TPLO # 2 Coming Up!!

We have scheduled Ivy's second TPLO surgery for Thursday, October 9th, in Virginia Beach. Dr. Stallings will perform the surgery. We have been acclimating Ivy to the x-pen again and purchased her a new E-Collar, called the "BITENOT," so she will be unable to lick her sutures. She has been generally accepting of this...it is way better than the "lampshade" that the vet wants to sell you.

Second Opinion

We went to see Dr. Pernell in Charleston, SC, who performed Ivy's first TPLO in February. We were on vacation in South Carolina at the time and drove into Charleston to get his opinion. Unfortunately, he believes Ivy's right CCL is torn also, and that she needs a second TPLO. We would love to have the surgery performed by him, but we have no place to stay to rehab her, so we will be doing the surgery in Virginia when we return. I am so very sad for her, but I am holding on to the hope that she will be swimming and running again in 2009!!!

Ortho Vet Visit

We FINALLY had our appointment with Dr. Stallings, an Orthopedic Specialist in Virginia Beach. It went pretty much the way we had figured it would. Dr Stallings checked her drawer sign: positive. Tibial thrust test: positive. Ivy was diagnosed with a CCL rupture in the right leg. He recommended a TPLO, which we agreed to. They sedated her for a series of x-rays. The practice does this digitally, which was very cool. Ivy came out of the x-rays pretty much a drunk dog. She slept all the way home and most of the rest of the day. Of course, she did awaken to eat!
So, we have decided to do the surgery in September, after our beach vacation at Pawleys Island, SC. This gives us an opportunity to perhaps take her back to Dr. Pernell in Charleston for a second opinion and she can have a little, but not too much, fun at the beach!

Vet Visit

We went to see Dr. Klemm, Ivy's regular vet. She really loves this man! He agrees that it is more than likely her other CCL. We have an appointment with Dr. Stallings, an orthopedic specialist on July 25, in Virginia Beach. Ivy saw Dr. Stallings when she ruptured the left knee, but we opted to have the surgery while we were in Charleston, SC. Coincidentally, I have learned that someone in my OrthoDogs group goes to him also, and she recommends him highly. I just wish we didn't have to wait so long to see him. Ivy seems a bit more uncomfortable this time around, so she is taking Deramaxx (nsaid) and Tramadol (pain killer). It's going to a a long 10 days! In the meantime, Ivy is back in jail.

The other knee blows out.....

Ivy was 5 months post TPLO, loving life again. She had been released by Dr Pernell to start getting her normal Lab loving life back. We had been increasing her walks and she had just started short swims. A weekend trip to Blacksburg to visit our daughter, ended that. We had been there maybe 3 minutes when Ivy ran up a hill, yelped in pain, and came up on three legs! We called our vet in Chesapeake to get a referral to a specialist and left the next day. This has been a very long weekend for the three of us. Ivy is miserable and seems to be in more pain than ever. We are miserable, but at least we can drink wine. I have some Tramadol, left from her TPLO in February, so now she is napping peacefully. Just need to get to Monday.
We had been warned that the other knee blowing out was a very real possibility. But, really, very little warning that it was imminent. Earlier in the week, after a short hike and swim, Ivy was pretty sore and I thought that maybe she was limping off the back right leg. But, the next morning she was fine. So, Ivy may be starting over again. Poor girl. Hurry up, Monday.