Sophie trots off with the radiologist as if he's her best friend. Her tail is doing its over wound metronome trick. So much for worrying about her being nervous. We assume she's going to have a mild anesthetic but she doesn't. '' If only all my patients were as good as she is ". This is, to put it mildly, a surprising take on Sophie's personality. Within two minutes of her return we're looking at the x-rays on a screen.
Sophie is booked in for knee surgery on Tuesday week. The first slot of the day. Ten days seems a long time to wait but the specialists operating schedule is full until then. She will need to spend a night in the hospital recovering and will be allowed home the next day.
The surgeon says we will need to keep her as immobile as possible for two months to enable the pin to take. We rearrange travel plans through to the end of the year. Flights and hotels are cancelled. The thought of keeping perpetual motion Sophie 'calm' and away from her brother for so long would seem to be a near impossible challenge. She will be a 'feisty' patient. After the 'operation' she was supposed to be kept in overnight but she made so much noise the night staff phoned and asked if we could come and collect her.
24 comments:
Are you sure the surgery is needed? I didn't see any comment in your blog indicating Sophie has a problem with her knee. If it's just a clicking sound and torn meniscus, the surgery may not be needed unless other symptoms are present. Obviously I don't know what's the problem, but I'm just surprised to hear about the surgery without hearing of any issues regarding Sophie's ability to walk.
I'm so relieved it's something that can be fixed relatively easily, although of course there will be some drama to get through before she is back on her morning rounds with you. Your stories about Sophie always remind me so much of our Cherry, and your stories about Bob always make me wonder whether my son is right and we should have taken her brother as well (only a theoretical possibility, as I believe he had been spoken before even before we met Cherry as a tiny pup). We had read that it is the boy dogs that are most dominant and stubborn, but I really wonder . . .
Best wishes for a good ten days and then a speedy recovery!
Oh my...poor Sophie! These routine ops never seem so routine when it's when of your own flock. Bless her cotton socks...
Hope the operation will be a success and Sophie doesn't have any discomfort afterwards,but keeping her immobile for at least two months will be a daunting task. Especially if there is an oafish brother to chase and numerous games of Throw the Furry Fox that will have to be missed...
It does seem that Bob is better adapted to immobility.
Good luck to the whole household!
It is going to be a long two months...
Oh poor girl. How to keep a PON calm? That's a head scratcher. Wishing her a very speedy recovery and lots of yoghurt pots xx
Thank God it's not cancer. A smaller space and light tranquilizers helped an associate's English Springer deal more effectively with the necessary confinement and activity limitation. However, some animals have a paradoxical reaction to medication. You'll have your hands full. .
Perhaps sequential visits from elderly guests that would enjoy spending their day talking to Sophie and lavishing her with attention might help.
Light tranquilizers for Sophie and heavy ones for us.
Sophie has been on my mind ever since your post on Thursday. As Kari says, thank goodness it's not cancer.
Does this mean that she'll have to be carried up and down the stairs (of which you seem to have quite a few) every time she has to go out? And the same goes for the grooming table. We all have some interesting posts to look forward to.
I'm so happy that this is treatable, but to you and The Font my heartfelt wish of patience and stamina. I'll bet we get some wonderful blog posts! ��
The next two months will be "interesting" for sure, BUT we are all thankful that surgery will help Sophie. Bob might need some heavy duty Power walks with "the Font" to help burn some energy. I do think Bob will sense something is different for the first few days (hopefully weeks) and play less aggressively with his sis. (Fingers and paws crossed)
Speedy recovery, sweet girl!
What is the diagnosis warranting the surgery? Can only imagine the challenges of immobiliing an energetic PON diva!!!. Lots of wine for the caretakers for sure. xxxx
I'm glad it's fixable. Buy her lots of toys to keep her occupied. My prayers are with you all.
Sorry to hear about the surgery, but this is the type of injury that only gets worse with time. The sooner you start, the sooner Sophie is up and back to her old self.
Medication will be your best friend - particularly in that first week. Confinement in an area with minimal stairs, but where the living in the house takes place will be a help for Sophie. Since our Sofie's obsession is squirrels and we needed something to keep her brain active. We set up chairs around the yard, grabbed a book, and with Sofie on a tight leash, she was able to enjoy the outdoors. Best of luck redecorating for Sophie's recovery period!
Is it her ACL? Our Brittany had to have her's operated on and we had to deal with a couple of months of her restricted activity. We confined her ta a gated small space and had to hand walk her several times a day per dr's instructions. It was difficult but doable and we got through it. You and Sophie will too!
Here is a helpful reading: http://familypet.com/dog-acl-knee-meniscus-tear-surgery-recovery/
Get well soon, sweet girl, she will know when it hurts and might not be as active.
If anyone can get Sophie through this it's 2 experienced dog lovers like you are! The darling diva will suck up that extra nurturing like a love sponge.
We had a golden that had 2 hip replacements. We had a couple of corner spaces that we padded with quilts and sectioned off; kitchen, family room and bedroom plus an area on the screened porch. Trifold fireplace screens were enough to keep her in her "playpen" area and could be moved from room to room. Nice that she had no idea to knock them over and she could still see all the goings on of family life. A screened porch helped to air her.
We used a leash plus an underbelly sling to support her when we moved her or walked her. The Dr suggested an old soft sheet that you would twirl to make a soft "rope" and put under the belly, so 1 person could walk her, holding the leash in 1 hand and the sling with the other. Worked well and so helpful to support her while she squatted.
You are all in my prayers, tho I think I'm most worried about Bob, " the Protector of the Sister", and "Oaf in Chief". I think he'll catch on very quickly and be your biggest helper :-) Pam in NH
How does this sort of injury happen -- is it just from over-exertion?
Poor Sophie.
Poor you.
Telling myself I'm not really a bad person for thinking this will make fascinating reading. :-)
This may change her opinion of the Vet. The thought of trying to keep her quiet for TWO months.....
The idea of keeping Sophie largely immobile for two months does sort of boggle the mind, doesn't it? But we're very thankful it was not an even more serious issue.
We're on our first full day of "recovery and confinement" with Max - I've a feeling we will BOTH need a vacation or a 12 step program by the time Sophie and Max are given the all clear!
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