrictions and in which we may also see maybe the knee tear more and get confirmation of the tear at a later visit. So this pretty much happened. The increase of movement increased the limp, but he was happier! What a trade off huh!
We went back today and without sedation (thankfully) the ortho felt effusion in the knee and diagnosed a partial tear. We decided for now since we are in the dead of a horrible winter that we will wait until early Spring to do surgery. In the mean time we will make him comfortable and try to be careful with him, but also let him be a dog as well. so let up on the confinement a bit, but no running or anything crazy, but stairs to go to bed and leash walks are okay.
I was relieved to have a diagnosis since the not knowing was mind boggling and so scary. On orthodogs.com there are so many cases where the not knowing has become something awful and this really is so fixable and he is healthy!
Good new was Casey lost 4 lbs in 4 weeks! So he is at a good weight of 99lbs and we will try to maintain this. Let's hope the knee hangs on with a partial tear until Fall and not become a full tear before then which would require more immediate surgery. Casey is on some great supplements and we now use a ramp for the car and we just are so much more educated this time that I think he will be fine in the interim.
I will be sure to update soon and of course will do so regularly during his next recovery too.

Happy Holidays to you all.

Melissa & Casey :)

YIPPEEE!

Good news came to us today! One day before Thanksgiving and we surely have something to be thankful for. Casey does not have a torn ligament in his left knee! We were thrilled to hear this not only does he not need surgery right now, but financially this is great news as we head into the holidays!

We saw our orthopedic vet and he was not able to manipulate Casey's knee in the office due to my big lugs high anxiety and he was stressed! Of course too there was no limping going on, but that was consistent with him from the last tear on the right leg. I remember each visit he never limped and finally I have to video tape him so they could see the limp before he was officially diagnosed! Clever and stoic he can be! My big devil! So since he was not cooperating and was stiff they decided to x-ray and manipulate the leg. The great thing was the ortho had an x-ray from about 6 months ago of both knees that he took and thus gave him something to compare to once he took the new pictures. So after sedation and manipulations our orthopedic said there was no tear. He searched high and low and couldn't find anything. Also aspirated a fatty tumor on his leg just to rule that out and that was fine as well!

Soooo, what is causing the limp??? Well the ortho thinks it must be a muscle issue. He said to rest him for one month and by then he should be back to normal. So he is attached to the leash for potty breaks, and he can walk 10-15 mins a day and he is free to use stairs. This is a cake walk compared to TPLO recovery! So that is our plan and I only pray that is will go away during this recovery and that he will be better!

We have no idea how this happened other than to say it must have been while playing with his buddies at the doggy park. We aren't sure though.

Another issue we learned of while at this office visit was that Casey's weight was up a bit. How on Earth is this happening? He is on 2 cups of kibble a day, a few pieces of boiled chicken the size of quarters, and also some canned pumpkin for added fiber for his IBD. We switched his treats to an eighth of the size he was getting and also now they are the lite formula. I am stumped, but must say I could almost care less as the IBD is under control so a bit of weight means nothing in the grand scheme of things. He was up 1.2 ounces! We joked that the larger plate he has with the 8 screws must count for some of that right? The orthopedic says he carries his weight extremely well and he says he is fine. If we chose to have him lose he said only 5 lbs were needed. We were thrilled with this.

Another great thing that resulted from today is that while Casey was out the orthopedic decided for his own curiosity to x-ray his tplo leg again just to look in on it since we are 8 months out. He said he did this for himself and he did not charge us for this picture. The great news is he said "It is beautiful!" Everything is stable, in place and his muscle looks great! He has never once limped on this leg since he has been recovered. We couldn't be happier with the results of that surgery!

So we are nursing our boy back to health again! He doesn't do well from sedation and cries a lot and gets so out of it. He has been pretty good today but I am excited to see his happy go lucky self tomorrow morning when the sedation is truly gone!

I will post again at the close of our months recovery for you all to learn more! Keep your paws crossed!

Melissa & Casey :)

Not again :(

Could it be happening again? Not another knee injury! It is like we are reliving the last 2 years. Casey began limping and of course we obsess now over his right leg since his TPLO surgery, so we immediately assumed it was his right leg. After resting the limp stopped. Once we returned to his "regular activity" the limp returned. Then I began to really observe the limp and discovered this weekend that I actually think it is the left leg! OH NO! You know how they say go with your gut? Well I am and I am all too familiar with this limp and the inconsistencies with it coming and going. My guess right now is that he has a partial tear. No idea how partial it is. So of course here we are on a holiday weekend and the chances of reaching our respected ortho are slim. I am hoping for tomorrow on Monday, but I bet the call will actually happen on Tuesday. Hoping to get him seen in a week or two.

In the mean time we have restricted his activity some what but we are still walking him a bit, but really cut back until I can get him seen. I don't want to completely eliminate his walks and have that muscle begin to get atrophy. I am hoping the knowledge of the past will be and added bonus whether it is another tear or not.

So here we sit and wait. I am unable to prescribe nsaids for pain as he has had a bad reaction in the past to them and having the IBD it may cause issues with that. I was told by the ortho before not to give them unless advised to. Plus our ortho doesn't know about the recent diagnosis of IBD.

I will be sure to update our blog. In the meantime please keep Casey in your thoughts and check back in on our big beloved boy!

Update-October 27, 2007

It has been two months now and this blog originally began as our adventure through TPLO recovery and now has become a blog about Casey the dog as a whole! So to update all our readers...Casey is doing excellent! His colitis is under control for the first time in 7 years! We changed his food over to California Natural which is a hypoallergenic dry food. He is on the lite formula to reduce some weight on him that he accrued prior to and post surgical. He enjoys the food and we have added some home cooked boiled chicken and then switch between canned pumpkin and unsweetened applesauce. He is on supplements as well.

Casey has returned to an active life of two walks a day and recently he has begun play time and socialization at the dog park as well. This he really seems to love! He is a social boy and loves to be with other people or dogs so the dog park is a fun time for our boy!

I will upload some recent photos soon too. I have some great Fall ones amongst the leaves!

Wishing everyone our best and healing to all those post op!

Diagnosis!!!

Got a call from the vet today and she got the results from his last apt saying he tested positive for Colitis. I was relieved to have a diagnosis and also to hear it wasn't anything more serious.
Colitis in dogs (I am sure is the same as in people) is the irritation to the large intestine. Casey will have to be on an antibiotic probably for life, but later on a maintenance dose and also have a diet change where he will have high fiber. I go tomorrow to get the prescription and talk more about what our response to all this will be. My poor boy has been suffering for so long. I am so happy in hopes we will get this taken care of. 7 years and finally a diagnosis!!!

Update-August 19, 2007

Casey is doing fabulous. He was still limping up until about a month ago and I had put in a call to the orthopedic and I was told he was on vacation and would be back in two weeks. Well before the two weeks were up, Casey's limp disappeared! So he has been cleared by us to play and be a "dog"!
Today he played with some other dogs in our neighborhood for the first time off leash and since the surgery 5 months ago! He was so happy and we also were thrilled to see him be free.
We are still walking him 2 times a day and playing outside ball when we can. During the recovery we were able to really work on cleaning up any "loose ended" behaviors. By this I mean that prior to surgery Casey was a great dog and behaved well, but I think he thought he was a bit of a leader in the house! We were able to clear up his role and place in the house and work on his leash walking a bit better with my girls in the jogging stroller. I also have adopted some of Caesar Milan's tactics he uses for discipline and it really seems to be effective for Casey.

Our biggest issue now has always been a silent issue for our boy. Casey seems to have and always had some sort of tummy issue. I have told his primary vet this numerous times and I have been reassured and told that it is nothing serious and since he is not losing weight that he is fine. 1 week post-op Casey had some major tummy issues and we assumed it was due to the nsaid he was on. Looking back it very well could have been the nsaid or maybe been his tummy issue. So tomorrow Casey will go to a vet to have this issue discussed in depth and see what our next step is to try to help him feel better. My husband and I are not happy with our current vet and we want to switch to the vet at the location he had his surgery. Typically they do not take clients that are referred as this is a bit "taboo" to do to a fellow colleague. Regardless we decided we are leaving the current vet. I called the "new" vet and she agreed to see Casey for his tummy issue and any further treatments we could discuss in office. So tomorrow I will learn more about this as well.
When I first called this vets office they immediately said it sounds like IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) Or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Not once has this ever been mentioned before. So I went to the computer and began some online research and I must say his symptoms really sound like one of these conditions. Both are hard to diagnose so we will see what they suggest to us tomorrow.

Thanks all for reading and staying caught up on our big boy! I also have to thank all the support and help from the wonderful members at Orthodogs.com! What a great group of people! I have learned so much from them!

Week 16

Casey is doing fantastic. He is not limping any more. Rarely if we worked him hard he may get up and need to stretch the muscles. He is pretty much free to do anything he wants at this point. We have thrown his ball with him a few times and he has been fine. So happy too!

He is still eating the Canidae with a mix of can foods with it. He seems to enjoy it. He also is still on Cosequin DS which I think seems to be helping.

I think at this point we really want to resume our normal activity with him, but we are worried to not have his other leg tear and go through this again. I feel as though in some ways the tplo surgery really aged him. I will say though a few nights ago he was wound like a top! We had a heat wave of 90+ degrees for 3 days and high humidity and it was just too hot for him to walk so he had all this pent up energy. He was playing like a puppy and into the trash in my bathroom when we weren't home and mischievous things. It was a nuisance, but nice to see he was feeling well.

Not sure when he goes back to the surgeon or if he even does. I will update again soon.

Slobbers and tail wags to all~ Melissa & Casey

(photo is from 3 years ago. He just looked so cute running with his Buddy ball. I need to take more and will post them soon.)

Week 14

Hello everyone. Been a crazy summer already! Had a lot of family visit! We had a blast! School ended, kids in camp, potty training my little one and a recital this weekend. With so much going on I haven't had time to report in!

Casey is a such a great boy. He is so "go with the flow" lately. He was great with all the family visiting and him not getting his 100% attention as usual! We are trying now to get back into our routine. Tough to walk him as much as he needs. We are doing our best. He is free outside and has been running here and there and doing fine. Occasionally will limp at nights end, but nothing serious and I know it is just from use during the day.

For the first time I am not sure where we go from here. Our surgeon said to increase the walks over the 3 months. That was at the 9 week apt. Not sure if we go back after that or what. I would love to get the all clear to play fetch with his ball again. Who am I kidding...Casey would LOVE this.

Haven't been able to keep up with the orthodogs group much either lately. So to all of you, your pups are in my thoughts and I am checking their blogs!

Take care,

Melissa & Casey

Week 12

Casey at age 3 with my daughter Emily when she was 2!

He is happily chewing his rhino Kong!

Wow, where does the time go? Casey is doing great still and we can't be happier! He still has a bit of a limp, but we are assured it will dissipate as he continues to build his muscle. I wish we could walk him more often or longer, but with my husband working full time and me home with two children it is tough. We currently are managing two walks a day. Kids are at times reluctant to sit in the jogger stroller for such a long walk, but I make them! Casey is always willing to go!

We had an "oops" moment as they say on the orthodogs yahoo group! I must say it is far more less an oops moment once the bone is healed though. I am far less worried! Anyway, I was mowing the lawn and opened the back gate to our fenced in yard to dispose of the grass clippings and Casey ran out the gate. I didn't realize he was outside with me. Well he had a field day running all over the neighborhood. I finally found him 2 houses over and he finally sat to get on his leash and collar for my husband. We were worried he over did it, but he was fine in that respect thankfully! I must admit it was nice to see him run!!!

Well he must have gotten into something (God knows what?) and he was sick for days:(
He has such a sensitive tummy anyway. He was throwing up later that night and was in and out several times too with diarrhea. Then again the next night too. We cut his food to just the grain and went easy on the water too. Thankfully on day 3 he was better. Oh and boy was his gassy belly killing us! PU!

I am happy he is better now and back to his regular food and meals. I felt good that he was getting what ever it was out! If not I would have had him to the vet immediately. Always something with this guy!

Thanks for checking in on us and I will post again next week! Bye for now!

Week 10

Not much new here to post...thankfully! I guess that means things are going well! Casey is healing great and we are walking as much as we can with him. He loves his time with us and gets so excited when I mention to the kids that we are taking Casey for his walk. I can't even say "stroller" any more as he knows that equals a walk! So funny and smart!

I just finished reading Marley by John Grogan. If you have never read this and are a dog lover, you must get your hands on a copy! What a cute story and man I could relate to so much of it. Especially in Casey's early days when he was a terror! Close to what Marley did, but not for a long in years! Anyway check it out online if you are interested: http://www.marleyandme.com/

The author also has a children's book too called Marley and Me. I need to get a copy for my girls!
I was a wreck at the end of this book. It is easy reading and I read it in two sittings. Just a great story.

Well I will post again next week. Keep checking in!

9 Weeks and 4 days

So Casey is loving his new freedoms. Loves to be out alone without a lead on him and loves being able to be on our bed at night! I was thrilled to remove the gates again! Kids were happy too! He is doing so well. He is a funny character. Such a GREAT dog! So mellow and go with the flow and loves us nearly as much as we all adore and love him. I am not sure whom is luckier...him or us!

Everything is going well now. We are walking him 2-3 times a day. I will try to post updates weekly or bi-weekly. Keep checking back!

9 Week X-Rays -100% bone healed!!!!

Yippee, yeah, we are so excited! Casey's bone is 100% healed from his TPLO! He now can use stairs at his discretion, jump up into the car, go onto the beds, and be off leash. Wow, he will be so thrilled not to have me in tow for his potty breaks! We are so happy. He has done amazingly well throughout this process. He is still coming off his sedation from the xrays and feeling quite hung over! You can see from the photo!

So from here we take the next 3 months to work on building his leg muscle more to rid him of the dreaded limp. It is not fairly noticeable, but at night when he is tired you see it more. So we will keep increasing either his durations of time on his walks, or the number of walks. Both are tough as it is a struggle with the two kids to get all the walks in on a day. Hoping with the summer it will get easier. After the 3 months he should be all clear to do what ever he wants! Including ball again! Still no frisbee though...sorry buddy:(

Thanks to all of you for your support and to those of you who are keeping updated through this blog!

Almost there!

8 weeks and 5 days Post-op

Casey continues to do really well. We have had quite a bit of rain lately so walks have been tough to get in. The kids and I did go a few times in the rain. I have a clear rain shield that covers my jogging stroller to keep the girls dry! They think it is cool! I on the other hand get wet and think it is not as cool! Casey is just happy to be out walking with his big grin!

He has been a bit more rambunctious lately. Really showing us he is feeling better. He still remains to be on no meds other than his supplement. He will show some extra limping at evenings end and I intend to ask his surgeon about this at our next visit. Maybe just him still needing to build his muscle?

On that note though, his leg looks fantastic. His muscle looks good! I think he is doing fantastic. At home he is still always on a leash to go outside, he can use the stairs when we are home, but otherwise has run of the house.

As for his eating we finally seem to have realized what he likes and does not. He likes Innova and Innova Evo canned. He does not like it cold. I got info from the Orthodogs support group I joined that cold food can cause tummy troubles and even vomiting. Great info for us as I think that could be a source of Casey's tummy sensitivity. So now I warm it and he LOVES it. I think he thinks it is a treat! So glad we figured that out. Yes, we have had him for 7 years now and he finally got his point across! Wish he could talk!

I left Casey this past weekend for the first time since his surgery. He was in great hands at home with my husband! I missed them all, but it was nice too! Man was he crazy excited when I got home!

So we go to the surgeon in two days. I have mixed emotions. So glad to go as we have a few questions and we always enjoy the surgeon seeing him and saying how well he is doing, but not so happy as Casey will have to stay for a bit to get sedated for his post-op x-rays. I am excited hoping the x-rays will show 100% healing of the bone, but I hate how the sedation flips Casey out. He sobs all day long and seems so out of it. It kills me to see him like that. So with that said I will post again after Wednesday and report the results of the x-rays! Wish us luck!

7 Weeks and 2 days post-op

Well Casey continues to do excellent! He is up to 24 minute walks 2-3 times a day. As his walks are getting longer it seems it is getting tougher for us to squeeze 3 in a day! Although I am a stay at home Mom, I find I am never home! Two kids with schedules, school, activities, and the kids just plain not wanting to go on ANOTHER walk has me really trying to fit is all in! We are managing!

Casey's hair is growing in nicely and he is loving the turn in the weather to the sunny days!

He was refusing his food. He is such a picky eater! I went out yesterday and bought several different types of canned food. He doesn't seem to care what the grain is, but more importantly what it is mixed with. So we will try these and rotate them. So far he has had Innova in the can and really liked it. Gobbled it right away. I mixed it with his Canidae. I liked the Innova as it was less solid than the Canidae canned. It mixed easier with the grain. So far so good.

He has x-rays in 12 more days...wow this recovery is going smoothly and quick! Both the kids and I are anxious to have him run again! I will add some recent photos later!

6 Weeks Post-Op

We saw Casey's orthopedic surgeon this morning. He was very pleased with Casey's recovery. He said the knee is nice and solid. It felt tight in the joint, and he has full range of motion! He said Casey is recovering faster than the 6 week mark.

Casey got the okay to get back on the couch! He is one happy dog! Finally no more covering it to keep him off and he wasn't sure what to think as I encouraged him on! He must have thought I was crazy after all the "NO's" to keep him off for the last 2 months!

We were told to continue the walks as often as we could and slowly continue to increase the times. We were also told that the stairs were okay to do with us with him controlled for therapy. He currently does them 2 times per day for bed at night and to come down in the morning. The orthopedic again stressed that walking is what will bring the muscle back and what is best. So we will continue to do this and Casey still has the freedom of the bottom floor of our house. Today I finally put his raised feeder with his bowls back in the kitchen instead of on the living room carpet!

We are making strides and we couldn't be more happy! I had a few questions for the surgeon. One being why does it seem that his knee points outward when he walks. He told us that it does that until the muscle returns fully and over time it will dissipate. And for the same reason is why Casey does not fully use the leg without a limp inside, but seemingly does outside. So we are working on regaining that muscle!

So we will return again in 3 more weeks which at that point Casey will stay for sedation for x-rays to confirm bone healing. Then we were told Phase 2 of recovery begins! I suspect that means less restrictions and a bit more freedom! Yippee!

Birthday Boy!!

So today my big boy turns 7! I can't believe he is an old man now. Seems like yesterday he was chewing things up and being a pest! Wow he has changed over the years! We are planning a little party for Casey tonight when his Dad (my husband) gets home. My 2 and 5 year old are making him birthday cards...so sweet!

As for Casey's leg, he is healing wonderfully! I am so happy with his progress. He has his 6 weeks check up on Wednesday with his orthopedic surgeon. I am sure he will be happy too with what he sees.

Casey is up to 16 minute walks now and he is loving it! We go 3 times a day. When he walks outside he has no visible limp. Inside he does a bit as he seems to baby the leg a bit. No idea why. This will be one of the things I mention on Wednesday.

He is feeling more playful now too and we are doing what we can to play safely with him. He is a funny boy!

I will post pictures later and post again on Wednesday after his apt!

5Weeks Post-op

Yippee! Casey is recovering very well. Nothing really to report which is great! He is up to 12 minute walks 3 times a day. He has gotten excellent walking on the leash now. He was good before, but a bit of a puller. Now he does great. His leg seems to be healing well. He has a bit more freedom of the bottom floor when I am home so that is helping to increase the muscle too. The more walking the better!

Weather seems to be improving too so Casey is happy spending time outside enjoying being a dog again!

He is feeling better and asking to play with us more and more. We are trying to play in a way that is safe and having him lay to play with us. He seems content with that.

Recently we switched his food to Canidae and he loves it. Lately he is refusing to eat it or will eat it an hour later, but wants his wet food back. So I went and got him some today! He ate it up. I am just giving him enough to mix it up. That is what he likes I guess. I got the Canidae in the can.

We go back to the orthopedic at 6 weeks just for a check in. I have some questions so I will ask them then.

I am very happy with Casey's progress and hope to continue to increase the increments of our walks to build his atrophy of the muscle back up. He is really missing his couch, and has sneaked up a few times. He seems fine, but I am trying to keep them covered at all times. Tough with two little kids!

The hair is coming in well now too! Yeah! Almost can't see where the epidural was, and the leg top coat seems to be coming in too. I will try to take more pictures!

4 Weeks Post-op!

I can hardly believe it has been a month since I dropped Casey off and balled my eyes out in the office and in the car! So glad that is behind us!

Well he is doing great. We are slowly trying to increase his walks. We are back up to 10 mins. I think we will stick here for a bit and then try a little more. Casey does such nice controlled walking in our yard, but once on the street he pulls more and is excited to be free of the boring back yard. I tend to do more walking in the yard for easiness with the two kids, but also for the comfort of no other dogs being able to attack him or even come near him to cause a possible "oops" moment.

Casey continues to not be on any medications. Just his Cosequin DS for his joints! I am so happy he is handling this all so well. We are not scheduled to see the orthopedic again until 6 weeks. This apt is just a check in apt meaning that there is not any real reason for it. The ortho said we could even cancel if we wanted if it was a big deal getting Casey there and back. Well it is a big deal as both my husband and I must go so he will stay in the sit or down position the whole ride so as not to walk on his leg in the moving minivan. I am leaning towards keeping that apt though just for progress report sake!

We have x-rays at 9 weeks to confirm bone healing. I look forward to that day. Seems so far still.

As for Casey's appetite, he is doing well there. Loving his new dog food. I switched him to Canidae. He also is getting a yummy stuffed Kong here and there and the buster cube. All these things are trivial to keep him busy as it is tough to keep an active dog confined for so long. He is a great patient though.

I will update again soon. Thanks for reading:)

4/16/07

Well we were successful in switching Casey's food to Canidae. He really seems to like it! I am relieved. He is doing well. We are walking up to 10 minutes 2-3 times a day. He is having a bit more energy these days. I think with all our rain lately it hasn't been easy to just be outside to even lay down. He also may be feeling better and thinking he is better! Today he seemed a bit more sore so we did not do as much walking. He did not have any "oops" moments so I can't figure out what would have started this other than that healing has its normal ups and downs. He was a bit more limpy today and tonight he is 3 legging a bit. I will keep an eye on him. I think he and my husband will be sleeping in the living room tonight needless to say to avoid the stairs. I think a bit of rest will put him back to normal. I will post again on his developments.

4/13/07

Things are going quite smoothly. Casey is up to 10 minute walks now and seems to be handling it well. He does appear to be more limpy at night, but he is still using the leg.

2 days ago I took Casey down our street to walk for his 10 minutes out for the first time. He was so happy to have different smells oppose to his boring back yard! Then it happened...he peed lifting his good leg and stood on the TPLO leg! I nearly fell over. I was so happy, but scared too. I guess Dr. Woolfson was right when he said Casey's knee was stable. I guess Casey agreed. He did this same thing 2 more times on our walk! A big milestone for us!

Otherwise he is eating well. Seems to like the Canidae! He is sleeping upstairs and doing excellent on his 1 time up at night and 1 time down in the morning. My husband is sleeping much better too! We are doing great and looking forward to the warmer Spring!

3 Week Post-op Apt. 4/11/07

I can hardly believe it has been 3 weeks. I must say the time is passing quickly and we all seem to have adjusted nicely to the new "rules" in our home. With Gates and a crate, and leash rules, it was all a lot to take in, but all the family members have been compliant.

This morning we saw Dr. Woolfson for Casey's 3 week post op apt. Dr. Woolfson was happy to see a happy Casey! He was pleased with his walking and said Casey had full range of motion in the knee! Yahoo! He had him sit to give him a treat and Casey sat the proper way and not the CCL leg out way! he was very pleased to see this and made sure to comment to me about how great that was. he said over the next 3 weeks to increase his walks up to 20 minutes. We are at 5 now so we will slowly increase.

Casey has some muscle atrophy, but that is quite normal and he will regain it over time. Dr. Woolfson also manipulated his knee and said it was very stable! We are so thrilled! Nice to hear that all our hard work is paying off.

We also go the okay to switch Casey's dog food. We decided to switch it as with the recent recalls (our old food was not recalled) I learned that his food was not as healthy as I wanted it. So today we began the Canidae. We will do a 50/50 mix for a while, then change of slowly.

The last of our good news is that Dr. Woolfson said Casey can return to sleep in our bedroom upstairs. As long as he climbs the stairs slowly and calmly with us beside him and holding his collar. My husband will finally get to sleep back in bed from 5 weeks on the couch! We bought another tri fold baby gate with a door in the middle to section off part of the bedroom where Casey will sleep on his ortho bed and thus he will NOT be able to get on our bed like he really wants too! Too high and too dangerous right now.

I also began today giving Casey Cosequin DS for his joints and mild arthritis in his hips. I hope this works. Many people on the orthodogs web site I belong to say great things about these supplements. I know there are so many out there that are junk since they are not FDA regulated, but this kind we got is a recommendation by the orthopedic surgeon to us.

Smooth Sailing :)

Since the tummy troubles Casey had, things here have been "smooth sailing"! Casey is back on his regular food and diet and he is walking 5 minutes 3-4 times a day. He is off ALL medicines now and seems to be reacting wonderfully. He is a bit more playful now, but still quite sleepy in the middle of the day. He seems to be peppy at night and want some "me" time! Of course he gets his time! My oldest daughter (age 5) keeps asking when she and Casey can play tug again. She doesn't have a complete concept of time so I say when he is better. I look forward to that day when Casey and my girls are running freely in the yard again!

Another emergency vet visit

Day 11 and Casey still has diarrhea and is still vomiting. I can't go on doing nothing to help him. We as humans have the runs and vomit and we take at least an antacid. There must be something I can do to ease him. I call our regular vet again. They are closed as it is Sunday. The message says to go to the 24 hour vet hospital which is 30-40 mins away. I decided that another trip to see strangers was not what I wanted for him. I called the orthopedic surgeon on his pager, Dr. Woolfson, and he called me immediately back. He said he agreed it was probably the Duramaxx, but he needed him to be seen and did not want another stranger to see his patient! I was relieved although I probably ruined this poor man's weekend day off! We decided to meet at a half way point for us both as Dr. Woolfson lives further south than I. We met at a clinic he works out of a few days of the week.
So Casey got a physical exam and Dr. Woolfson was relieved. It is know that these nsaids can cause severe ulcers and if bad enough will need surgery. He didn't see any sign of that. He was happy I brought him in and treated his symptoms to get him better so as not to continue to get weaker. Not a good thing for a dog whom just had knee surgery to get weak. He gave him a direct shot of medicine into his "good" leg. It was equivalent to Pepcid-AC. Then gave him a dose of Gastraphate orally. This is a pink thick bubble gummy looking med. Casey took it, but didn't love it. This coats the tummy and intestines. Then he gave me 3 cans of dog food for intestinal problems and more "Pepcid-AC (aka Famotidine) in pill form for 5 days. All the while this surgeon is covering all the bases, I am sitting wondering "why did the vet yesterday not do any of this?" Now this man has to interrupt his day to do it. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Woolfson was more than happy to accommodate us and he said so many times that this was his job and his life. I could see it in his eyes that he really cared and Casey was not just another patient. That was another moment when I realized we had made a great choice in letting this surgeon treat our pup. Then Dr. Woolfson called later in the day to check in on Casey AND again the next day too!

Well that was the last time Casey had vomited and the diarrhea ended that day too! It just took someone to take the time to treat him! I am so angry with the vet we saw the day before and I will complain. Just a bit of a set back as he was too weak to do any walking other than his potty breaks.

Our first set back

We were at 8 days post op and things were going well. Then we hit a bump in the road. Casey had diarrhea late night on day 8 and then the next morning on day 9 he vomited and continued with the diarrhea. I was not sure what to think at first. Casey has had a history of an unsettled tummy and been known to vomit here and there. We decided to keep an eye on him. When day 10 came and the vomiting and diarrhea did not let up and that no food was getting in or what did get in would not stay in, we decided to call our regular vet. they suggested we come in for a look. we brought a stool sample and now his runny stool had red blood in it. I was in tears. So worried and scared. Normally I would not be so worked up, but he was only a week and a half out of a major surgery and he seemed so fragile oppose to the days prior. Lethargy was setting in too and he was miserable. I couldn't continue to see him like this. My husband and I loaded up the kids and Casey to visit the vet. Our vet we typically see was not on as it was a Saturday. We saw another vet whom we had never met and did not know Casey. What can you do? The vet we normally see is also the owner of this vet clinic where Casey has been a patient since he was 8 weeks old. We really trust this vet and he has been helpful over the last 6 years with any issues that arose.
So this vet sees Casey and I am so cautious. The floor is linoleum and I don't feel as though she is being cautious enough around the TPLO leg! She taps his hind like you do to an animal after you pet them, but not on the surgical leg...come on! She decides to take blood after a physical exam. She decides to take blood where Casey is shaved from his IV from surgery. Not a good thing to try to take blood from veins that were used! She should have know this before trying 3 times and sticking the poor guy! He has been through enough. As she is taking the blood she lifts the front paw! I am having a heart attack and saying please let him lay down. You can not take a leg from him to take blood when he only has two other good ones to balance on! Am I being an over protective Mom? She she says to sling him with my arm. I did so, but was pissed the whole time. Truth is Casey is 100lbs and if he was to fall and I am squatting to hold him, we were both to go down. The whole visit didn't sit well with me. The vet seemed to think it was a result of his nsaid Duramaxx. He was no longer able to tolerate it. I guess they are quite harsh on the intestines and tummy. She ran the blood work and stool sample and said she would call with the results. We were sent home.
Hours later my husband calls as we had not heard and she had not run the test yet. She calls a half hour later and says that all came back negative for any infections and that his liver came back good too. That was important to hear as the liver can have damage from these powerful nsaids. I was so relieved to not have an infection! So they just said to keep with the bland diet of boiled chicken and rice.

Week One Post-op

Week one really required a lot of 24 hour care for Casey. We kept a close eye out for any adverse med reactions, iced four times a day for 10 minutes, and kept a close eye on his incision to ensure Casey would not lick it. He was and still is an excellent patient and was so cooperative for all medicines and all icings. We used a beach towel to sling Casey to do the 4 stairs going into our back yard for potty breaks. The incision was done with internal sutures and was healing amazingly! I couldn't get over how nicely it healed and quickly. I think I can attribute that too to an excellent dog that did not lick the incision!

The incision became swollen and bruised by day 2 or 3. Normal according to our surgeon. Then day 4-6 it went away and left a clean incision line and a normal colored shaved "chicken" leg behind!

At the close of week one we saw the Orthepedic surgeon for our first follow up. Dr. Woolfson said Casey was doing great. He was not only toe touching, but using the leg with a limp! He said we did not have to do ROM (range of motion) exercises! Yeah! He gave us the okay to do 5-10 minute walks too. That will help with boredom! We were on top of the world and so pleased thus far with his progression and recovery.

Casey's Home

Got Casey home and he was definitely not himself. All to be expected. Very whiny which he is with sedation after x-rays, so I knew after a major surgery he would be a wreck as well. He seemed out of it from all the drugs and coming off everything that happened this day. Casey came home with a Fentanyl patch on his side, Tramadol, and a fancy new hair cut! We were told to encourage eating by giving him some yummy food so we tried boiled chicken with rice. I also put in some of his kibble. He gobbled it up. Poor boy was starved. Casey didn't drink much the first 24 hours either, but he did have an IV during surgery which pumped in plenty of fluids. A few hours later we iced his incision for 10 minutes and he tolerated that very well.

Generally he looked very well. A bit glassy eyed and an out of it state, but he did just have a major surgery and come home the same day! We had the option to leave Casey there for the night and into the next day with a vet on 24 hours whom sits in the room with the dog, but opted not to do this as Casey has a history with anxiety and we and his orthopedic felt he would be more comfortable at home.

Our first night was made up of two shifts. I took the first shift and my husband took the second shift. Casey now had to sleep in the living room. He had several options of places to rest. His brand new orthopedic bed! His new fun loving place...his crate with a comfy bed in that, and per ok with the orthopedic, our chaise lounge. Most dogs are not permitted to do any furniture, but this chaise is his absolute favorite and quite low to the floor. He steps onto it and it isn't much higher than his orthopedic bed! Later this chaise posed to be a help too as it is impossible to get a dog to elevate their leg, but Casey did so by laying on the chaise with his head down and leg up. Helped some with swelling!

One thing I did not expect on this day was Casey peeing where ever he was and then just peeing on the carpet. I took him out several times and he wouldn't do anything while out. I know the meds and IV do make them have to go a lot. I think the epidural was still wearing off for him. This is unusual for most dogs once home. Again I think we had to deal with this since he came home earlier than most dogs do. Lots of laundry was getting done. Thankfully I had covered his beds with waterproof pads in case his incision drained...never thinking of a peeing pup!

So I was on the first shift. Sleeping bag and pillow on the floor laying next to Casey where ever he was. He cried almost ALL night! Broke my heart. It seemed to help if I rubbed his front leg with my hand or was some how touching him to let him know I was there. He seemed to have trouble sleeping a bit as he just couldn't get comfy or settled. Later I learned that it was probably the Fentanyl patch doing this. A slight side effect...uneasiness. He seemed to move almost every 30 minutes. So then I did too. Later my husband took the next shift and he seemed to settled in better the second half of the night with him. Casey was exhausted as were we, but we got through it together! First day and night was now over.

Surgery Day

I took Casey in for his surgery the morning of March 21, 2007. Told my girls to say their goodbye's for just in case. I knew I was leaving him in great hands, but I was a wreck. Tears flowing and the staff at Putnam Vet clinic so caring and supportive. They came out to rub my arm and assured me he would be fine. Dr. Woolfson (Casey's surgeon) also reassured me and came out to talk with me.

Later that afternoon Dr. Woolfson calls to let me know that Casey did well through the surgery and that once his anesthesia wears off I can take him home as Casey still has some anxiety and he felt he may be more comfortable at home. I was also told he broke down a gate and walked out of the recovery room! Crazy boy! I was so relieved he was fine. Dr. Woolfson said the surgery was according to plan all except for once he was in he saw that Casey had very large bones for his size and instead of the typical plate with 6 screws, Casey got a larger one which required 8 screws. Nothing that would change any recovery or use of his leg! So he gave me some general instructions and told me what to expect and gave me a pep talk too so as to keep my two children safe around "recovering Casey". He then said he would call me when Casey was ready to go home!

Preparations

This week was filled with us trying to re-crate train Casey and get rubber backed rugs, gates, and all other necessities for a super recovery once our boy came home. I thought the crate training would be a challenge as when he was a puppy he had confinement issues and severe anxiety. So we got a crate. Biggest we could find as Casey is 100 lbs. and set it up in our living room. We put his bed in it and to much of our surprise he loved it! Who knew? We were so excited thinking one hurdle down! Got more rubber backed rugs to lead to our back door for potty breaks, and got many baby gates for our living room (where the carpeting is) and for the stairs on the deck and for the second floor. Our house is a patchwork quilt look a like!Now we wait until the surgery date anxiously and nervously.

The Consult

On March 14, 2007 my husband and I meet Dr. Woolfson. He is an orthopedic surgeon with an excellent background in education and practice. He is trained by Slocum (the makers of the TPLO implant) and also does the traditional repair as well. Leading up to this meeting I did a lot of research on the different repairs for CCL and I had a few questions on each. I brought those questions with me to our meeting. My vet whom referred us to Dr. Woolfson provided us his materials on which surgery is right for us pamphlets. They were very helpful. Dr. woolfson examined Casey and went through both surgeries in detail and used a model to explain. My husband and I were unanimous in which surgery was right for Casey and us...TPLO. We then proceeded to leave Casey to be sedated for x-rays and blood work and we scheduled the surgery for the following week.

The Begining

Welcome to my blog about Casey!

So it all began around January 2006. Casey was limping here and there with his back right leg. We know he did not have an accident, but he does love to play frisbee! That is his passion along with his "buddy" balls! We went to his vet and they said maybe he hurt himself playing or jumping to make a catch and prescribed some rest and some Aspirin for 7 days. So this is what we did and it seemed to go away. then it arose again a month or so later and again we told the vet and did the same thing. Then winter set in full force here in Massachusetts and Casey had a lot less activity between cold temperatures, snow and it being dark at 4pm! He rested well this winter and we didn't see any more noticeable limping until the late Fall of 2006.

Casey again began limping and it was more consistent now. We took him to the vet and he put him on Rimadyl. We tried that and we didn't notice it to help any. The vet then added Tramadol with the Rimadyl and that helped some. Limping was still going on though. We finally did x-rays, but vet did them of the hips. He did see mild to moderate arthritis in the hips, but nothing to explain the limping in the leg and only one side. He put him on Duramaxx and Casey seemed better a bit. We also did strict rest for 3 weeks and of course when rested Casey was fine. Then another problem arose...Casey got bored without his "play" and decided to chew up tissues and other things when we were not home. The poor boy needs exercise. Well we stuck it out for 3 weeks and once we resumed normal activity he came up lame again. Then about a week later Casey was 3 legging and completely not using his right rear leg! I was scared to death.

Well back to the vet the next morning and hours before we were due to see him for our apt I did a web search for limping in the rear leg. Got a ton of information on torn CCL's! It finally hit me that this WAS an injury and it was the KNEE not the hips! Yippe! I was excited as this was something we could fix and I was confident that this was our issue! I brought what I learned to the vet. He was in complete agreement with me and did the drawer test to confirm. Also kept him for x-rays to also confirm this.

I go back a few hours later to pick up Casey and the vet said Casey has a complete tear of his CCL. This requires surgery and he referred us to an orthepedic surgeon. I called this surgeon immediately upon getting home as I felt my boy was in pain and suffering. I got an apt the following Wednesday so just over a week away. Seemed like an eternity to wait. I had so much research to do and so many questions!