Thursday, March 12, 2009

A Quiet House


The house seems very still and quiet today. I had to take Becker in for leg surgery this morning and it feels like there is a missing piece here at home.

About 2 months ago he developed a limp in his right hind leg. We took him to the vet. They x-rayed his hips and generally checked him out, said he'd strained something and to keep him quiet. (Yeah, right.) So we did our best and his limp disappeared.

Then about a month ago the limp reappeared. This time dosing him with Rimadyl didn't help. We took him back to the vet, who diagnosed a torn cruciate ligament - the canine equivalent of a torn ACL in a human. Surgery was recommended, so off we went to the only veterinary surgeon in Wichita for a consultation.

There were a couple options, but the surgeon recommended a TPLO - tibial plateau leveling off, or something similar. It involves cutting part of the tibial head off and realigning it to transfer the forces from a forward and angular motion to an almost vertical motion when he uses his leg. By changing the pattern of force motion, it reduces stress on the knee joint and allows the tendon to heal...I think. Without surgery, the vets all said he'd be lame for the rest of his life.

So he's in having surgery. We'll have to keep him quiet for at least 8 weeks. (Ouch.) He's not supposed to climb flights of stairs during that time, meaning that he won't be able to sleep by our bed...which he won't understand. (After all, that's where the pack sleeps!)

I miss him. I'm worried about him. I'm nervous about keeping him appropriately quiet during his recovery. This, too, shall pass...but, oh, I wish I didn't have to put him through it!

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