Roxy - LP Surgery - UPDATE

[Connie]

I'm so glad there was an update before I went to bed! Yay...little Roxy's done with her surgery and on the mend! Bless her little heart! Now I hope and pray TJ doesn't end up needing surgery too!!! I hope Roxy's recovery is quick and complete!!! Big hugs to you...all of you!!! Maddie sends get well kisses!!! Keep us updated!

[yorkiemalt]

I'm so glad to hear that everything went well. You must have felt such relief after the Dr. called...

You're so RIGHT - Friday will be soon enough to pick her up. The recovery is long but you'll be amazed at how quickly it will go! The reward will be watching Roxy walk without any limp or pain.

This was an Orthopaedic Surgeon who did the surgery or your regular Vet? Hope you don't mind my asking....

Ask about a glucosamine supplement for her and it wouldn't hurt TJ either! They say it aids in the healing process especially with the ligaments and tendons. I didn't start Chan until the end of the first recovery period and this time he's been on it the whole time.

Rest well and get ready for her homecoming - Nurse TLC....

[TLC]

The Doctor said Roxy is doing well today. But she does need to stay again tonight (good!) The Doctor will call me tomorrow and we will go from there!

I can visit, if I'd like (of course, I'd love to see her), but I think it is best that I do not go. I really do not want to get Roxy excited and then stressed when I have to leave.

In my mind, I keep seeing the silly things she does at home and I can even hear her barking for me...

I will be so happy to hold her again. It truly is amazing how much love we can have for these little ones. I feel like they are my children and I would do anything for them, I really do live for them

[TLC]

Yorkiemalt:
Roxy is at The Center for Specialized Vet. Care (Westbury, New York)
Dr. Hinton, DVM is the Director of Surgery, Small Animal Surgery. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Veterinary Surgery.

I hope that answers your question?

[yorkiemalt]

TLC,

I'm glad you mentioned that you can almost see and hear her even when she's not there - OMG, that's too funny - I did the same thing except got really upset because I feel like a "loon"! lol

I think you made the right choice with not visiting. There is no sense letting her think you're there to take her home and then turning around and having to leave. She'll rest better without any excitement.

And yes, you did answer my question about her surgeon. I see too many people going to their regular Vets for such a specialized surgery - scares the hell out of me! Don't get me wrong, I adore and trust my Vet completely but he does not do enough of these surgeries on a daily basis as an Orthopaedic Surgeon does. I want experience to be a key factor in such a surgery - I remember asking Chan's surgeon's office "How many knees he did a month?". I'll never forget she hesitated and I thought, Oh No! - but quickly came back and said "Can I tell you how many a week?" To say the least, he does MANY and has been doing them for over 20 years. JMHO, but makes me feel a whole lot better.

Rest well, don't forget the scarves and please let me know how she's doing....you'll both be on my mind!

Oh, here comes the "Cheering Section" - Chan is 6 weeks post-op today and doing wonderful! I had forgotten from the first knee in April till now how quickly they start to improve after like week 5. It's almost a daily improvement and very comforting to see......there is an end in sight!

Hugs to you both....

Kim

[Connie]

Thanks for the update, Nicole! Dear little Roxy! I will be so glad to hear when she's back with you! I also think you made the right choice in not going there. It would be hard to stay away, but harder to leave once there. Hugs to you! I hope you are feeling a lot better now! Thinking of you!!! Is TJ still doing okay???

[TLC]

OMG!!! I realy nervous!!!

The hospital called, Roxy is doing good and I can take her home as long as I feel like I can take care of her, b/c sheis NOT getting up and walking on her own. I must help her get up to go potty, eat and drink...

I am so scared. They said every dog is different. I asked them this: If I take her home and in a couple of days she is not making enough progress do I bring her back? They said yes, that I can call the Doctor and express my concerns and then go from there. I told them I will call them back b/c I have to talk to my husband. Troy says to bring her home, b/c she is probably scared and that she might start to do better at home with Mommy, Daddy and TJ. I am waiting now for the Hospital to call me back so I can arrange what time to go and get her.

Also, TJ has NOT POOPED yet. The last time he went was around 8pm Tuesday night. I tried a little pumpkin (he wouldn't eat it, so he really only had a SMALL amount). I called his regular Vet for advise. I have to try more pumpkin tonight, and maybe when he sees Roxy he will go. IF NOT, I have a 10:30 am appt. tomorrow for an ENIMA!!!! OMG - MY POOR BABIES!!!!

I'll write back soon!

P.S. ANY THOUGHTS!!! Words of Wisdom?????

[yorkiemalt]

I have many Words of Wisdom - lol ! Just don't know where to begin....

If you don't feel comfortable bringing her home and are worried about her care - then don't! It's not easy....she cannot walk without help, she cannot be out of her crate and between the icing and medications the first 2 weeks are crazy.

Do you plan on being home 24-7?

Why don't you do this - go visit - let them explain all her care directions (I received 8 pages of them!). Have them show you how you'll have to walk her and go from there.

Also ask if she stays in the hospital will she receive IV pain meds as opposed to what they'll send you home with!

Hope that helps a little....

[TLC]

Still waiting for them to call me back.

Yorkiemalt, now I am terrified. My plan was to bring her home today and be with her 24-7 until Tuesday morning when I was going to bring her to my girlfriends house who lives 5 mins. from my work, b/c I have to go back to work. I was going to get a webcam and set it up at home b/c starting Wednesday she will be home b/c I have to go to work. I was going to set her up in a spare room (alone) with the wee-wee pads, beds, food and water and just watch her from work. That would be starting 1 week from her surgery. Do you think that is NO GOOD??? Can she not be alone starting next Wednesday. I can probably go home at lunch to check on her. The problem is that is takes 45 mins. to get home and then 45 mins. to get back. So I could probably only stay at home for 30 mins.

What should I do???

[yorkiemalt]

Don't panic.....hope I haven't done that to you! Sometimes too much information is a bad thing - I just didn't want you to be "in the dark" like I was.

I would play it by ear, I'm sure going back to work Tuesday will be OK.

What I, jmho, think wouldn't be OK is a whole room to herself. Any type of quick movement, jumping will undo everything that has been done. At least that is how it was explained to me!

My choice was crate, crate or crate. Unfortunately, Chan goes NUTS in a crate and hence the x-pen worked well for him. I made it small enough so he could only stand up and turn around. Of course he could see out of it and that comforted him somewhat.

Do you have an x-pen? Know anyone who does? I got it on the way to pick him up - here in northern NJ there's a place called JB Pet Supply....only paid $50 for it.

Wish I was done with it, I'd drive it out to LI for you....

**Write down ALL your questions and ASK when you go to get her! Even if you think it's a stupid question, ASK!!

[TLC]

Yes I do have an X-pen. I can set that up very small in her room. I think she would go INSANE zipped in the crate (she has in the past - she has HIGH ANXIETY - I think the crate would do MORE HARM. But I can make an area with the x-pen very small. The x-pen I have is the tall plastic play-yard. I can probaly use just 3 or 4 panels to enclose her. Oh I just hope that she would be able to get up slightly to potty and drink next week while I am at work. OMG I guess I really had no idea!!! The only thing I had to go by was someone here at work just had it down to his dog (she is approx. 20lbs.) He had his general Vet do the surgery. It was done on Monday and he picked her up on a Friday. He said she was ok by then. He tried to crate his dog and he has a webcam here at work, she was going NUTS. And he tried to keep that cone on her too, but the dog was seriously going hurt herself. So her kept her in the kitchen but she found a way out. He raced home and put her in the bathroom, and when he got home, the bathroom was DESTROYED!!! So he put her back in the kitchen, but this time made sure she couldn't get out. I think by week 3 he let her out b/c she started to go NUTS again. he made pillow stairs, b/c all she wanted to do was just lye on the couch. He is also going on week 6, like you, but feels it is going to be another month of recovery.
This is killing me. I feel like the first day I went to go pick them up. I was terrified that b/c they were so little that I wasn't going to know what to do.

I am going to call the hospital again.

[TLC]

Kim, How long was Chan in the Hospital before you took him home?

Also, I just realized you are from northern NJ...I was born and lived until I went away to College in Rockaway NJ. My parents moved to AZ last year. My 2 brothers and stepfather are still in NJ now. My parents have a business that my stepdad has to stick around to sell before he heads out to AZ!

[yorkiemalt]

TLC,

Chan was only in the hospital 24 hours after the surgery....but remember he only had 1 leg done at a time.

You'll do just fine - ask all your questions, make sure you understand everything and go from there.

The pen sounds fine - I was told the "horror" stories of the dogs that jumped, ran and then had to go back and have the surgery done again......scared the hell out of me.

I also am "a direction follower"! Another word for it is - ANAL - lol!

As far the the co-worker's dog - there are different degrees of which the surgery is done. I could tell you a story about my Vet's receptionist who just had her Pom's knee redone because she thought keeping the dog contained meant tying it to a doorknob! I wasn't willing to take the chance of anything going wrong and STILL do not allow him freedom. It's just not worth it....

Oh, I checked the website from your Surgeon. WOW - quite impressive! Her credentials are outstanding and the hospital itself looks "state of the art"! I don't know about you, but that's comforting to me....I wanna know the BEST surgeon fixed my dog.

Rockaway is 30 minutes away from me...I love the Rockaway mall! Small world isn't it?

Keep me posted.....and yes I, too, was nervous picking him up! Wish I could post pictures on here, I'd show you the incision so you're prepared and the "shave job"! NOT BAD - don't worry!

Kim

[TLC]

Kim, THANKS I feel better.

The hospital still hasn't called me back. I am going to call by 1 pm if they do not call me first.

YES about the Dr. and the Hospital...I do think I did choose the RIGHT PLACE and PERSON!

My house was 5 min. from the Rockaway Mall. My family had a business there. Timepiece Jewelers (it was downstairs next to Lord and Taylors). Now the whole family moved to AZ. Yes SMALL WORLD!

[yorkiemalt]

TLC,

I just pm'ed you....my first one ever! Sure hope it went through....

Kim