Week 9

Happy Week 9 to you,
Happy Week 9 to you,
Happy Week 9 dear Maaaaaaaaaeeeeby,
Happy Week 9 to you!

In case you didn't realize, we've reached 9 weeks. =)

I'm so bummed -- I got so busy this past week that I didn't take a Week 8 video!! Darn it. There goes my TPLO video collection.

Maeby is doing well! Her hair has almost completely grown back. Her walking is looking great -- we're doing two 40 minute walks a day now. And that weird knee-rotating thing is like 90% gone! She's still sort of sticking her leg out a bit when she walks, but it's waaaay better than before. I think if you saw her on the street, you'd have no idea she had major surgery. Most people sure are surprised when I tell them!

Thank you God for getting us this far. We're almost there Maeby-meister!

Week 8, Day 5: The Return of the Mall Dog

Alas, I've gone from daily updates to barely doing weekly updates on this blog. You know when you're scrutinizing the TPLO leg less and less that your doggie is starting to do better!!

Los Angeles is a really wacky, but dog friendly place. You can actually bring your dogs to the malls here. And I'm not talking about just outdoor malls. I'm talking about bringing your dog into Bloomies and trying on lipstick while your dog is laying next to your feet at the makeup counter.

So we used to bring Maeby EVERYWHERE with us on the weekends when we first got her. And it's been pretty rotten that we've had to leave her behind on the weekends when we go to the mall, coffee shops, or beach. But this past weekend marked Maeby's triumphant return to the mall! She loves all the attention she gets (and frankly, as a proud mommy so do i!!) so needless to say, she had a great time prancing around, showing of her new bionic leg. Heeeheee, I LOVE HER!!!

Week 8 video to come!

Week 7, Day 4: 100% BONE HEALING!

Maeby had her X-rays taken on Saturday, and we received great news:

100% BONE HEALING.

Yipppppeeeeeee! The vet said her knee is tight, and that she's healing faster than average. I'd been worrying about these x-rays all week long, so needless to say I was SUPER EXCITED to hear this news. We are to keep doing what we're doing, and continue to increase walks by 5 minutes each week. Then in 6-8 weeks, we go in our for final checkup.

Good girl Maeby :) Thank you for keeping mommy's gray hairs to a minimum.

Here's her weekly video. She's walking much much better here than she was last week!

Week 6, Day 6: We've come a long way, baby

Maeby finished up her antibiotics for that weird inflammation in her scar this past Monday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't swell up again. The bump is actually pretty solid now. Why would her scar tissue be so solid? Yet another question to ask the vet this weekend.

The GREAT NEWS is that Maeby's walking is getting so good. Her limp is pretty much gone now, but I've been wondering when the knee turning out/rotating would start to get better. I saw today that it's starting to go away!!!!!! She's actually moving her leg BACK AND FORTH more -- yes, her leg is still sticking out from her body a bit, but the weird rotating is definitely going away!

When I saw the improvement in her gait today, I wanted to jump in the air and pump my fists like a lunatic. Man, I love this crazy dog:


at Venice Beach a few months pre-TPLO
when she's not smiling, she's thinking really really hard

Week 6, Day 4: Video Monday

This video is actually from this past saturday but I got lazy about posting. Per vet's instructions of increasing by 5 minutes each week, we're at 25 minute walks now. And now I'm keeping an eye on how much her knee turns out when she walks. Hoping that will go away soon.

I study these videos like a nut! I watch each week's and compare it to the last one to see if there's any improvement. It definitely gets harder to see improvement from week to week now. I feel like I'm a sports coach, studying plays and old games or something.

Week 6, Day 3: My Circus Dog

So the good news: Maeby's limp is really starting to go away.
The bad news: She's getting REALLY HARD TO CONTROL!!



She's going in for her 7 week x-rays this Saturday (and I'm crossing my fingers for 100% bone healing) but then my mind goes back to all the "woops" moments we've had the last 6 weeks and I get so nervous.

We haven't had any major accidents -- no slipping or falling on the leg -- but she sure has been trying to jump, spin, and flip a lot.

Today was no exception. I stood there in complete and utter shock as Maeby proceeded to jump and spin around in a circle no less than 4 times. Had she been in a dog circus, it would have been really cute. But as a post-TPLO-only-6-weeks Dog, it was horrendous! "How did you allow her to spin like a top FOUR TIMES!!" you ask? Let me tell you, Maeby is light on her toes. She's part dog, part rabbit. It all happened so fast, and I stood there frozen with half of me going "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" and the other half going "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

I've always secretly refered to Maeby as "Maeby the Wonder Dog". It actually sounds like a pretty good stage name, doesn't it? Maeby the Wonder Dog, coming to a circus tent near you!

All jokes aside, I've really been making a concerted effort to keep her from jumping and being the spastic self she wants to be. So I HOPE EVERYTHING GOES WELL THIS WEEKEND!!!

Week 6, Day 1

Dear Maeby's Left Hind Leg,

It's me. Just checking in to say congratulations, we've reached the 6 week mark. How's it going in there? Are all those natural foods, supplements, and vitamins I'm practically pouring down Maeby's throat doing anything for you? I really hope you're doing okay, and not bothered by the crazy dog's attemps at jumping. I'm trying to keep her controlled, I really am. But I swear since this surgery, little Maeby has transformed from a dog into a rabbit. She just wants to bounce, bounce, bounce!

I promise to keep her still, if you promise to keep healing.

Thanks bunches,

Grace