Quote:
Originally Posted by TNR  Thank y'all so much for the words of encouragement! Sas had her surgery on Oct 31 and has been recovering well. The first couple days were scary for me because she was so out of it. I slept downstairs with her on a pallet at first, then basically turned the pallet into a "couch" on the floor for us so she won't jump on and off the actual couch. I've been sitting on our floor couch with her since the surgery (I hope she realizes how much I love her haha). |
OMG I know just what you mean. Anxiety to the max at first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyjane That is great she is doing well. I think exercise should be more limited, but you need to speak with the surgeon about that! My surgeon did not allow "exercise" for at least 8 weeks.
They do lift their legs for a time after, so I would not worry too much unless it increases. |
+1
I can tell you what our experience was and what my surgeon recommended, but you definitely need to be going by the instructions that YOUR surgeon gave to you.
Compared to you at one month out, I had Jezebel more restricted, per the instructions of her surgeon. No walking except for potty breaks (during the first two weeks) and then from week 2-8 rehab walks were added, but confined at all other times.
We are lucky -- we could arrange our schedules so that she was never alone. She doesn't care for an ex-pen or a crate, so she was only in one after the first two weeks if I had to do something, such as cook dinner or go to the bathroom, where I could not give her the required attention to control her. When I could, she was out of the ex-pen but still totally restricted and tethered to me or the leg of a piece of furniture. So she didn't feel confined but was definitely controlled and restricted.
As far as rehab is concerned, after her stitches were out at two weeks, we were instructed to take 2-3 walks per day, starting at 5 minutes each on the first week and then increasing by 5 minutes per walk each week. So week one, 5 minutes 3x per day; week two, 10 minutes 3x per day; week three, 15 minutes 3x per day; etc. She was definitely not using her leg 100% normal during the rehab walks, but got better all the time. I think what it did for her mentally (she's crazy for the outdoors and walks) was incredible and made the times of restriction much more bearable.
After she was released to unrestricted activity at 8 weeks, she was still not at 100%, so don't expect perfection at that point. But you do need to allow them to do things within reason to build the muscles back up. They got built up in the first place by allowing them to do certain activities, and they won't get built up again to where they were previously without letting them to those things again.
I had one many years ago that started carrying her back leg and I took her to the vet. He said it was a torn ligament and to let her rest. He never mentioned surgery. Maybe the technique hadn't been developed, I don't know. Within about 6 months, she was lame. Every time I see Jezebel zoom across the back yard, you have no idea how GREAT that makes me feel, I'm sure she would have been lame by now.
Thread highjack:
I recall a rehab walk we took about 6 weeks after surgery at dusk. I tried to go different routes every day just to keep things interesting. We were walking on a sidewalk next to a main road and then turned to cross the road and walk next to a ditch. This was a very large, deep ditch (~60 feet wide and 30 feet deep) used for flood control and it had a sidewalk next to it for recreational walking, running, etc.
As we started walking next to the ditch I looked down and noticed that there was an animal in the bottom, sitting and staring at a pool of water. It was a cat, staring at the water as if it was hunting and waiting to pounce. At first I thought to myself "wow, that sure is a big cat." Then I realized "OH CRAP. That is a bobcat!"
We got the heck out of there and needless to say we never went that route again. Thankfully Jezebel never saw it and barked, because we are NO match for a bobcat.