Quote:
Originally Posted by OwnedByJezebel  I'm not doubting that the LP repair has an easier time healing, it's a much simpler surgery. What surprises me is how Bella is allowed to do certain things that are not allowed with LP replair + TPLO.
Statements like this make me cringe: "She will use her leg when she's walking or running slowly, but she still picks it up when she is running more quickly." That is so risky. She should not be allowed to run at all, no access to stairs, and confined and restricted.
According to page 7 of your rehab document:
**** WARNING****
During all times outside of therapy STRICT CONFINEMENT is MANDATORY.
It is extremely important to follow this protocol as closely as possible to ensure proper recovery. Any form of rambunctious activity is PROHIBITED during this critical recovery period.
I'm not telling you what to do, she's not my dog, and I'm glad she is doing so well. It just brings back the feelings of how paranoid I was post-op that I would fail to properly control Jezebel and then find that she had jumped on the sofa or would run, even for a short distance, and then mess things up and have to go back into surgery. |
Now you're going to make me paranoid too! Somewhere in the document I linked, it says that the dog can be out of the crate if she is under supervision. Bella does have supervision during the day by Walter, who really is a good daddy despite the unfortunate couch-jumping incident to which someone replied, "Note to self, attach one end of leash to Walter and the other end of leash to Bella." Bella is crated at night in her carrier (which sits on the nightstand) to keep her from doing crazy stunts like running around the house and jumping on and off the bed. I don't allow her to run outdoors, and her indoor runs are very short distances on carpet, usually from one room to another. Her trots to the food bowl are generally well-controlled, using all four legs. I'm especially careful to keep her from running on the kitchen floor, which is vinyl, and where she could slip and injure herself. I've been known to walk on my hands and knees with her when I need to get her frozen peas out of the refrigerator. Bella had no access to stairs for the first two weeks. After her stitches were out, I asked the vet about stairs, and he said that stairs were fine so long as she is not flying up and down them and skipping steps, and she isn't--she takes them one at a time. And she gets better and better at steps every day. I think that each dog is different, and the rehab document that I linked to is trying to present the most cautious approach.
I really need to be more conscientious about physical therapy though. I've been doing a pretty good job, but she hasn't been getting the recommended outdoor walks on cold or rainy days. I do walk her inside the house, but it's not the same, because there's only so many laps I can take around the kitchen/living room/dining room before I get bored and stop
. Today is a beautiful day though, and I'm looking forward to taking her on a walk and doing some figure eights. It's almost been 5 weeks since surgery...