Surgery a Go

After watching our dog limp without the ability to put her right leg down for more than a week, we got into the surgeon today. We both knew this morning what we would hear. Normally, Andrew's schedule is the more flexible of our two. His life isn't dependent on meetings and travel schedules as mine is, so he is usually able to attend things like this. But when email for the company goes down, the IT guy must make it a priority. So, at 7am this morning, he left in a hurry, leaving me to take a dog and a toddler to the surgical vet. I honestly can't tell you who was more challenging to handle.

According to the doctor, roughly 25% of the dogs that have the surgery in one knee, need it in the other. And lucky for us, ours is one of those dogs. Oh yeah, her ligament was completely ripped to shreds and she was once again popping her knee out of place every times she puts it to the ground. The good news? The left leg that we corrected last December is doing great. The bad news? The surgery would once again be $3,000 and the recovery could be tougher this go round. All in the middle of one of my busiest times of the year.

This surgery and the follow up care RULES OUR LIFE at home. More than 10 weeks of post-op care. Here's what it entails for us:

• 25 staples that will be removed in 12-14 days. She has to wear the cone the entire time.
• We have to do heating pads on her leg multiple times a day until about Wednesday next week to help with the swelling.
• She will take four or five meds twice a day for at least two weeks and then it is some other meds for another two weeks (if I remember correctly).
• I have to physical therapy exercises with her two to three times a day to help with her leg extensions.
• She must be confined and not given the run of the house for more than ten weeks. No jumping, no playing, no running down the hall. At night, she needs to be locked in our bedroom where she can't go roaming the house in the middle of the night (a favorite pasttime of hers because she goes to find her collections of socks and kid toys to leave by my nightstand as my morning present)
• Because of this, I have to have a baby gate on my side of the bed for the next ten weeks that I have to climb over to get in and out of my bed to keep her from trying to jump up. We use our bench to keep her from getting to Andrew's side.
• Here's the biggie and the one that kills me by the end--she can't go outside by herself to potty. She has to be leashed to go to the bathroom outside each and every time for TEN WEEKS. Two and a half months when my dog can't go pee without one of us leashing her up and walking her outside.

Rules.my.life.

Looking at our schedule, there really is no ideal time in the next month to do this surgery. So, she had it TODAY. That's right, the surgeon had a cancellation and was able to just take her after the appointment. Poor baby is there right now, probably in a lot of pain and scared. It makes me so sad to think about it! I am taking a half day (which really means coming home and getting back to work of course) so I can go and pick up B from the vet.

It's going to be a long ten weeks.