A Dubious Anniversary

One year ago today...Halloween...Ivy suffered her first CCL rupture. We were on vacation in the mountains of southwest VA for what was supposed to be a hiking vacation on the New River Trail. About five minutes after we arrived, Ivy came back to us on three legs. This has been a challenging year for her but one thing is certain: Ivy is on the way back!!

Staples Out!

Ivy took a road trip to VA Beach to have her staples removed. It is now 18 days post op. She was so excited to be getting out and going for a ride!! The bottom suture line is a bit inflamed. Dr Stallings thinks maybe she can reach it and licking it a bit with the BiteNot collar, but we are skeptical. In any event, she has about 5 more days of wearing the collar, we hope. He says she is where she should be at this point in the recovery. He wants us to continue using the sling for control when we are walking her outside. She is so exuberant!!Her next visit with him is in 4 more weeks for 6 week x-rays and evaluation. Good girl, Ivy!!!

On the Road to Recovery

Twelve days post op and Ivy is on the road to recovery. She takes 4 potty breaks a day and it usually takes two of us to maneuver as she uses a sling for her back legs. The weather in Virginia has been delightful; cool crisp mornings and evenings and mild afternoons. Ivy loves her time outside, as always, and tolerates the sling well. We still have her wearing the E Collar when she is unsupervised, but she does well with that also. What a good dog!!!

E Collar Alert!

We have had to use the E collar a lot more as we did catch Ivy licking at her staples which is a big NONO!! She does well with it, however. We now have her sleeping with it on in the X pen all night. She wakes us promptly at 7:30am for a walk and breakfast.

One Week Post Op TPLO #2

It's been a week since the second surgery and Ivy is progressing nicely. We are walking her over to her "field" on the condo property where she likes to do her business. The bitenot collar has been on occasionally, just in case we have to leave her unsupervised during the next two weeks. Her vet wanted it on 24/7, but it is just not going to happen. She is not paying much attention to her staples anyway and never touched them after the first TPLO either. She has been enjoying some sunny days on the balcony and getting really good at napping! And so have we!