After the really positive post-op chat with the surgeon on Monday we began to gradually increase the distance of Dizzy's walks. On Friday, instead of doing 2 or 3 walks, I decided to take him out once in the afternoon & to head back to his usual walk that he hasn't been on since before the op. It involves a 2 minute uphill stretch and then a short stroll around flat footpaths.
My plan was to turn back as soon I noticed any difficultly or tiredness, but he coped amazingly well and we where out for about 20 minutes. It absolutely exhaust him though & he slept the rest of the day. It was lovely to see him so happy to be out & back in his favourite place!
On Saturday evening, feeling brave, I took him out again for just the one walk but for half an hour with no uphill walking at all. About 15 minutes in, I notice him start to slow down and as we headed back to the car, I could see him struggling. Although obviously not in any pain, he was stiff and favouring his poorly leg a little more than usual.
Today has been strict rest & no walks - only going outside for toilet breaks. He's not even a little bit impressed, he just doesn't want to keep still, but he's really quite lame still. I think it's probably going to be another full day of rest tomorrow, and then short walks on Tuesday. It is SO hard to know what's too much or too little. I'm terrified of getting it wrong and having to go through physiotherapy with him. Fingers crossed for a more positive week this week!
If looks could kill!
Today was Dizzy's two month post-op appointment with the surgeon. I can't believe how quickly it's come around & this morning I was extremely nervous. I've been so worried that he's not as far along the recovery as he should be, that they where going to tell me there was a problem or that we'd done something wrong!
When we arrived we where greeted by the very friendly nurse staff, who where thrilled to see Dizzy again (the feeling was definitely mutual - I've never seen a dog SO excited to be walking into a vets!). Dizzy was popped straight on the scales and we where thrilled to see he had lost almost 2 kgs in weight since the operation. It seems all our worrying about treats has paid off!**
The surgeon then had a short chat with us, to find out if we had any concerns or if there had been any setbacks, before taking us outside to watch Dizzy do laps of the car park. Straight away he noticed that his first steps out of the building are a sort of three legged hop/skip motion before he settles in to a normal pace using all four legs. That is not unusual for this stage of recovery so nothing to really worry about, but we would expect that to disappear in the coming weeks.
The next two months will be a slow process of rebuilding the muscle in that poorly leg & doing everything we can to make sure we don't need to start physiotherapy in June! There is still to be no off lead running and all time outside, including toilet breaks, are on lead only as it is natural for him to carry his poorly leg during fast movement, meaning he will continue to be lame on that leg. The best way to increase muscle mass is regular on lead walks up gentle inclines or in long grass (to encourage him to pick his feet up higher, therefore using the leg more). Paddling in shallow water has the same effect as long grass, so is great too (although no swimming at all - not problem for our water hating pooch!).
The surgeon explained to us that some dogs recover well & very quickly from this type of surgery and some dogs slower, with more setbacks and issues. Our boy is slap bang in the middle of that line, which is fab news. The next two months are just as crucial as the last two though. We go back for another assessment in June at which point the surgeon hopes to be able to discharge us from his care. The alternative outcome is a referral for physiotherapy if the leg isn't as it should be.
For the past weeks since the operation, we have been very gradually increasing exercise until we got up to two 20 minute on lead walks a day. We'll now start going further afield, with an extending lead & hopefully his skinny chicken leg will start bulking up!!
**NB. I highly recommend Pets at Home brand Wainwrights. The low fat version for overweight or under active dogs is perfect for post-op dogs to manage their weight while exercise is minimal.
