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Deep Thoughts by Chase

1 week & 2 days post-op

After escaping from the crate 3 times and whining all night on Wednesday keeping momma up they finally decided to let me out of the kennel at night and during the day when they are home and able to supervise me. They took the king size bed completely apart and just have the mattress laying on the floor. That way I can sleep with them at night and lay on the bed during the day when they're with me. It's a lot better for everyone- momma didn't even think of it- momma's co-worker suggested it and I'm glad that she did. Now I'm only locked up when they are at work our busy around the house. I still have to be tranquilized during the day when they are at work- but the vet says that it won't have any long term effects on me. I got to see the vet yesterday and he checked my knee a week early because momma noticed that I was limping worse. Doc said that I probably just used it too much and it was probably more sore but the screws and the plate still seem to be in the right place, so that's good. The incision is healing so quickly-it looks healed already- and I only had one little bruise. So far I'm doing better and enjoying the extra treats and good cookin' (wet food)!

Day 5 post-op

I'm in day 5 of post-op lockdown after having TPLO knee surgery and have already escaped from my crate twice and ran up the stairs! Momma was not happy. And today I managed to get my head stuck trying to escape from the crate- luckily mom found me. The crates have been reinforced and mom is going to buy some rescue remedy online tomorrow- it's supposed to lessen the separation anxiety. Oh, and I also ate the plastic piece that holds my water dish onto the side of the crate. I'm giving momma and poppa a hard time right now, but they feel that the surgery will be worth all of the hassle and money in the long run. I started putting weight on the leg on Sunday - 3 days after surgery. And my suture looks great- no more leaking. Poppa even let me out of the crate for a little while today and I got to lay next to him on the bed.

TPLO Knee surgery

On Thursday I went to the vet and they did TPLO knee surgery on my knee. One of the ligaments in my knee was torn and when that happens they cannot fix the torn ligament so surgery to change the structure of the knee is one of the only options. The TPLO knee surgery is expensive, but it should last a long time and hopefully once I am all healed up there won't be anymore problems. The hardest part now is staying locked in a crate all day while it is healing. When they do the surgery, they cut off the top of the femur leg bone and reposition it and put it back together with a steel plate and pins. Now I will need to rest for a few months without any running, jumping or playing with my brothers. I know that it's necessary but I still don't like to be cooped up. At least I'm getting extra treats that I don't have to share w/ my brothers! Today is day three post-op and I'm doing well- I'm not in much pain (I'm taking pain medications) and I've started putting a little bit of weight on the foot when I go outside to go to the bathroom. I'll post pictures of my incision in case anyone is interested. The incision is big - like 8 in long, but not that bad and it's on the inside of the leg so no one will even notice it once it's healed up. Hopefully I'll be back on my feet again and back to my normal self in a few more months.