2 week check-up

Darby went in for her 2 week check-up yesterday. Dr. Misseghers said she is doing great and healing well. It was a very quick visit, he simply watched her walk briefly and palpated and performed PROM (passive range of motion) on her right knee. She will come back in 4 weeks for x-rays and that was it! I told him how impressed I was with how well she is walking and recovering. Dr. Misseghers told me she is doing very well, however, it is kind of an illusion. The reason being, is her other acl is ruptured as well, so her body is telling her that both knees equally hurt, therefore, putting equal amounts of weight on both legs. When she starts limping on her left leg (non-surgery leg), that means she is getting stronger on her right knee (surgery leg). She is to remain on strict crate rest and short potty walks only. Her rehabilitation will have to wait until after her 6 week check-up or because of her having to have TPLO on BOTH knees, maybe not until after her 2nd surgery. Doctor's Orders! Hurry up and wait is the name of the game. Darby Darbs is still being an amazing and patient patient:)

Patience patience patience

Recovery is a long, tedious journey for a dog. Minimal activity and certainly none of the fun stuff is allowed:/ Darby not only has it once, but twice and in a row. 1/2 a tab of acepromazine 3 times daily keeps her and all of us sane. That and her new antler:)

2 weeks out of surgery!

Darby is beyond exceeding my expectations! She is using her surgery leg extremely well and the incision has healed beautifully! Right now her happiness is hanging out with mom and chewing on a bully stick:) Her 2 week check up is coming up and I can't wait to hear from the Doc how she's recovering.

Look at her go!

Darby is loving her short, slow leash walks. Her walks are 10 minutes max and include figure 8's as well:)

Free at last!!

Darby has been transferred from a crate to an inside 4x6 enclosure with heated flooring!:) She's a happy camper

Incision looking great!

5 days post surgery...just took her bandage off and her incision is healing beautifully. She is also putting weight on her leg when walking slowly. Off to a promising start!

Ice ice baby!

2nd session...getting better at tolerating it

Darby and I

Getting used to laying still and icing:) 5-10 minutes twice daily is the goal

Quite the snuggler...

Ladies night!!

Roxy and Darby lounging on my bed:)

Moral Support

Darby receives some loves and kisses from one of our staff members, Kadie.

Darby at the Dog Park

You can visibly see her pre-injury frolicking fun!

Darby

This a picture of Darby, pre-surgery, lounging in our "Paws Here Coffee Shop."

Below, is the picture of Miss Darby 1 day post-surgery on her right knee. She is to be confined to a crate or small space for 6 weeks. She breezed through the surgery without a hitch and is doing well considering. First, let me explain from the beginning...I adopted Darby shortly before Christmas 2011 from Prison Pet Partnership Program in Gig Harbor, WA. I was on a search for a pitbull or staffordshire bull terrier on Petfinder.com and eventually stumbled upon Darby, formerly named QT. I decided to adopt, due to an overwhelming amount of dogs in need of a good home and my desire to have a running partner/dog park buddy. My 10 year old chihuahua Roxy, just doesn't quite cut it:) When I first met the adorable Darby, my heart melted. She's very energetic, loving and somewhat well behaved (she is still a puppy sort of). Darby and I had a blast getting aquainted...we went jogging around Kirkland and spent hours at the dog park in Marymoor. She LIVES to cuddle with people and play with other dogs! After the 2 week adoption trial was up, I made the obvious decision of adopting her. One day after my decision, I took her to the dog park and upon vivaciously and playfully chasing another dog, she took a hard fall, rolling 4 or 5 times. She attempted to stand up, but fell down. Me and the other dogs' owner ran to her side and she gave me a heartbreaking look of "help me, Mom." The lovely lady next to me, sat with Darby and I for a while and also helped me carry her to my car. Darby never once yelped or cried out in pain. She really is a trooper. I decided to take some time for her to "walk it out," hoping it was merely a muscle strain on her left leg and she would be better in a few days. She did make some progress and was putting more weight on her leg each day. I was gaining hope that she would get better and recover naturally, only to let her out to go potty off-leash one day with our office dog Lilly and she slipped on the ice and snow. She went down again, this time injuring her right leg. It was finally time to take her to the vet. I took her to Alpine View Animal Hospital in Monroe and they took some x-rays, ultimately to tell me that they suspected she tore her ACLs. I was devastated. I wanted to be absolutely sure of her diagnosis and Alpine referred me to a specialist in Kirkland, WA, Puget Sound Animal Hospital. My consultation was with Dr. Byron Misseghers. He took a look at Darby's x-rays and palpated both knees, again suspecting that she had torn both ACL's. They took further, more extensive x-rays and sure enough, she suffered severe effusion in both knees and would require TPLO surgery, costing a whopping $3,500 per surgery. It's quite a tough pill to swallow and certainly shocking, but my devotion is to this dog and her quality of life. She is healthy, young and tough...she will get through it. After my shock, depression and a few tears...I scheduled her first surgery for Thursday, February 9th. And 2-3 months later, she will undergo her 2nd TPLO surgery on her left knee. Darby came through the surgery beautifully and looking better than I expected. Mild swelling, mild bruising and in fairly good spirits. She dreads her "cone of shame," but it is imperative at night to keep her from chewing at her bandage. She is currently in a crate, inside a 4x6 dog enclosure. She is only to be let out to go potty 4-5 times per day. I must give a much deserved THANK YOU, to all of our wonderful staff at Paradise Pet Lodge, as they have been and will be a huge helping hand in Darby's recovery. She is very loved and cared for by all. We have been very diligent about keeping her on a short leash at a slow pace and I must say, she has been cooperating very well. For Darby, this will be a long haul with back to back surgeries, but I know she's got the strength to get through it all. Stay tuned for more pictures and posts of our journey through it all.

Darby, 1 day post-surgery