Week 8 post op

Week 8 for the left hip, week 6 for the right.  Raven is a bit sore lately due to his level of activity.  He sometimes tries to do acrobatics that he forgets he shouldn't do, which seems to make him sore.  I don't know if this is from the bones in his hip hurting, or the damaged ligaments. It's discouraging to say the least.  His hips are still popping.  I've been reading more about TPO, and apparently it only corrects the conformation...it doesn't fix the loose ligaments.  Really hoping that his ligaments heal and tighten...otherwise, what was the point of the surgery if he still will need total hip replacement in a few years?

We are taking Sula and Raven to the vet on Monday, for Raven's checkup, and Sula's first x-rays.  Since she's just over 5 months old, I want to suggest JPS surgery instead of TPO.  It is minimally invasive, and the puppy can resume normal activity in a couple weeks.  The only issue is the puppy must be very young since it involves cauterizing the growth plates in one part of the hip, so hoping we can do this if we need to and that we haven't waited too long.  Sula has no glaring signs of HD right now, but she lazy-sits and has had a few popping incidents, and Raven didn't start showing signs until he was this age as well.  Again, hoping more than anything right now that she has normal hips, and that if not, that JPS will improve the problem.

 Based on Raven's situation, I'd be very reluctant to do TPO again with a dog who has major laxity in the joint, simply because it's so horribly painful and stressful for everyone, especially with a high-energy dog with such a need for mental and physical stimulation, and incredibly frustrating that the hips are STILL popping.  The only issue with total hip replacement at such a young age is that the cement would probably wear out in a few years, and he'd need to go under the knife again. The money at this point isn't our biggest concern because we bought insurance on these puppies as soon as we brought them home (the best decision we made).   It's been a lifesaver (a nearly $8,000 lifesaver).  We;re hoping to get the x-rays from the parents of these dogs to compare their hips, and to give us an idea of what to expect with Sula.

Week 7 post op

Raven and Sula sharing a bone

 This marks week 7 for the left hip, week 5 for the right.  This week has been slightly less stressful, mostly due to the lack of "new" problems.  We still are dealing with Raven's energy excess, and trying to keep him calm yet happy.  His daily walks (several times a day now) really help.  He looks up at me every few seconds with happiness in his eyes on his walks. The popping is still happening, though, but he seems to not even care.  He's feeling so good that he doesn't even think twice before trying to jump onto a couch or lunge at fireflies (although we still have him on a leash, so thankfully we've prevented these things from happening).  He's being so good despite all the restrictions, especially considering his young age.

Sula and Raven in the kitchen as we cook

 We've given him more freedom in the house, but we are constantly hovering, keeping him close.  When we go into a room, we gate off the doorways so he's still confined, but we've been letting him off the leash (as long as he's calm), which he loves.

He is eating more, although not his kibble.  He seems to only like raw lamb meat or canned food and tripe...basically the best stuff. Not sure if this is due to his stomach issues or his fine dining preferences.  Next weekend is Sula's appointment with the surgeon for x-rays to make sure her hips are alright.  I am hoping she doesn't have hip dysplasia....I do NOT want to go through this ever again! And I do NOT want her to have to go through it either.  I'm hiring a trainer for her next week to help with extra obedience, just in case she needs surgery and we have to stop all our important training.  Praying that she doesn't soon get her own blog....

Week 6 post op

It's been 6 weeks for Raven's left leg, 4 weeks for the right.  I've been teaching him new tricks along with Sula to help his mind to avoid spiral of madness and boredom.  Daily walks in our pasture also help, and he's finally started eating again after a week.  We had him on medicine for ulcers, which could have been caused by all the pain medications and such.

His hip is popping more frequently, which is definitely very upsetting to us, even though the vet could not replicate it coming out of the socket.  So we're still not sure what is going on, but hopefully it will lessen as he continues to heal.

Week 5 post op

Raven and Sula eating some peanut butter

 This has been week 5 for the left leg, week 3 for the right.  We noticed Raven's left leg still making popping noises, so we took him back to the surgeon to get to the bottom of it.  After a re-evaluation and X-rays, our surgeon (Dr. James Milton) discovered that the popping wasn't his bone popping out of joint; rather, it was from a ligament that had been damaged from his pre-surgery hips being too lax.  So he hopes that will heal with rest.  He didn't charge us for the visit.  While in Alabama, my mom (who was traveling with Raven) opted to stay overnight at a hotel rather than drive 3 hours back home.  Raven was not very happy about that, but considering it wasn't a kennel at the vet, he should have been thankful.  Shout out to Paula at the Comfort Inn Suites for making sure Raven and my mom were taken care of!

Again, our biggest struggle at this time is keeping Raven contained.  He is starting to behave very neurotic lately, and wouldn't eat for 3 days.  His tongue is currently a dark pink, so there's one more thing we need to figure out.  I thought that he might need more exercise to help with his appetite and behavior, and figured that walking him every hour would be safer than leaving him to jump and twist around in his confined area.  The past few days of exercise have really improved his mood, and he even started eating again. 

Week 4 post op.

One month down on the left leg, 2 weeks for the right.  All stitches are out now.  Only 10 more weeks to go before we can start getting back to normal...which seems at this point still a far point on the horizon. 

Raven's left leg still seems to be a bit more painful than his right, and if he walks too much he cries when he stretches.  Every couple of nights, he'll wake us up with his pitiful wails signifying he just stretched, but all we can do is hold him in our arms and pet him for comfort...along with pain meds of course.

It's getting harder to keep Raven safe with his energy returning combined with his pain reducing because he just want to play so desperately.  He groans with boredom, and we can tell he is sick of laying down all the time, and so is Sula.  We constantly have to monitor them when they are together and make sure they are at least laying down while playing.   They make due, even though they want to rough-house and rip each other to shreds (playfully, of course).  We never leave them alone in a room together just in case Raven might trip over Sula, or she might pounce on him and knock his wobbly body over. 

Week 3:post op.

 So this is week 3 for his left hip, but only week 1 for his right hip.  So far, Raven is much better than he was after his first surgery.  The surgeon only had to rotate the right one 20 degrees since it was in better shape than the left, so perhaps that's why.

 This is the new setup in the master bedroom for sleeping.  We combined 2 doggie-playpens on top of a rug (so he won't slip) and put one of his plush dog-beds in there for night time. 

 During the day, Raven switches from our office mattress to the sun room doggie beds.

 The hardest part right now is holding back their puppy instincts.  Raven has cried out a few times, it seems to happen when he is laying on his side and trying to stretch, like something catches.  We also noticed the right hip is clicking slightly.  Of course this worried us, but the surgeon said that it is normal until he builds back his strength...Really hope he's right about that.

Sula and Raven are learning certain things (like patience) a little faster than they would have had the surgery not happened.  It's important because if they don't learn, Raven could get hurt.  It's upsetting because they are being restricted from doing typical puppy activities, and they don't understand why.  One of the other downsides to doing this surgery on a young dog is the loss of training time for basic obedience.  We are very quick trainers as it is.  Both Raven and Sula learned "come" "sit" "down" "stay""leave it" "spin" "paw" and to some extent "heel" before they were 4 months old; however, this is the time we had hoped to send Raven to special supplemental training, to help with his instinct to chase and bark at other animals, and to be easier to control in those situations.  That is no longer an option.

Home from surgery: round 2

Back to square one with Raven, except this time, both hips are hurting.  Since he stayed for 4 days instead of 2, he is a little better about crying, but still very lethargic.  He just started eating his meals again, so we hope to get him back to his original weight.

The incision is a bit worse than the last one, not sure why.  He still leaves it alone.

The other hip is growing hair back, and the cut had its' stitches removed.  Looking a little better.

Raven is conflicted about Sula:  His inner puppy wants to play, but he hurts, so he gets cranky with her.  This happened last time as well, but it gradually returned to normal around 2 weeks.