Asher's Post Op Diary

[Tru Borders]

Yeah, am gonna give the Vet a buzz. actually, I should have done it today but cos it was a bit better I left it. Not something I should be leaving til later. For my own peace of mind.

Normally cheese is sufficient for anything .... but he took the cheese, ate around and spat out the tablet!! on the first night I put the tablet in some Barf mix, put that bit at the top of his food thinking he would gulp that bit first. When the bowl was empty, the entire tablet was still standing

We had roast chicken yesterday, I made a shallow bit in a piece of thick chook, covered it with another bit of chook and out some cheese in it, smushed in, for good measure ..... he still found a way round it!!!

Funny really, he had been on carprofen for the 2 week before the op, and he had no probs eating it! The Rilexine must be pretty stinky!

I am Mothering him just like you did Chloe by the sounds of it! But my reasoning is that if something happens its my fault so I need to be extra careful, especially in the first couple of weeks.

I think I might get a white Faux rug and cut an Asher turkey Leg sized bit out so when I walk him he doesnt get sniggered at by the other doggies :D

[Kelly_Louise]

Now that I'd pay to see!!!

How's Asher doing today? Is he getting very restless yet?

[Tru Borders]

He's good today Kelly.

Still kicking the leg out when he gets up (about 70% of the time) but other than that no probs.

He just had a little spew though ..... very little ..... looked like it had a tiny bit of mucus in it. Not worried bout it though but will keep my eyes peeled regardless.

He's actually doing really well considering it is Day 5 of Crate and Leash only. He has little spurts of energy, but I think he remembers quickly that he has a sore back leg so he calms down. He so wants to go into the rooms he would normally go into and down to the backyard.... its hard to say no but thankfully 3 grand doesnt come around easily so my sympathies are short lived!!! I dont want to speak to soon but he has been surprisingly sedate thus far.

So last night, I was sleeping in the back room, back door open as normal (for the last 5 nights anyway) and Asher in his Crate. I hear footsteps and cos I was sleepy I just thought it was Nooki and didnt open my eyes. Then the footsteps come back again and walk away again. I jump up and see Asher walking out to the kitchen!!! Slippery Floors and stairs Holy Crap!!! Called his name and he stopped and turned around and my heart slowly left my throat and went back to where it should be! Scared the bageebuz out of me. OH had said before bed if we were going to sleep in the bedroom .... i nearly said yes. If I had of, Asher would have walked via some slippery floors and gone down 3 stairs, then I bet he would have tried to jump on the bed cos he loves sleeping with us. He had leaned on the crate and it had pulled away from the wall (we had it open to give him a little more room) so he didnt try to escape, just happened to come across an open side. Tonight his crate will be secured correctly!!

[Kelly_Louise]

LOL - what a cheeky boy!!! Don't worry, same thing happened to us a couple of times. He will get used to it over time and start to accept it eventually (fingers crossed LOL).

The slippery floors and few stairs wouldn't have hurt him - only if he was running full pelt on them. Hopping up on the bed might have though

Poor boy, it's tough. And he is doing very well considering - even with his midnight stroll

Do you feel insane yet?

I'm sure that cats aren't this problematic and worrisome :D

[Tru Borders]

running full pelt ........ why thats Asher's favourite past time!!!

He was pretty good last night. We had him fully secure which makes his crate half the size. He had a bit of a sook and a cage rattle and at about 2am I was outside again, in the cold with my doggie. Little bugga.

Gave him some rescue remedy and a blankie and he went to sleep. Didnt hear a peep out of him for the rest of the night. YAY I got some sleep!!!

Cats ..... hmmm. If I had a cat, it would have been eaten by now But yeah, I bet those little kitties are much less stress!!!

Uploading some pics now. From photobucket this time

So Day 6 and all is going well. Had to postpone my vet check up on Wednesday to Friday but hopefully we will be good till then.

We have been so lucky so far. Fingers crossed for our Luck to continue

[Tru Borders]

Last night Asher got himself very comfy and had his first junk air out since the op!

He had his front leg stretched up for about 30 minutes!! Was so funny.

Some piccies of his Scar aswell. As you can see its healing really well and pretty much all the bruising has gone

Caution, some pics contain nudity

[Kelly_Louise]

Junk air out - I love it!!! Chloe loves to flash hers too - dirty old tart she is!!!

Hey his wound looks really good, seems to be healing up very well.

He must be starting to feel better now he's more confident to move it around etc. That's always a good sign - however always puts fear in your heart... feeling better = wants to run around. Unfortunately the better they feel, the harder it is for us.

Glad you got a little bit of sleep at least, better than none. You'll find you'll worry less as time goes on.

So far it's all going very well - keep up the good job!! And 'good boy' to Asher!!!

ETA - every time I see that bit of fluff on the end of his paw after seeing the turkey leg, it cracks me up

Edited August 10, 2009 by Kelly_Louise

[Tru Borders]

every time I look at the fluff on the Turkey leg, I wanna cut it off and hang it on my keys!!!

So we are on day 7 of Post Op and everything still ok.

This morning Nooki was chasing a cat on the other side of the fence and Asher wanted a piece of the action too. He took off and the collar slipped off his head, I panicked, fell over on the grass and have my first bout of knee/grass rash in about 10 years!! Little bugga. My heart was racing and I had the shakes. All is ok.

Have our check up on friday. were supposed to go on wednesday but had to cancel but the Vet said that would be fine.

physio consult on friday also. looking forward to both appointments.

[Kelly_Louise]

Unfortunately these accidents do happen - hard as we try to avoid them

Excellent news that all is going well - I don't know how you do it with such a young dog. I'd be terrified if I even had to try with Sasha (touch wood).

I'm anxiously awaiting Chloe's cushings test results at the moment... she's been so good off her meds but I think it's reared it's ugly head again My poor old girl.

I will be very interested to hear the verdict and plan of action that they give you on Friday, and what kind of physio they do etc. I'm not sure why we were never really told much about physio at the time... maybe cause Chloe was much older and not as active. Still she lost alot of muscle during recovery.

Continuing great news - it's what I like to hear!!

[Tru Borders]

Thanks for your support!! we really have been so lucky Kelly. He's has been such a good boy

Fingers crossed for you for positive results. What makes you think its come back again?

How long has she had Cushings for?

Damn I dont really know what it is off to do some research....

[Kelly_Louise]

Without hijacking the thread - basically her body produces way too much cortisol due to a tumour on her pituitary gland. If untreated, it can be fatal (slowly) - and cause alot of pain and discomfort along the way and puts alot of pressure on the other organs. There is no cure, just treatment. But she was taken off her meds 8 weeks ago as her levels were too low and has been really really good since.

For the last few days, she has been drinking and peeing alot - which is a dead giveaway that it's back... which was expected, but you always hope for a miracle Well I do for my old girl anyway, who's been through so much already.

She's had it for about a year and a half 'officially', but goodness knows how long before hand before the symptoms became noticeable. Sometimes it can be caused by too many meds with cortisone in it.

Anyway, we deal with it - it's just expensive as hell and I'm sure not always pleasant for Chloe. But she is happy and healthy otherwise, so we keep going.

BTW, hardly anyone ever knows what Cushings is - even though it's a human condition as well. I'd never heard of it either before her diagnosis!!

[Tru Borders]

aww Kelly I feel sad for you both. It must be so hard to have something like this, a continuous illness, that is always on your mind.

But, if there is anything I have learned about you over the past few weeks its that if I was a dog, I'd wanna be yours!!

You have the smarts and the love and I bet Chloe is in paradise with a mummy like you!!

Fingers crossed for a good result

[Tru Borders]

So here we are at Day 8 of Asher's recovery Post Op and we couldn't be happier with his progress.

He had a good night sleep last night so that was 2 nights in a row for me with almost full sleep!!

He has gotten so used to his crate which is great (cos he's in it for another 5 weeks!) but I think us moving him around a little has definitely helped him not get too bored and antsy.

I was going to start teaching him some tricks to help mentally stimulate him but im afraid I dont feel comfortable with it just yet. I dont want to do anything at such an early stage that might cause any injury. I would only be teaching tricks that require him to only be laying down, but still, I cant risk it.

Am uploading some pics....mainly for the cuteness factor

[Tru Borders]

Airing it out again

His healing leg day 8. You can see the patch of dermatitas just underneath

Asher opened up crate area

[Kelly_Louise]

They are adorable pics - he is a lovely boy, and adapting so well - what a good boy. He's a bit of a gigolo flashing his gear around... but perhaps it takes some pressure off their leg and feels good?

I agree that a change of scenery helps alot. When they are forced to lie around all day, at least changing views helps them feel less bored. It's a really good idea, especially when you think about how tough it must be on them to do what we ask and stay still.

Don't be afraid to teach him stuff, as long as you are seated down with him and don't over excite him it should be fine. And if he does start to move too much then just leave him. I taught Chloe stuff like 'touch' which I lined all of her toys up and would say 'touch bear' and she would touch with her front paw or nose (all done with her lying down). Again, I'm saying this but it was much easier with an older dog It is limiting though cause you really only want to risk doing stuff that doesn't require him to get up, but stay in the lying position.

Perhaps others can start a list of ideas of things to teach him when he is lying down? I will try to think of others but 'touch' was the one I clearly remember.

Well done - day 8 and no real dramas

[Tru Borders]

Vet visit this morning went Great!

Vet Tony was really happy with Asher's progress and with his joint movement. He manipulated the leg so that the heel was touching the thigh and Asher was fine with it! Yay!!

Off to Physio this arvo so will update on that later on.

The need for zoomies is getting stronger and stronger though. The Vet informed us of a sedative called Tramal, but I told him that we we're going to attack it naturally. Much better for my furkid

[Kelly_Louise]

Great news! Actually when I read your post I'm thinking 'is it that time already'... I'm still living back in Thursday

That is a fantastic result so far - really can't ask for much more can you? The hardest part is kinda over.

I too would only use the sedative if I've exhausted all other natural means and entertainment ideas. Might be good for them to give you some in case of emergency - but yeah can't keep him on those all the time (although it would probably be a hell of alot easier :D )

Best of luck at the physio today - will be eager to see what kind of exercises etc they do, cause we didn't go through all of that.

Great job HH and Asher YOu've both done very well!!

[Tru Borders]

We have reached day 13 of post op and Asher's recovery progress is still going great.

We had an incident 2 days ago where suddenly Asher was at my feet, in the kitchen, wagging his tail in triumph as he has gotten past my barricades and successfully travelled over wooden floors and jumped down 3 stairs. my heart was in my throat. little bugger!!!

So our Physio appointment went really well. Asher was very well behaved and Lindsay (our physiotherapist) was happy with his progress so far.

We started our session with an all over massage so Lindsay could find the areas which were sore on Asher.

Most of his soreness was in his back, which she said was due to his uneven weight bearing and general wear and tear after the op so we went over massaging that area.

We then moved onto leg stretching and manipulation. We take hold of the foot and push the heel up towards his bum. this exercise is done to improve and build up rango of motion. We do 5 of these 3 times a day.

Next is taking the foot and stretching it out to full length, pulling down and out (without hurting) and holding it for 10 seconds. this is done twice, 3 times a day.

With Asher up standing, I hold under his back legs and sway him from side to side to increase the weight bearing on his leg. We do 5 sways, 3 times a day.

While he is still upstanding, with treats in my hand, still holding him up under his legs, I hold the treat in line with his back leg, forcing him to stretch around to get the treat. This helps to build up the muscles. We do 3 of these on both sides 3 times a day. I also do this exercise, but Asher has to bend his head down under his belly!! I am using this exercise to teach his commands. The under belly one is "bow"

We are allowed 3 x 5 minute walks each day. We go down to our back yard and walk a couple of laps, have a sniff, a grass nibble and then back to the crated area.

We go back to the Physio in about 3 weeks to see how his progress is going and if all is well we can up the walks to 10 minutes and we can do a few laps in the pool (with a vet nurse present and a lifejacket of course).

Still have a bit of the pain killer/anti inflam left so we are continuing it until empty. Dont think the pain killer is necessary anymore but the anti inflam cant hurt.

[huski]

Love the pics HH!!

So glad to hear it went well and recovery is going well to

[Kelly_Louise]

Wow the physio sounds great - and I'm sure it will be a massive benefit for him!!

Sounds like everything is exactly on track, and you should take most of the credit for that HH!! It's a tough gig, and you've done marvellously.

As for the incidents - well they are inevitable, no matter how well prepared etc you are!! They are very unpredictable creatures, just when you think you've got the routine down pat and start to let your guard down a bit, hey presto here they are doing all the things you've desperately tried to avoid them doing... and looking mighty proud of themselves for doing so (while your mind goes into panic and you start to think of all the things that could have possibly gone wrong)!!!

Little buggers.

Looking back now, although surgery seemed so scary - if you are prepared etc it's not all that bad, and the dogs don't really 'suffer' as such do they? They cope amazingly well, kind of like a human going through surgery...

I could do with a bl00dy massage...