Bella's MPL (luxating patella) surgery

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by mky

Hi there. Glad your sweet baby is recovering well. My Kiko had surgery for ccl and mpl on March 15th. She was also on meloxicam/metacam. One of its possible side effects is stomach upset, so it is possible that your pup's tummy upset was from that. Hope she is feeling better today.

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

[107barney]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

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.

[yorkietalkjilly]

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!

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

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!

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by mky

Hi there. Glad your sweet baby is recovering well. My Kiko had surgery for ccl and mpl on March 15th. She was also on meloxicam/metacam. One of its possible side effects is stomach upset, so it is possible that your pup's tummy upset was from that. Hope she is feeling better today.

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."

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by pstinard

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!

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!!!

[mky]

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.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

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!!!

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.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by mky

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.

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.

[pstinard]

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!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by pstinard

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!

[mky]

Originally Posted by pstinard

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!

[Cherie6446]

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.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by Cherie6446

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.

[pstinard]

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!