Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Update


The patient is home by eleven. She is completely silent on the journey back but insists on sitting up all the way.

What a bandage !


Half an hour spent with the surgeon and the vet. This first operation turned out to be more complex than thought. There are signs that two vertebrae have been chipped and some spinal damage caused. This may lead to arthritis in the back legs . Her weight needs to come 3 kilos to 20 kilos. Back to the hospital for X-rays in 2 weeks. If this operation shows signs of succeeding then the second leg may be done in early November. Both vets comment on the fact that Sophie ate a healthy dinner and let the night staff know that she wasn't used to spending her evenings with two recuperating cats, a tortoise and a grey shaggy mutt called Thibault.


The brackets holding the bone together are substantial.


Bob keeps a careful eye on her but is wise enough not to get too close.




39 comments:

10NISNE1 said...

Wow! That's quite the bandage!

Anonymous said...

Heavens, all that metal; is that permanent? And despite all this she is still a Diva. I think that's a good sign.

Angus said...

If noise is a good sign then she's on the road to recovery.

Angus said...

Something of a surprise.

Beau and Mom said...

Thanks for the update! I bet she's thrilled to be home and Bob is doing his soft-shoe shuffle.
Those x-rays are pretty impressive. Fingers crossed all goes well and she gets the other operation in Nov.
Keep smiling, things will improve each day. :)

Julie said...

That's an impressive amount of metal work. Next time the PONs go to the airport Bob will be whooshing the doors and Sophie will be setting the metal detectors off!
Get well soon Sophie

Charlotte said...

Thank you for taking the time to give us a update and pictures. Sophie looks real good today.
I will keep praying for Sophie and her family.
I know you feel so relieved that this part is over, wish you didn't have to go through this in November.
Bet Bob is thrilled also that his sister is back with the family.

Taste of France said...

Good to know Sophie is home. Undoubtedly perplexed as to what is going on. Good luck with the recovery.

rottrover said...

Sohpie...you never do anything in a small way! So glad you're home.

Emm said...

Whew. Huge sigh of relief. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about Sophie, probably about the time you were going to fetch her.
Glad the ROF's flock is reunited.

WFT Nobby said...

Sophie, you'll lose 3 kilos when that bandage come off!

Coppa's girl said...

Oh Sophie, you poor darling. That's a pretty impressive bandage, but you must remember that it's not for bashing your oaf of a brother !
Wishing you all a speedy recovery for Sophie - she won't be happy about that diet.

Kathy said...

Welcome home, Sophie!! I bet Bob is relieved his humans found you again!! :)

potty said...

Thank goodness for the Vet. Service and what they can do these days. With that huge bandage she will not have to wear 'The Collar of Shame' as per the movie Up!
Love to you all. xxxx

Virginia said...

Since having a archillies done, our poor (grand-daughter!) Goldie has had to be constantly dieted, and she seems to put on weight just looking at food. But our son has been relentless and she's not had a recurrence of the archiilies problem, which they were warned had a 50% likelihood

Unknown said...

So glad that she has the first operation under her belt (or bandage) and is acting just like Sophie. Should arthritis develop in her back legs, may that be a very long way down the road.

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

So glad to see the Diva right where she should be! Quite the healthy bandage I'd say, but this is a good thing. Please give her a big hug from her adoring fans in the middle of the Canadian prairies. And of course a good head scratch and a cuddle for Bob as well!

Kittypup said...

Bionic Divas are a good thing.......right?
Best wishes to you all.

Swan said...

She looks so happy to be back with you 😊 The question I have now is, will she leave the bandage on?

Bentley said...

Oh my, I hope all goes well now.
Bentley

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

A Robert Jones bandage is basically a cast..... Ideal post op. I'm still confused at the extent of the surgery and the chipped vertebrae.... Must recheck your videos as the plate seems OTT for a crucial element ligament..was the front tibial crest actually fractured as well. What has your diva been up to!

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

Hadn't realised there was so much hardware with the tplo method.... Good article here. http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

Thank you so much for the update on Sophie! It will be interesting to watch the interaction between her and Bob. She will be issuing all type of orders for him. We may be seeing more of him just sitting in the back of the car!

serena said...

Thank so much for the update. Blessings to you, Sweet Sophie!

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Glad she serenaded the staff....just to show they haven't broken her spirit. Speedy recovery...for all your sakes.

Anonymous said...

More good wishes from the Canadian prairies. Our 10 year old Beardie has just started showing signs of arthritis but it seems to be fairly easily managed.Lots of long walks for her before our cold winter sets in! Hugs for both Bob and Sophie.

Christine Bennett Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Molly the Airedale said...

We are sending lots of AireZen and healing vibes, Sophie!

Heda said...

She looks fantastic even with metal inserts and mega bandage. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

VirginiaC said...

So happy that Sophie is back home where she will recuperate with her flock.
She wouldn't be a Diva if she didn't keep the night staff on their toes that's for sure.
Wishing her a speedy recovery filled with lots of worldwide love and affection.
Give her a gentle hug from me and Brownie.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Goodness, how DID she do this? Thankful and amazed at all veterinary science can accomplish these days. All our good wishes for a trouble-free recovery and fingers crossed that the second surgery can be done sooner than later. I know she is happy to be home, and having her there is a relief to all. Wishing you all a good sleep tonight!

Angus said...

The night staff are hard at work !

Angus said...

Sleep ?

Liz Van Buren said...

Gracious! Chipped vertebrae! I wonder if that happened with the secondary back-flip or the original accident. She is just a pistol, that Sophie. Hugs to all - will be anxious for updates. Thanks, Angus!

mhgardendogs said...

Sophie is looking good. However, her best friend and yours for the first two weeks is going to be the doggie valium (or what passes for that). If she can not be settled by that, a call to the vet would be in order for something stronger. Once the healing starts, it is still crucial that her activity is very limited, but in my experience those first two weeks are nerve-wracking!

Yes, we too, also received the lecture about the weight of our dogs as they sent us off after the surgery. Two weeks later with minimal weight lost, another lecture was given. Whew! Since our dogs get kibble, I just found a smaller scoop. It worked like a charm. Ada has gotten her girlish figure back - and we feel no guilt at all.

Heal - Sophie!

Myboyzach said...

Woof, that's some bandage and hardware you got there. Time will seem to drag, but 2 weeks will be here before you know it.
Thanks for the updates. Good luck to ROF!

Dianne said...

So very happy to see an update complete with pictures of Sophie and those impressive x-rays!....much to be grateful for with the great veterinary care available.....just know she will be "holding court" in that courtyard with much loving care to speed recovery....Best wishes to one and all....DBH

Anonymous said...

I know she will get the best of care.

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

HI Angus, re your question on regularity- the article has a section at the end on that - but basically what I was going to advise you is add Metamucil - If a pet does not have a bowel movement on the 5th day of being home, a stool softener such as metamucil can be fed
Dose of metamucil is 1 tsp per 25 Kg mixed in with each meal (canned dog food); feed immediately after mixing, as the metamucil will gel the food and may make it less palatable.. If you can't get Metamucil, it is basically psyllium husks. Ask at a chemist. And I really advise you to ask about an adaptil collar. The pheromone is what the mother produces to calm suckling puppies and create wellbeing. Great for anxiety and might help. It will last a month and be with her day and night, inside and out....

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

To answer your last question, liquid in - liquid out.... They can hang on a long time if they want to... Especially when not getting access to interesting smells. Try using a regular spot that smells right to encourage her and offer chicken broth and maybe very dilute milk, as in clouded water, to encourage drinking. Sigh... Feeling for you all going through this.