Polly 7-Week Post TPLO Surgery Update
I figured it’s time to give you all an update on how doggie is doing. After all Polly is whole reason we’ve ended up here in Sun Valley ID. If it weren’t for her we’d never have discovered this place, and if it weren’t for her we’d certainly never have thought of spending a whole month here. It’s strange how life takes these turns for you -> you go through a crisis that pushes you in a direction you never planned, but ends up (in the end) being a fabulous discovery. In our case it’s the classic story of “the dog made us do it” which has transformed (all things said and done) into a very nice tale (tail? hahaha).
But I digress from the subject. So, how IS doggie doing?
Slow, But Progressive Healing
Overall healing has been slow, but progressive and admittedly it’s been a bit hard to watch. TPLO surgery involves the breaking of a bone, so you basically have to go through bone healing before you can start building the leg back up to it’s pre-break activity. It takes 8 weeks minimum for a bone to heal and even then it’s not 100%. In the meantime all you can do is slow, controlled walks (20-30 mins, 3-4x per day), and exercises that help increase range of motion and re-build muscle mass (which has wasted away from the injury) in the operated leg. The goal is to build that leg back up so that the dog eventually walks “normally” (using all 4 legs evenly) again.
It’s an agonizingly slow process where you see both progression and multiple set-backs (dog gets sore, you rest up, things improve and dog gets sore again). It’s also a struggle when you have a dog who’s very active and used to vigorous 3-5 mile walks on a daily basis. Going “slow” is not really Polly’s natural pace.
We Have To Outsmart Doggie
In Polly’s case we’ve had the extra challenge of trying to outwit her smarts too. When Polly got injured she immediately compensated with her other legs and learned to hop around on 3 legs very effectively. Being the smart doggie that she is, she retained her memory of that injury and knows her bionic leg “isn’t quite right” so she’s very reluctant (and dubious) of re-using it. That means we have to spend quite a lot of our rehab time “tricking” her into using the leg to re-gain her confidence in it and normalize her gait. A dumber dog would probably just use the leg, but in Polly’s case she needs to be encouraged and cajoled into using it properly. It’s like training her to walk all over again!
First Day Of Rehab – Acupuncture & Initial Analysis
We started rehab the day after we arrived in Ketchum. The Canine Rehabilitation Center here is a lovely little spot located in a small building just next to the place Polly had her surgery. It’s walking distance from the RV Park (less than 10 mins away) and offers pretty much everything you’d want for doggie rehab including both eastern and western techniques. It’s a really nice place and I immediately got a good “vibe” when we walked in.
Polly’s first session was with Dr. Heidi Woog, a wonderfully warm holistic vet who assessed her condition and gave her a first session of acupuncture. Having been brought up in Asia, I’m a huge proponent of acupuncture (Paul became a convert when he had his back injury in Bandon in 2012), so it was super cool to see the exact same techniques applied to doggie. Polly was SUPER nervous (she’s always been a very skittish dog), but she eventually relaxed and the acupuncture visibly relieved some on-going pain she’s had in her lower back since the injury (she would always “tremble” when I massaged her there, and that resolved after the acupuncture). Acupuncture -> 4 paws up!
Overall the doc was very happy with how well Polly’s leg was looking, especially her excellent range of motion. In fact she was so impressed she asked me what I’d been doing. Those of you who read my 3-week post-TPLO blog will know I started doing Range of Motion (ROM) exercises with Polly the first week after her surgery using a website & videos I found online. Apparently it’s very common for dogs to “seize up” in their TPLO leg, especially if they don’t start putting weight on the leg right away. Doing proper ROM exercises, which apparently very few people do, is the best way to avoid that. I have to admit I was pretty relieved to hear I’d been doing it right thing and that her leg was progressing well. Phew! Range Of Motion Exercises -> 4 paws up!
Given how well Polly was progressing and her general nervousness at being handled by others, the doc recommended we stick to 2x per week water therapy supplemented by home exercises with a final evaluation after 5 weeks of rehab. That means we’re staying in Sun Valley through the first week of August which is fine with us.
On-Going Hydrotheraphy (Underwater Treadmill)
We started hydrotherapy our first day too. For this we were handed over to the rehab technician, a lovely lady by the name of Amelia Smith and she’s the gal we’ve been seeing 2x per week since then.
Doggie hydrotherapy is a pretty interesting process. You put the dog into a large clear-walled tank/treadmill that is slowly filled with water until it reaches just above the dog’s stomach. Then the treadmill is turned on so that doggie is forced to walk through the water. The water resistance encourages the dog to use all 4 legs equally while helping to build muscle mass. It’s supportive and also a natural gait equalizer. Given Polly’s smarts and the fact that she needs to be “tricked” into using her bionic leg properly, I figured hydrotheraphy would be key to her rehab progress and that’s absolutely turned out to be the case.
As usual she was very nervous to start with, but through lots of treats and encouragement she’s gotten more comfortable with the process and she’s now happy to jump in and walk steadily inside the tank. We’ve progressed from only ~5 minutes our first day to ~15 minutes at her last session and it’s been one of the BEST things we’ve done for her. Each time we do it Polly’s gait visibly improves and each time we do it she walks more confidently afterwards too. We are LOVING the hydrotherapy! Hydrotherapy -> 4 paws up!
Home Exercises
In addition to the bi-weekly sessions at the rehab center, we’ve been given several home exercises to do with doggie on a daily basis:
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Doing “circle over poles” Paw Lifts -> lifting each paw one at a time for 15-30 secs. This forces her to balance on the other 3 paws. The goal is to progressively increase this daily until she is comfortable standing on all 3 paws with equal weight.
- Obstacle Pole Course -> We create “pole courses” at home using brooms, hiking sticks & wooden blocks (our jack blocks). We do regular “pole walks” and “circle over poles” walks. Both exercises encourage doggie to lift, balance on and use both legs.
- Sit to Stand Exercises -> Just basic sit to stand.
- Passive Range of Motion Exercises -> This is basically what I’ve been doing since 1 week post-op. Polly lies down on her side and I just take the bionic leg in my hand and gently extend & flex the leg in a circular motion. I’ll gently stretch her legs when she’s standing too.
- Massage & Light Therapy -> I massage the back leg muscles everyday and I’m also still using the Tendlite Red Light Therapy Pen everyday. She loves it and it seems to help her recover.
And Some Good Rest
In-between the rehab we’ve had to re-adjust our usual Wheelingit schedule to accommodate Polly’s physical limits. Before the injury we were walking ~5 miles a day with doggie. In fact most of our exercise revolved around her. With her limited physical abilities we’ve had change this up to do short walks with her followed by separate exercise for us. Also, so that the poor doggie doesn’t get bored we’ve incorporated more play (non-physical), mind games (training tricks) and “auto-hiking” (basically taking Polly in the car and exploring that way). It’s a change in the way we usually do things, but it seems to be working.
That wraps up our 7-week post surgery update. At the end of next week we’ll get our 8 week X-rays which should (hopefully) show that the bone is properly healed. Then we’ll have another acupuncture and evaluation by Dr. Woog to see how Polly has progressed. With all this we’ll be here until through at least the first week of Aug and after that we’ll see. For now doggie is calling the shots. Next up it’ll be the cat. We’re just traveling at the whim of the paws right now and we’re A-OK with that.
I’m so glad she is doing well, good job you guys! That’s so great you found a great surgeon, and rehab place. Hopefully…paws crossed…..we won’t need the surgery ever, but if we do, I know where to go. Interesting that she remembers the leg pain and favors that leg. That may explain why Torrey still occasionally seems to favor her “bad” knee and not put full weight on it.
Apparently the smarter or more sensitive the dog, the more likely this is to occur. Polly has always been a very cautious dog (she’ll stop and lift her paw if she gets anything caught in it) so she’s very sensitive to anything being “not quite right”. It definitely makes the healing/rehab process trickier!
Nina
I’ve never had a dog because I grew up in an apartment where pets weren’t allowed. Now I’m in yet another apartment where pets are not allowed. So I am stunned at the beautiful care and devotion you pet custodians show. You are so innovative as to your dog’s needs! It does a soul good to see some love in this world! This is not totally about the broken leg!!
Hi guys, glad to hear Polly is on her way to a full recovery. I know exactly what your going through my yellow lab Sam is going through the same recovery. He had TTA surgery on July 16. He is doing very well. With Sam we have to take a different approach to his exercise because he is a diabetic. Right now he is walking twenty minutes a day four or fives times. No stairs, no jumping only controled leash walks. He can begin water therapy in the next couple of weeks. It’s a very long recovery period but I would not have done anything less for my big boy.
Well you guys take on your adventures and be safe. Look forward to some more updates on Polly.
Question, what did you do for a ramp?
Good question! I forgot to mention in the blog post that there’s still ZERO jumping or stairs allowed, so we’re still physically carrying doggie in and out of the RV. We looked at ramps, but decided it was just easier to carry her. We’re basically doing squats 8x per day, but just using a dog instead of free weights LOL.
Hang in there for your boy! It’s slow, but you’ll get there.
Nina
Small world there is a Police K9 who is going through the water therapy in Sacramento. We were fascinated by it and low and behold here you are giving Polly the same treatment. From the news reports it has worked wonders for the K9 here…… Polly is one very lucky Doggie to have people like you and Paul…. Bless you both and safe travels…..
Oh by the way thanks to you, you have giving us the courage to Camp Host (our 1st).. We will be hosting from Aug 1st through Labor Day in YOSEMITE at Bridal Veil Campground up by Glacier Point…..
Take Care Lee and Shelia……
Congrats on your first hosting job! In such a gorgeous place too! Hope you enjoy it.
Nina
That’s quite an amazing rehab program—the hydrotherapy is a fantastic idea! You guys are so wonderfully dedicated to Polly’s recovery. Other than her mildly traumatized look while she was receiving acupuncture, she looks like she’s doing well. (Tell her I understand, I feel mildly traumatized during acupuncture, too. But it helps.)
Yup I feel exactly the same about acupuncture. It can be stressful (and even a tad painful) at first, but it gives soooo much relief afterwards.
Nina
It’s great to hear Polly is doing so well with all her therapy. The hydrotherapy makes a lot sense for getting Polly to use all four legs equally. Thanks for the update:)
I am so happy therapy is working well for Polly. After Jim ruptured his Achilles, we drew pink ovals every 21 inches on the cement slab next to the RV for gait training. In PT they use a ladder for that. I love that picture of Polly in the tank with water and a treadmill.
They have those same ladders in Canine rehab. Makes sense of course…most of what they do with dogs is based off humans. It’s fascinating how advanced all this stuff has gotten.
Nina
Grateful for your post – our Labrador thus far has had no major issues, but I’ve wondered more than once how on earth we’d handle a major injury. Learning about doggie water therapy is a great relief!
The water therapy has been fabulous. It was the #1 thing I looked for when I researched rehab places last month, and I’m so glad I did. It’s by far the best therapy we’ve given her!
Nina
Great news and a great job on your part. Our three little rescue dogs are a huge part of our lives and make you a better person. The main reason for wanting a class A RV was for the dogs, so we all go together.
Enjoy you post, thanks and keep it up.
The pets were the main reason we went for a Class A (as opposed to a 5th wheel) too. We love that they are able to travel with us in the rig every time we move. The paws are a big part of our travel happiness.
Nina
Great to read such good news about Polly…I am sure she will do well with her next evaluation.
This is a wonderful story of two doggie parents making lemonade out of a bowl of lemons, and a doggie who totally trusts them. Great job, you two!
I have to admit that Sun Valley has been a very pleasant surprise for us. We’ve ended up loving the place and I honestly don’t think we’d ever have come here if it weren’t for Polly’s injury. It was never on our radar in our par regular RV travels despite driving past down south (on I-84) many times.
Nina
Kelly, Al & Pheebs dropping by to say ‘good stuff guys’ and happy to see Polly making progress & doing well:))
Thanks! Polly send Pheebs kisses!
Nina
Yea for Polly! So happy she’s getting such great care. Our Siberian Husky, Boo, sends kisses. She went through the same surgery three years ago and still rips around the yard like the Energizer Bunny.
So happy to hear your gal is doing so great. We hope to get to that same point with Polly!
Nina
Hi, I just wanted to pass on a personal experience with my Heeler Joe Joe. I’ll make it the Readers Digest version, short and sweet. Joe Joe has had two back leg surgeries over the past 8 years and he developed severe arthritis in his joints. Joe Joe started using only three legs and he developed a really bad limp not using one of his legs. I have a really fantastic Vet who recommended a product that he uses with his dogs. I was very skeptical but I didn’t want to see Joe Joe have a really bad quality of life since he loves his walks and couldn’t do more than 5 minutes. I tried the product and Joe Joe is back running and walking without a limp. My Vet told me it had worked so well for his dog and I was amazed at what it did for Joe Joe. You can look at the reviews on any site. I realize your doing all you want to now for your baby but this stuff is great and it rebuilds what needs to be rebuilt. I am a retired cop so I’m not trying to sell something, lol. Glad your Polly is doing better and better each day. The product is Dasoquin for Dogs I was going to put a photo on here but can’t find a link.
I’m familiar with Dasoquin. It’s very good stuff. Right now we have Polly on Cosequin, but if we need the “next step” up at any point I’ll be looking at either Dasoquin or Adequan. Thanks for sharing your story.
Nina
Polly is so lucky to have such dedicated parents. You have been so committed and inventive to doing all that you can to aid her recovery!
We’re hoping it pays off for a FULL recovery!! Paws crossed!
Nina
Happy to see that Polly is recovering nicely, thanks to your great “parenting”.
We should be in the Stanley area around the 4th of August, hoping to meet up with LuAnn and Terry. If you’re still there maybe we can all get together somewhere in between.
Oh yesssss! We should still be here! Let’s definitely plan to connect!
Nina
Slight change of pace: I,m wondering about the color display unit you installed in your battery/solar upgrade this past spring. Looks like It lets you see the status of your solar system real time. I especially like the graphic display of the data. It appears to be in addition to the Blue Sky monitor and am wondering who makes it and how it ties it into your system. It looks like a really great way to see the status of your solar and batteries at any time. In your final video about the new system you demonstrated it but did not talk about the manufacturer or how it is connected into the system. Perhaps a Marvin special?
Hi Dave,
I replied to your comment on my original solar post (so it doesn’t get confused with doggie stuff). Feel free to look and respond there if I haven’t answered your question.
Nina
So glad to hear that Polly is doing so well with her post surgery rehab! Thanks for such a great post as to what is involved with her progress and healing. Wonderful that you found such a great rehab facility for her! Great care you are giving your girl.
I’m so happy too. We came here without really knowing much about the rehab clinic (apart from what we could read online), so it was a bit of a gamble. It’s all turned out wonderfully!
Nina
After all the hydrotherapy I’ve done myself it still probably would not have occurred to me to do the same for Polly. Glad you found such an excellent facility!
All I really knew about hydrotherapy before this was older people doing water exercises to help arthritis and muscle mass. Turns out they do hydrotherapy for geriatric dogs too (for the same reason)! It’s really interesting stuff.
Nina
Great news that Polly’s rehab is going so well. You are wonderful paw parents to put so much time, attention, and love into her care. I’m going to forward your post to a friend whose dog just had ACL surgery; I know she’ll get some good pointers from the info you provided. Thank you!
I wish your friend’s doggie the BEST of recovery. Definitely recommend starting rehab as soon as possible, even if you just do it at home like we did the 1st 4 weeks.
Nina
YAY Polly!!! Good job guys……….
Wonderful news! And so interesting to see all the amazing things that are done with doggie rehab. I had no clue. And really awesome that the best place for her was in a sweet spot in Idaho 🙂 So glad everyone is doing well.
I’m pretty amazed at how much is offered too and we didn’t even use the “full facilities”. These guys do computerized gait analysis, cold laser treatment and so much more. Doggie rehab is pretty snazzy stuff.
Nina
Polly is a tough girl! Good to hear her recovery is going very well. Can’t wait see her get back to normal!
Me too! It’s a long road to full recovery, but I’m hopeful we’ll get there.
Nina
http://www.petwellbeing.com/c/cat-products/condition/hypothyroidism
Our Gordon Bennett will be 11 in August this year. He and Taggert have the same beautiful markings. My husband is a retired Naturopath / Chiropractor and found this remedy online. We are trying hyperthyroid food first then this. The reviews are amazing. Hope all goes well for your family.
The product you linked is for hypOthyroidism (= under active thyroid) not hypERthyroidism (= over-active thyroid). If your cat is hyper, you definitely don’t want to give this. I see they offer another product for hyper cats, so you might have just mistakenly linked to the wrong one.
I’m a big supporter of natural supplements, but hyperthyroidism is one of the few cases where I feel they are of limited use. They can help mask and minimize symptoms, but won’t do anything to stop the tumor growing. Also the thyroid food will help bring your kitty’s T4 down, but it’s pretty poor quality food overall (most prescription diets are) so long term I don’t feel it’s a great solution. I’d recommend looking at a higher quality wet food (or raw food) diet and either starting methimazole or looking into the I-131 treatment. By the way I do supplement Taggart with an immune booster (Transfer Factor) and Slippery Elm (as needed) for nausea and digestion.
Wish you all the best for your kitty!
Nina
Glad to see Polly is progressing so nicely, although with you two in charge I had no doubts! You’ve given us all some good information in case we find ourselves in the same situation, thanks.
We, too, pretty much run our lives around our animals. We bought our first house, some 45 years ago, because of a certain Golden Retriever puppy, our vehicles are all purchased with their comfort in mind and buying Beluga was necessary because we didn’t want to leave them home when we traveled.
So glad to hear that Polly continues to improve. You two are the best doggie parents!
Wow – so glad you are able to use all of these services for POlly. Thank you for breaking it all down for your humans who are not probably as swift as certain very bright fur babies. Wish you continued success in healing.
It’s great Polly is doing so well with her recovery. Will you have to extend your stay to ensure her healing or can you do the re-hab on the road?
We’ll stay through 1st week of Aug. That’s the time (after 5 weeks of rehab) that most dogs are able to “graduate” from the rehab center. She’ll be re-assessed to confirm that. If she needs more rehab we’ll either stay longer here or choose another spot to continue the treatment.
Nina
I admire your dedication and flexibility to adjust to her needs. Hope she’s well soon!
Glad to hear such good news..Some folks don’t understand about dogs and kitty family members…
My last..Garbo..lasted 18yrs…One of the best furry kitties…Ever!
David
18 years….that’s wonderful. Still too short of course (it always is), but a wonderful life with you. I hope our kitties get there too.
Nina
I’m so glad Polly is doing so well! I don’t know about you, but I get terrified when one of my pets get sick that it won’t be something that can be treated. I’m glad this wasn’t the case with Polly and that she has 2 parents who love her so much.
We live full time in Bellevue. Love the area!
I hope that your pets have a speedy and healthy recoveries. You had mentioned that the cat was scheduled for August if everything works out.
It’ll likely be September for the cat now. Polly’s leg injury has delayed everything and the clinic that we will (likely) go to will be in New York. It’s booked 2 months out, so we’re looking at Sept for the cat. All this is VERY jello at the moment of course, but that’s the general plan.
Nina
Glad to see that Polly is doing well! TPLO is a stressful procedure for everyone involved, but it looks like you guys have a great handle on it!
A past foster Pyrenees of mine had similar surgery for his 3-yr neglected birth defect. Both femurs were abnormally bowed, with knee caps shifted off-center to accommodate the awkward knee joint. We did a hydrotherapy of our own- instead of driving the 2 hours to his surgeon to use the treadmill, we took him (after the wound sealed) to a local park where we could wade into the lake. 1-2 short walks in the lake/week (plus ROM at home) and he was back to using his legs in no time! Now he’s happily living with his forever family and walking 10-15 miles/week!
Thanks for working so hard to get your furbaby healthy again!
That is AWESOME to hear! So happy your dog is back to 100% and hiking like crazy. We hope to get there with Polly too.
Nina