Another day, another vet visit. :-) Saw Dr. V this morning and he thought Sadie looked much improved. He said not to worry at all about the internal pocket, about the drainage, about her not putting weight on it or the turned in toe. I guess that the pocket that Dr. D was concerned about is "the path" from the TightRope, according to Dr. V. He said it will take time, but she'll heal up just fine. He did say that it will take some special therapy, though, and again mentioned the famous hydro-therapy. But again, that cannot begin until the wound is healed. I asked about packing it with something to help that internal pocket heal faster, but he said he would want to consult with Dr. Cook first.
He said no walks right now, but we could start manipulating the joint gently, while she's laying down, for 5 rotations twice a day. I told him I was very concerned about her not putting her leg down at all, and that she won't even put it down when she poops. He said it will come back in time. The tech said that her dog did the same thing after his surgery, but he's fine now. I was tempted to ask how long his wound took to heal, but didn't.
He flushed out the hole and rebandaged it up using the new stirrup method. He also sent me home with the special tape that he used. My tape just isn't sticky enough. I will post again with pictures and description of how to do this bandage on a dog's knee. Hopefully it stays on as long as last time!
Here is a shot taken head-on, directly between her front legs. It looks like a side-shot, but her leg is just that twisted:
Dr. D called me back Monday night after talking to the therapist they use, and she agreed that we can't do the water treadmill with an open wound. No surprise there. But there are other things we can try, like a dry treadmill, or even some special machines that they have to stimulate the muscles. I guess a therapy session will run about $120. Ouch. That was not great to hear. We can't afford to do many of those right now.
So - where does this leave us? I don't know. What do we do and who do we believe? I have been challenged personally to trust God and know He is in control. Things have not gone according to MY plan, but God knows what plan will bring Him the most glory. I believe He brought Sadie into our life, as she is the perfect dog for our family, and I believe that He cares about her, too. My friend Kristy reminded me that "if God cares about the sparrows, he certainly cares about Sadie and her leg."
Luke 12:6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God."
2 comments:
HI Lori, Thank you so much for your direct response. We took Stella for her favorite walk tonight (both my husband and I left work early to do it in daylight - great bosses! --) She has been staying so close to us like she knows something is going on. We have been practicing with the sling, we had a great conversation with the surgeon yesterday. I am feeling hopeful about her procedure and outcome. I left my email address to you on an earlier comment publicly, I don't mind if others want to query me...I want to be helpful to others who are considering this surgery too as you have been helpful to me ("Pay it forward!"). My email address is heathecooper@gmail.com. Feel free to connect. I will let you know on your comment section about her initial post-operative results tomorrow night. I'm glad to hear that things are looking up for Sadie. Please keep up your strength and faith in the outcome for the better.
Lori,
You are doing so awesome. I don't believe that "Giving this to God" would ever mean that you are not suppose to be concerned with how your dog is doing or whether or not Sadie's leg is healing correctly. Of course you want her leg to heal completely and so it is certainly your place as her caretaker to make sure the docs are doing every thing they can to get her back as good as new. Isn't that what mommy's are for? But if that doesn't happen then that would be where the "Go with God" practice would come in. Every thing we do here serves us in some way and I'm sure that is true for dogs, too. What ever the outcome is supposed to be will be revealed in its own time. You are obviously an amazing caretaker for Sadie and she is lucky to have a human who is so willing to look out for her the way you do. Keep doing what you are doing and know that many of us tuned in to your blog have you guys in our hearts and prayers. Much gratitude for your blog entries.
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