Saturday Update

It was a good night!!!

When Misty first came home last night, she was still pretty groggy and unstable on her legs.  We kept her in her crate and Mom hand fed her a little kibble and some ice chips.  After an hour, she had a little more.  Drinking water was tough with the cone on, but she was fine with licking some water from Mom's fingers and chewing some crushed ice.  Mom took her out right before bedtime - that was a big challenge.  Mom used a towel to support her but it was not easy.  Misty was just too disoriented. We do have a fancy HelpEm Up harness, but it is a process to get it on her.  Mom didn't want to stress Misty too much so she just brought her back inside.

The good news is that Misty (and Mom) slept all night.  Misty in her crate and Mom in her bed:)  This morning Misty was more alert and wanting to go out. She was much steadier on her feet and even tried to put the toes of her repaired leg down.  She seemed to be struggling with figuring out how to squat to take care of business and just wanted back inside.  But then she ate all of her breakfast by herself (cone removed) and had some water.  Of course, the cone went right back on.  A short while later she was looking to go back outside.  This trip was a success - she accomplished ALL of her business as soon as she hit the grass.  Mom says this is a big step for her so soon after surgery.  

Assuming one of her favorite sleeping poses holding up the wall - another sign that she is relaxing.


Misty is getting Rimadyl and tramadol for pain now.  She has spent all morning sleeping.  Since Mom and Dad are both around, she doesn't have to be in her crate as long as she isn't moving around much.  Lightning is afraid of the cone so he stays away. Timber is a little concerned about that cone, but he does try to sniff her.  He is such a good boy, he listens when Mom tells him "leave it" and walks away.  

Timber was here first and Misty decided to worm her way in behind him for a sibling snuggle:)

We know that as each day goes by, Misty will want to be more active and interact with her brothers. So she may be seeing more crate time and/or time in her favorite room - the laundry room.  She has at least two weeks of basically no activity other than a quick potty break as needed.  At the three week mark, she should be starting 5 minute walks on leash slow and steady, multiple times a day to get her to use the leg properly.  With each week that passes, she can walk a little longer. But throughout it all, there is to be NO running, rough housing, or stairs.  The bones need up to 12 weeks to heal well and be strong.  And then - we get to do it all over again!!!  Depending on how she does, she might have the surgery sooner than the 12 week mark.  

A little glimpse of the area although most of the incision is under the knee and not visible here.  You can see there is some swelling but all looks normal so far.

She woke up and made her way to the laundry room.  And back to sleep again:)

For the next two weeks she will have two cold laser treatments.  After that it will be once a week as needed.  The hope is that her staples can come out in two weeks, but we aren't in any hurry.  We want her to heal well.

 My Tramadol Look:)

Still trying to figure out how to make this bowl and the cone work well, but Mom says they say she will figure it out.  Meanwhile Mom helps her by lifting the bowl and placing it inside the cone.

We can't say thank you enough for all the kind words, prayers, good thoughts, and POTP that you have all extended to her.  It is wonderful to be part of such a caring group.

Happy Fourth of July!!!  We didn't get a patriotic photo this year, but we still have so much to celebrate.

Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

Pee Ess - we DO have a comfy cone but the surgeon prefers we use this one for now because she could manipulate the soft one enough to get at her staples.  When the time is right, we will use the comfy cone.