:thumbup::thumbup: Indeed it does. I did not even think of that.

I was thinking about that too and I was told recently to give metacam with food to help prevent that.

Oh, sorry Bella threw up but all she's been through, the stress, the ongoing pain, the lifestyle changes, any diet changes and her Rx prob. conspired to upset her tummy. A terrier takes everything so personally and internalizes it all!

I hope she's doing better by now but if not, some nausea medication might help per the vet and know your real challenge ahead is going to be keeping a Yorkshire Terrier from overdoing! Can't say I envy you that job. Oh my! Have you tried one of Ladyjane's strollers to keep her nearby but relatively in enforced inactivity for period of time. I used to just sit with mine in my lap for hours on end but a terrier tires of that soon enough. Here's hoping Bella will accommodate to her new circumstances sooner rather than later, poor baby. Bella, feel better soon, little one!

Thanks for the tips! Bella ate a half cup of her food so far today and has shown no more signs of nausea or wanting to throw up. She's still not drinking as much as I'd like her to, but she's showing no signs of dehydration. She turned up her nose at Pedialyte, but when I dropped in a couple of ice cubes, she took a few laps of that. I'm going to take her out of her crate and give her some broth water soon. I have a stroller, but knowing her, she will be just as impatient as she is in her x-pen. The weather is supposed to warm up soon though, and I plan to take her outdoors in the stroller then. Bella is definitely not a lap dog--that doesn't mean that she doesn't like laps, though. She loves to use them as launching pads for getting on and off the couch, which is a no-no. She's already snuck onto the couch a couple of times during the past couple of days, the little scamp.

Okay, it's broth time!

Thanks for the tip about the possible side effect of Metacam. If it continues, I'll ask the vet about getting something for nausea, but so far today, she's feeling better. How is Kiko recovering from her surgery? Is she using her leg yet? Bella will stand on her leg and walk slowly with her leg, but she still runs on three legs.

Bella drank a quarter cup of broth water a few minutes ago. We're getting ready to settle in to watch "Project Runway."

You poor thing! You have your hands full with a little go-getter having to be restrained for her own good 24/7. Maybe she will let you hold something for her to chew for a while at times to buy her some down time. I also read stories to Tibbe and he will just lie there and cock his head to one side and the other and - listen. I swear he does! He'll lie for the longest time if I am just quietly telling him stories or talking to him. Just try talking to her and see if she will lie and listen - tell her bedtime stories or anything you can think of to engage her for a time. I learned this about him when he had pneumonia and had to rest and was itching badly and wild from his medication and I had to quieten him and keep him quiet. I just began reading old bedtime stories to him and it worked for the longest times! Nothing to lose if it doesn't work and it might keep your Bella listening and quiet for a while like it did Tibbe. Just never tell your friends that you did that! ;)

I feel so for all of you having to go through this - you will all be utterly exhausted if she's not going to accept lying or sitting quietly in her crate for prolonged periods of time. Maybe she'd do better after a while if you both just leave the house for a while and watch her on the netcam and be sure she's remaining quiet in the crate. Most dogs will quieten down and sleep while their owners are away but are "on" a great deal of the time when we're home and right there to do their bidding - I know - I have one who excels at it!

I'm so glad she's no longer vomiting and hope that she keeps on doing well physically and the time will fly and she'll get her discharge for some activities before too much longer. I sure wish I could offer more help!!!

Pstinard, thanks for asking about Kiko. She's doing well. She had stitches removed on Wednesday. I had to put the cone back on her though because she is lickin/biting at the last tiny spots that are scabbed/crusted. She was putting her foot down before she left the hospital (she had to stay 2 nights). Evenings and nights are the worst. It is hard to keep her "calm and quiet" per the vet's instructions when everyone is getting home from school/work and dinner is cooking. She is having a hard time adjusting to being confined and wearing a cone at night.
I have used the stroller to keep her right next to me and also to take her out to get some fresh air and mental stimulation.
As of Wed. she is allowed to go for a walk (slowly) for 5 min. She hasn't had any pain meds since Monday. The bruising is gone and the swelling is almost gone. She is using her leg pretty well now, not back to normal, but a little better than before surgery. She goes back for a progress check mid April.
Sorry if this was all over the place; I'm a little sleep deprived.
Good luck keeping Bella from over doing. It sounds like she is recovering quickly.

That is so sweet, Jeanie, telling stories to Tibbe! Unfortunately, Bella is too easily distracted by the cat, Walter, street sounds, you name it. She pays less attention to me than practically anything else! But I did hold the nylabone for her, and she spent about 15 minutes chewing on it. Then she brought over her rope bone, and I joked that she wanted to floss after brushing, LOL!

I took Bella's hard plastic E-collar off and put on the inflatable E-collar this evening, and she hasn't tried to lick her incision yet after two hours with it on. If this continues, I'll let her sleep in it. After running around the living room all evening, she's resting quietly in her crate.

Tomorrow will be the halfway point before stitches are removed! Then it will be just one more week. I hope and pray that her other (good) leg stays healthy and doesn't need surgery. The way she's been using it, I'm fairly hopeful.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! Kiko putting her foot down before leaving the hospital is quite an accomplishment! I agree, evenings are the worst--that's when Bella is most wound up. We've had fairly peaceful nights though, because that's what Bella is used to.

Bella doesn't have any bruising or swelling except where the IV went in on her front leg. The stitches on her incision make her leg look a little Frankenstein-like, but there's no obvious swelling or bruising there, thank goodness! There's also a little razor burn from the leg shaving, poor thing!

I'm glad that Kiko's leg is continuing to improve. I'm concerned about Bella, but one week after surgery is way too early to tell what the final results will be.

Bella had a good night. She slept well, and no vomiting. This morning, she ate 1/4 cup of food after her Metacam, and drank 1/4 cup of her regular water with no prompting! She slept in her inflatable E-collar with no incision licking. This is the start of a good day!

Yay! :)

:cheer::cheer::cheer:

This is such a hard time for everyone. When Zoey had her surgery for Legg-Parthes it took so long for rehab. She started walking for 10 mins everyday adding one minute each day until we reached 30 mins. We had to walk slowly so she would put weight on all fours. Rehab took over three months with other exercises added to the daily walks. Glad that is behind us.
Wishing Bella a speedy recovery.

Thanks! I'll be getting info on rehabilitation exercises after Bella's stitches come out next Friday. I know what you mean about slow walking to get the dog to put the leg down. So far, Bella puts the leg down only when she is standing still or walking very slowly.

Bella update.
 

Bella has only four more days to go before she gets her stitches removed from her surgical incision! She seems to be healing nicely. She sleeps well at night, and is eating and drinking normally. I haven't had to give her chicken broth for a couple of days. Her leg is still up most of the time except when she is standing or walking slowly, but she seems to be in no pain or discomfort. She wears the hard plastic E-collar most of the time because she still wants to lick the stitches, but we put the inflatable collar on her sometimes if she is under close supervision. Now that we've blocked off the stairs, she is not sneaking up the stairs any more. She is also getting the message that she is not supposed to jump on and off the couch any more. Can't wait till Friday when the stitches come off!

Gracie's surgery
 

My Gracie had her surgery a week ago last Friday. She has hardly needed crating at all, probably because she has not felt much like doing anything. The vet said she could go out to potty on a leash and we carry her out for that. The last couple of days though, she tries to shoot through our legs to get outside and chase "her" squirrels. That is a big NO NO...

The first vet I consulted does a lot of surgery on dogs. He told me that we would have to crate her for 6 weeks. Has anyone else heard that?

She is feeling a lot better. I think the other knee will have to be done, but am not sure I want to put her through that very soon.

Cathie

P.S. Gracie afterthought
 

Gracie came home bandaged and when we went back, the skin began to separate a bit in the incision. This necessitated stapling. She didn't like that at all and even less the Elizabethian collar. I took it off when we got home and put her pajamas on. This worked much better than the collar and she doesn't fool with it... I still have to watch her closely...

Cathie

Gracie had her surgery the exact same day that Bella did. Bella is trained for indoor pottying on pads, so I haven't taken her outside yet, and probably won't take her out except in a stroller since once she's outdoors on a leash, she gets excited and wants to pull, and that would be too stressful for her leg. We were told to crate Bella for two weeks until her stitches come out, unless she is under direct supervision. She will be re-evaluated after her stitches come out, but we expect that she will not have to be crated as much. I've never heard of a dog having to be crated for 6 weeks after MPL surgery, but I would trust the vet because maybe Gracie's situation is different from Bella's.

Bella has mild LP in her other knee, so she may have to have the other leg done some day, but the vet said to wait and see. That would be something that I definitely would not want to put Bella or me through again.

Bella wasn't supposed to be bandaged when we picked her up, but they had to bandage her because there was slight bleeding from her incision. We removed the bandage ourselves later that evening, and Bella was MUCH happier after that. Bella doesn't tolerate clothes, so has to wear the collar, and she's gotten used to it.

Today is the day that stitches come out!
 

In 8 hours, Bella will be getting her stitches out! She's continuing to do well and is using her operated leg more. We took off her cone yesterday and brushed out her facial hair. We couldn't believe how much gunk had accumulated around her eyes and mouth! Can't wait until we can bathe her again! She is eating and drinking well, and she loves her Metacam so much that I don't have to pry open her mouth to squirt it in. I just squirt it on the palm of my hand and she licks it off--it smells like honey. I'll give another update this afternoon after the stitches come out.

So glad she is over the worst part and is well on the road to recovery.

Glad to hear Bella is doing well! Yay!

Yay! Stitches came out today...
 

Gracie's stitiches are out and that couldn't happen soon enough for us. She is such an active dog and it has been hard to keep her from running between our feet to get to the squirrels out back.

As much as I am sure she would like to, I think we will hold off on going to Doggie Day Camp for a few weeks. When she goes there, she comes home exhausted from playing so hard...

Don't know if you all have Doggie Day Camps (at Petsmart in the Dallas area), but they and their pet hotel are a lifesaver for us. I thought I might to have to be hospitalized unexpectedly, and they assured me she would have a place to stay as well as pet buddies to play with while my husband was working.

Yes, we have a doggie door, also a lifesaver, but our lovely little one-girl destruction crew is still a little young to trust alone here in the house.

Cathie

Stitches are out!
 

We just got back from the vet. The vet removed the stitches, and watched Bella walk. He said that Bella's recovery was rapid, and that she was doing better than most dogs do at this stage after MPL surgery. Since she is putting weight on her leg, we do not need to do any additional physical therapy. She was also given the go-ahead to be allowed to walk up and down stairs, providing she takes them one at a time. Bella has the cone off, and she is very happy this evening!

I know you love that vet and think he is better than a boarded surgeon and all. I am simply flabbergasted but then wth do I know? My vet would never operate on just LP on an adult. I have dealt mostly with torn CCLs. Of course one did have LP surgery after the CCL repair, but he was on very lmited exercise for another 8 weeks, but you cannot really compare one to another. I just hope this is ok for Bella. Of course you do say one step at a time..and maybe he knows you well enough to know that you know he means exactly that. I just hope your partner knows it!

Very happy that she is doing well.

If I didn't have a vet who is a very skilled surgeon with 33 years of experience and who is a professor of veterinary medicine who trains and mentors vet students at the University of Illinois, then I'd definitely go with a board certified orthopedic surgeon. This is an exception to the rule due to my location in a Vet College town, so everyone reading this, SEE A BOARD-CERTIFIED SURGEON FOR ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY ON YOUR YORKIE.

Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way, yes, Walter is on board with Bella's rehabilitation, and there will be absolutely no outdoor leash activity (Bella goes crazy and pulls like a demon outdoors), or jumping on and off couches and beds for Bella until she is fully recuperated.

Just checking in on Bella. How is her recovery going?

Hi, thanks for asking! Bella's energy level is back to normal. She is using her operated leg more and more, but it's not nearly back to normal yet. She will use her leg when she's walking or running slowly, but she still picks it up when she is running more quickly. Now that the weather is better, I can take her outside for walks, and she uses her leg then. I can tell from looking at both legs that her operated leg is not as muscular as her good leg, and I'm hoping that improves with time. It's been 4 1/2 weeks since surgery, so it's still early in her rehabilitation. I'm supposed to check back in with the vet at 6 weeks.

Good to hear she is recovering nicely. I guess these things take time, but eventually nothing holds them back.

My little Kayla was thought to have mild LP at 1 year, and things improved and tightened up over time. She just turned 5 and is due for annual checkup and I'm worried because the other day when I was trimming her toenails she pulled away and I heard a pop. She limped slightly for a day.

Wow there sure is a big difference in recovery when fixing LP only and fixing LP + torn CCL. My Jez (had both LP and CCL tear fixed) wasn't allowed to run for 8 weeks and was far more restricted.

Muscle wasting happens so quickly, doesn't it? I found it scary during that time because I knew when she was relying more on the good leg and putting more stress it that the risk was higher that she would injure that one, too.