The puppy is home!

[MrsL123]

We had a hell of a journey back and it took an hour longer than normal because we got stuck in traffic, but she was a little star in the car and just slept most of the way. It was a shock to see her, she looks a bit of a mess, and she was very nervy after being left. But when we got home she ate all her dinner and had a big long drink of water, and she's just been out for the toilet and had two big solid poos, so that's made me feel a lot better (never been so happy to see dog poo!). She seems a lot brighter already. The older dog is following her around like they're joined at the hip, and even the cats have been hanging around. Everyone keeps sniffing her so she must smell funny!

She doesn't need to be crated unless she's left alone, which is good. It means she'll only be crated for a maximum of 2 hours at a time while we're at work (we're taking turns to come home and check on her during the day as we work locally), and at night while we're asleep. The rest of the time she can just potter about in the living room. She needs to be watched like a hawk though, she's already managed to jump up on the sofa once. Luckily it's a very low seat! Walk-wise she's to get short toilet breaks only for the next week, building up slowly over the next 6 weeks to 20 minute walks on the lead twice a day. She can't be let off the lead for 2 months, and she'll have to be careful with stairs for a few weeks. We've got steps down to the back garden so she's being carried down them at the moment! We'd planned to take her to some grass at the end of our road because there's no steps at the front of the house and the walk is nice and flat, but we took her when we got home and it was covered in dog shit, so we had to rethink

We've been asked to take her back to see the surgeon in 6 weeks so he can check her progress. He wasn't available when we picked her up, so I was a bit disappointed about that - on the phone he'd told us he'd go over everything with us when we came, but we had to leave without any info about what he'd found, why it happened, will it happen again etc. But we've been told to make an appointment with our normal vet on Friday to have her bandage off, so we'll ask them to speak to the surgeon beforehand to get all the info before we go.

Here are some photos of her feeling very sorry for herself:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

I missed what happened to her? Poor little girl!

Bless her

Glad she is home and it sounds like you have a great support system worked out for her. I would be rather annoyed about not speaking with the surgeon either. Perhaps you could try calling tomorrow to speak with him?

BTW, I see she isn't having to wear the "cone of shame" My cats will be very jealous. They have been made to wear the cone of shame whenever they have had surgery

We were very suprised about that too, tulpe! But the bandage is really just to protect her incisions from the arthroscope, which are about 1cm each (they haven't even stitched them) and it only has to stay on for a few days. So it's no big disaster if she chews at it, and I've got plenty of supplies if she does - I'm an expert bandage-applier after our older dog sliced her paw open in 2008 (three months of daily bandage changes in the most awkward place possible!). She doesn't seem very interested in in though, apart from it being a bit itchy.

The poor thing also has an awful clipper burn on her shoulder, which seems to be hurting her more than anything.

Just glad she's home!

She has elbow dysplasia

We took her for a consultation with the orthopaedic specialist yesterday, expecting him to give us an operation date later in the year (he has a huge waiting list) but he said she was one of the worst he's seen, and was in so much pain he kept her in and operated on her immediately. We left her at 11am, and by 4pm she was on the operating table. He found a bit of loose bone in her elbow joint and some 'abnormally soft' decaying bone too, so it wasn't particularly good news. But he's removed all the damaged bits and hopefully she'll heal up really well and will be able to run about like a normal dog for the first time in her life. He said there's only about a 50% chance that it'll help her in the long run, so we're just keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't happen again. She's not even 9 months yet, so luckily we caught it early. But I don't know how to explain to a lab puppy that she can't run about for 2 months, especially when she'll feel like she's got a new leg!

Poor girl

That is one heck of a clip, btw

Get well soon, pup

I know bella, and it goes right down to her paw, so it'll look even worse when the bandage comes off

Not sure why it was necessary TBH, maybe they thought they'd need to open her up a bit more? But even at that, it extends waaaay past her elbow. You can imagine my face when I saw her!

It's the 'up to her ear' bit which I meant, tbh.

Has she got tonsil trouble too, then?

I think they must have let the trainee loose on her! Either that or they really wanted to try out their new clippers! The poor thing is red raw too, I don't think they were particularly gentle.

Aw, glad she's home. Hope the recovery's swift. (what a beauty, even with her buzz cut!)

Poor thing but glad she is home and on the mend. I think her clip may set a new craze!

Just one thing from the behaviour point of view and it may not apply but be really really careful you treat her normally. Don't go all soft and soppy and treat her like an invalid or you will have behavioural problems in no time. She is not aware of her injuries or the outcome so must be made to feel that all is ok with the world.

But she is such a sweety

The razor burn was most likely caused by an inexperienced person going over the same area twice with the clippers, rather than a lack of gentleness, iyswim. If it isn't settling then ask your local vet for some cream (should be free under the circumstances!) but don't put any human creams on it

Ohhh poor thing! I am glad she's home safe, and on the road to recovery. Lets just hope we don't have any more really cold weather, otherwise she's going to need a nice long woolly sock to keep her shaven leg warm.

The photos are very heart-rending - labradors are so good at doing 'sad face', aren't they - even when nothing's wrong, so inate ability plus major surgery and shaving burns means major sad face - justifiably so.

It's certainly not going to be easy keeping her quiet for the next couple of months - I am already struggling with our puppy, who is supposed to be taking life easy after being spayed. She was out in the garden for a wee earlier on, and I had to fetch her back in because she saw her heart throb (next doors labradoodle) and started haring up and down the fence, jumping in excitement, which I didn't think was a good idea for someone with stitches! And immediately I got her indoors, she started rattling at the catflap to be let out (she's broken two catflaps already).

Still - it will all be worth it in the end, when your puppy is running round, painfree and full of life and fun.

lol @ minimu - treating her soppy is normal behavior for us

She had an awful night last night, I ended up sat on the sofa in tears at 4am after getting no sleep whatsoever all night - while DH (standing for d*ckhead husband in this case!) slept peacefully upstairs and didn't lose a wink of sleep. We put her in the crate for bed, and I set up the sofa bed. All was quiet for the first hour or so and she slept peacefully, but then she started to cry. I ignored her for the first ten minutes, but then she started to claw at the cage with her front paws - bandaged one included. I was scared she'd hurt herself so I let her out for a drink and a wee to calm her down (lifting a 26kg lab down 4 steep steps on your own, in your dressing gown, in the middle of the night, is NOT an easy task!). When I brought her back in I put her in the cage, and again she started crying after about 30 minutes. I thought it sounded like her 'need a wee' cry so I took her out again (on my own - DH didn't hear me shouting apparently and I couldn't go upstairs to beat him over the head without her following me). Sure enough, huge wee, so I thought fair enough, she should settle down now. Again, another half an hour of peace, and then she woke up again and did lots huffing and puffing trying to get herself comfy, then started crying and licking at her leg. By this time it was about 3am and I hadn't even closed my eyes, so I was feeling a bit fraught. I let her out of the crate and she hopped up onto the sofa bed next to me, where she instantly settled down (mental note - don't bother with the crate tonight!). I was just starting to doze off when she started shivering, so I thought her baldy bits must be making her cold. I wrapped her up in the duvet but she kept shaking, and then started whining, so it was obvious she was in pain. She can only have pain killers once a day, and by that point it'd been about 21 hours since her last dose, so they'd obviously worn off. She snuggled right into me shaking away and eventually fell asleep, with me sobbing into her neck and making her fur all wet (don't think she minded)

Then the alarm went off at 6, so I think I got about an hour's sleep in all. Have drunk lots of coffee today, and am still quite peeved at DH. I've told him to switch his phone on tonight, and I'll ring him if she needs to go out for a wee! She's drinking loads of water so she can't even hold it in, there's a huge lake whenever she goes.

I was a bit worried about putting her in the crate this morning before work, but she's been absolutely fine. We left at 9am and DH checked on her at 11, then we were home for an hour at 12.30. He checked on her again at 3.30 and she was totally fine every time, and is seeming a lot more like herself. The only problem is she keeps trying to run about!

Just closing my computer down this minute to go home and give her some dinner

lol Mrs L that is just what I meant sleeping on the sofa bed under the duvet!

Oh I know minimu

We've been trying so hard not to change her routine too much, and not give her any extra attention. Even when she was put in the crate today, we just chucked some treats in and shut the door after her without so much as a word, so she'd know it was no big deal. But by that point I would have done anything just to get some sleep, I was desperate! She usually spends all evening asleep on the sofa next to me, so it's not too unusual I suppose...!

Tonight I'm going to leave her out of the crate for the sake of my sanity, but she'll be sleeping on her OWN bed on the floor! Well, that's the plan...

But in the meantime she's just eaten all her dinner and is now harrassing the cat while she eats hers, so she's definitely acting more like herself. She looks a lot happier, and we've got an appointment at 9am on saturday to get her bandage taken off, so that should make a big difference too.

'I let her out of the crate and she hopped up onto the sofa bed next to me'

Oh feck - Bella btw

I know, was hoping that comment would slip by, trust you to pick me up on it

In my defence....(a weak one!) I didn't think she'd actually jump up, as her big comfy bed was next to me on the floor, so I thought she'd just curl up in it. And because she hopped (literally - three legged!) to the sofa from her bed, she only jumped about 6 inches, so not much really. Are you buying this yet?!

I promise to be better tonight!

We've started her on arnica as well today, which will hopefully help her heal up a bit. And I got some tea tree skin healing balm for her clipper burns, which stinks but seems to be helping!

Do hope you both get a better nights sleep you must be shattered

Did you and the pup get a better night's sleep, MrsL? I hope so.

Yes thanks, we had a much better night

She slept in her bed on the floor all night, and only got up once at 2am to have a drink. She woke me up (very noisy drinker at the moment, seems to be trying to 'eat' the water?!) so I took her out to the toilet, then she got straight back in her bed and stayed there until the alarm went off. I definitely think the crate was the problem that first night, although she seems fine in it during the day

We left her with a filled kong this morning and DH has just been home to check on her and says she's fine, much more like herself

How's your dog SDTG? Did you get her a pretty pink t-shirt?!

We got her a white one with 'I am Bad' in girlie pink and sparkly writing on it - and she looks gorgeous in it!

She's out in the garden at the moment, flirting with the dog next door through the fence (they are trying to eat their way through the fence so that they can be Together). She seems completely back to normal, and I am having to keep an eye on her because I'm worried about her overdoing things - and thankfully she seems completely uninterested in her bandage and her stitches.

Oh, what a sweetie. Glad she (and you, I hope!) had a better night.

SDTG, last summer we stayed in a farm cottage, with several friendly JRTs running around the place. The bitch was obsessed with playing ball with DD - jump over dry stone wall into our garden bit, fetch ball for ages, jump out into cow field to dunk ball in trough (that wall was nearly 5') etc etc

She wasn't around for one day, then back the next as per usual. We only found out later than she'd been off being spayed! She seemed totally oblivious to it, didn't slow her down at all.

Two steps forward, three steps back! After a good night and OK day, the puppy is a mess again tonight

She wouldn't eat her dinner (she seems to have gone off lamb for some reason), kept spitting out her tablets, and has spent most of the night lying on the floor shivering and shaking, like she did that first night. Her tail is also firmly clamped between her legs, and she's licking at her leg a lot. I'm paranoid that the bandages are cutting off her circulation and causing her pain, so I'm constantly checking her pads to see if they're warm, which they are thankfully. The top of the bandage has rubbed and caused a red raw sore in her elbow, so I've put some cream on that. I'm so glad she's having it taken off tomorrow, it's making her miserable. I just hope the incisions have healed a bit, otherwise the bandage will have to go back on. If it does, I'll just ask them to wrap her elbow and not her whole leg, which should help. But fingers crossed for taking it off completely.

I can feel another duvet night coming up tonight