Lulu had her LP surgery...

[JDS]

I've been busy & haven't posted for a bit. Lulu had her LP surgery Dec 28th. It went very well & the surgeon said he was very happy with the repair. We are enduring the 6 weeks of crate rest okay. Lulu seems to be recovering very well so crate rest is difficult. She sits with me or my husband quite often so she isn't stuck in her crate 24/7 (surgeon said this was fine). She is already using her leg quite well & the post-op instructions we have is to allow her to use it on a limited basis. Basically, she walks only to potty for right now. After 2 weeks, she can increase the walking a little but still no running, jumping etc. We go back Friday to our regular vet for the stitches to be removed & then we go back in 6 weeks to the surgeon for a post op follow up.

I do have one concern, however. I plan to discuss this with my vet Friday. Lulu weighed 3 lbs 6 oz prior to surgery. She is eating ok now (I am hand feeding her due to the post-op restrictions). So I know she is eating & eating well although I am having to use cheese to intice her to eat as she is used to free feeding & nibbling off and on all day. Her bowel movements are normal and she is drinking water & peeing normally as well. But I weighed her today on my kitchen scale which I know to be accurate (same scale she weighed 3 lbs 6 oz on before surgery) and she was 3 lbs. 1 oz. Is it normal to lose weight during surgery like that? I should also mention that she was spayed about 2.5-3 weeks prior to having her LP surgery & lost no weight during that surgery.

[lil fu fu girl]

Glad that everything went well, and that she is back home. I know that during most surgeries some weight loss is expected, however for Lulu's one I have no experience.
I am just glad that she is allright and at home. Please keep us updated as to her progress. By sharing Lulu's experience with this is surgery you are helping to educate the rest of us ....thanks so much for sharing it.

[JDS]

Thank you. I was very thankful for the ones who shared their experience with LP surgery prior to Lulu's surgery. It helped prepare me & also helped calm some fears. Here is a picture of Lulu the night she came home. She was still bandaged up. The nurse who prepared her to come home said they matched her bandages with her grooming band. I thought that was sweet.

BTW, I can't believe how high up they shaved her! She looks lopsided!

[Buster Brown]

I am glad to hear that Lulu is doing well after her LP surgery. Buster had his on October 28 so he is back to regular activity now. I was hard kepping him quiet as he felt he was back to normal sooner than the Doctor's orders. I ended up crating him on and off as he would get a little to rambunctious. He is squatting frog leg again and doing his early morning stretch where he drags his legs behind so I know he is back to normal again. Buster did not loose weight after the surgery. I am thinking maybe the restriction of food prior to surgery and the meds after may have caused Lulu to eat less and loose a little weight. Hopefully she will gain it back. It is good to keep them lean as the do not need the extra weight on their knees. I am trying to get Buster to loose weight and it is hard. He seems hungry all the time even though I am feeding only slightly less that usual and backing of on his treats, which he is not happy about! Hopefully we can loose more now that we can get back to our walks. Best wishes for a smooth recovery for Lulu.

[Sammy Mommy]

That was sweet of the nurse to match the bandage. I hope Lulu has a speedy recovery. I bet she can't wait to be off crate rest and start playing!!

[boopster]

I'm glad to hear that both surgeries went well.

Did you weigh Lulu under the same circumstances -- such as after eating but before pooping? I would think that a couple of ounces may be due to surgery and a couple due to timing...

You might want to check for dehydration even though she seems to be drinking enough... Try this on yourself first -- very gently pinch the skin on the top of your hand together to form a little tent. If it doesn't go right back to normal after you let go, you probably need more fluid. You can do the same on the loose skin near the middle of the dog's back.

You might also call the vet's office with the question rather than waiting until Friday. My vet has always told me that he would rather I ask questions than let a potential problem go untreated.

[Buster Brown]

Wow I just saw her pretty pink bandage. Buster did not have any bandage when he came home. I was worried at first but the Orthopedic Specialist that did his surgery said it would heal fine without a bandage. They shaved Buster's leg really high. I called it a Moe cut like in the Three Stooges. He also had an epidural so they shaved off a huge square on his back above his tail. The hair is finally growing back in. My groomer did a great job of blending so it is not as obvious as it was before. I went out and got him a longer coat to cover the patch in case he was cold.

[JDS]

Originally Posted by boopster

I'm glad to hear that both surgeries went well.

Did you weigh Lulu under the same circumstances -- such as after eating but before pooping? I would think that a couple of ounces may be due to surgery and a couple due to timing...

You might want to check for dehydration even though she seems to be drinking enough... Try this on yourself first -- very gently pinch the skin on the top of your hand together to form a little tent. If it doesn't go right back to normal after you let go, you probably need more fluid. You can do the same on the loose skin near the middle of the dog's back.

You might also call the vet's office with the question rather than waiting until Friday. My vet has always told me that he would rather I ask questions than let a potential problem go untreated.

Good thinking. I did weigh Lulu after her morning potty this morning. And I can't remember if she had pottied before the earlier weigh in or not, but I know it was later in the day. I checked for dehydration & it seems normal to me. I'm just a paranoid, neurotic mommy. Thanks for the suggestions...I never thought about the timing of the weigh ins.

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Wow I just saw her pretty pink bandage. Buster did not have any bandage when he came home. I was worried at first but the Orthopedic Specialist that did his surgery said it would heal fine without a bandage. They shaved Buster's leg really high. I called it a Moe cut like in the Three Stooges. He also had an epidural so they shaved off a huge square on his back above his tail. The hair is finally growing back in. My groomer did a great job of blending so it is not as obvious as it was before. I went out and got him a longer coat to cover the patch in case he was cold.

The surgeon said the bandage was just to protect the incision while she was at the hospital (she stayed overnight). We took it off the night after she came home. I admit I was very squeamish about taking it off. Thankfully, my dh did it for me.

Lulu just had an IV in her front leg. It's shaved too, but only a small spot. Poor baby looks all chopped up. But she's still beautiful! And I know it will grow back in time.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by JDS

Thank you. I was very thankful for the ones who shared their experience with LP surgery prior to Lulu's surgery. It helped prepare me & also helped calm some fears. Here is a picture of Lulu the night she came home. She was still bandaged up. The nurse who prepared her to come home said they matched her bandages with her grooming band. I thought that was sweet.

BTW, I can't believe how high up they shaved her! She looks lopsided!

Awwwww....she is so cute!

[Patti]

I am glad Lulu is recovering from her surgery. Pixie lost about 5 ounces after her surgery but quickly put it back on. Maybe some of it is from the hair loss. Pixie's surgeon had the tech's shave her leg but left all her long hair so she had a nice comb over and you couldn't really tell unless you lifted up her hair.

[mama2yorkies]

So glad to hear that Lulu's surgery went well.

[JDS]

Lulu went to the vet today to have her stitches removed. Everything is looking good so far. Just 4.5 weeks more of strict crate rest. I can't wait for Lulu to be able to run around and play again.

[viviansnickers]

So wonderful that Lulu's surgery went well. Sorry I didn't see this earlier...we went through this in 2009 Nov with our Snickers and now he is a little speed rocket again. One thing, we did start using Flexicose Glucosamine after about 6 months of trying Dasuquin with no results and Snick refused the Dasuquin tablets. The Flexicose is a liquid and he actually likes it and tolertaes taking it (prob b/c he knows he gets a few strings of shredded cheese after) It has worked wonders...Snick is good as new and I give it all to a successful surgery as well as the Flexicose.

She will be as good as new soon and as soon as that hair grows a little, she will be perfect!!!! XOXOXOOXOX

Smiles-
Snick & Viv