Rowdy's Recovery - Week 12 (Full Recovery)

It's been a few weeks since we posted any updates about Rowdy.  For weeks 8-12, it was pretty much the same, try to keep Rowdy as calm as we could while ramping up the exercise (on a leash) he was getting.  Well, it worked and Rowdy is officially back to 100%.  We had our final visit with the kind folks at Shady Oak Vet clinic in MN and he got the go-ahead to take the leash off.  You can see in this short video, he's VERY happy to be playing again.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 5

Rowdy is doing great!  He's eating well, walking well, playing (too much) but all in all in very good spirits.  We did inquire this week about hydro therapy for him, which we've heard is very good for muscle recovery, range of motion, flexibility and overall well-being.  During the conversation with the great people at K9 Hydrotherapy Inc in St. Louis Park Mn, we learned that Rowdy is likely recovering too well to need it.  They indicated that since Rowdy is young, using his leg very well, re-gaining muscle mass and is walking with a normal gate, that he doesn't fit the bill.  I'm sure Rowdy would love to go (as he's the best swimming boxer I know) but it's no hydro-therpay for this guy.  Their services are very beneficial however for dogs who are a little older and more hesitant to use their leg, or aren't gaining muscle mass back.  

On the docket for week 5 in Rowdy's Recovery regimen is more walking, longer walks (15 - 20 min) and continued range of motion therapy.  Despite Rowdy's dislike for everything in his physical therapy (except walking) we still try to do his exercises daily.  It's as simple as a warm compress on his leg for 1min, then slowly flexing and extending his leg 10 times - until the point of resistance.  He's doing very well with the exercises, but hates the compress so 3 times per day is a little tough.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 4 (short walks)

Rowdy is FINALLY able to go on short walks on the leash.  He's so thankful, needing the mental stimulation on new sights/sounds/smells.  It's difficult to keep him quiet and calm at home, but these little walks (3 times a day) are his saving grace right now.  If you were to see him walking down the street, you'd have no idea he had surgery a month ago.  His gate looks great, he's walking strong and using his right leg a lot.  All in all he's healing very well - just a matter of time and he'll be jumping/running/playing 100%.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 3, Why Can't I Play!?!

IMG_1006
Originally uploaded by ModernLifePhoto

We've indicated a couple times now that the hardest part of Rowdy's Recovery is keeping him calm. For those of you who've never met Rowdy, he's the sweetest 2 year old white boxer you'll ever meet - and he LOVES to play.

With all of that said, we've figured out a few tricks to keep Rowdy (and Roxy) busy. We mentioned in the last post that a Kong filled with frozen greek yogurt works well. In addition to that, we've picked up a couple of Kong balls. We cut a slice of Natural Balance Lamb Log that's a little big for the hole in the ball. We stuff it in so it's tight and tough to get out - 30mins gone. Best Bully Sticks are a great option as well, and we love the fact that they're free range & organic. Finally we've picked up a couple of free range raw bones from Urbanimal in Minneapolis. The dogs LOVE these but they're really messy, so definitely not an option to eat on the carpet.

All of the time consuming things we mentioned above are food, we're definitely aware of that. Something to be careful of is to make sure that Rowdy doesn't gain weight. After tearing one ACL, he has a 30%-40% chance of injuring the other, and the best thing that we can do to prevent that from happening is to keep him on the lighter side of average. He's always been a slender pup, but we're keeping very close tabs on his weight through this recovery.  Currently, he's 57 lbs (a little guy) and he hasn't really gained much weight.

On a positive note, Rowdy can enjoy three 5-10 minute walks per day now.  He is using the leg a lot more, and we're walking slow.  Just seeing some new scenery is making him very happy and he definitely looks forward to getting out.

Rowdy's Recovery - Week 3

It's the start of week 3 on Rowdy's Recovery from TPLO surgery and he's doing very well.  We brought him in last week (a few days early) because he was having a reaction to the sutures, causing his leg to look very red, inflamed, etc.  It seemed to itch a lot (he was trying to lick it all the time) and Roxy even decided they needed to come out as she nibbled a stitch right out of his leg.  The attached photo is what his leg is looking like now, a little more than 2 weeks after his surgery.  It's fully closed and the redness is almost completely gone.  We treated the wound with over the counter cortisone cream and that worked wonders.

The hardest part of this entire recovery is keeping Rowdy calm.  We take him outside on a leash, and will continue doing that for the full 8 weeks.  Roxy (our healthy 2 yr old female boxer) is getting very frustrated (and bored).  She is constantly trying to get Rowdy to play, especially outside, and Rowdy is feeling well enough to spin "360's" on the leash.  Obviously, we immediately have to stop that behavior as his leg is definitely not ready to support that level of stress yet.

We're finding out that the KONG is even more of a necessity for both of our pups while going through this.  The longest lasting and least fattening treat is a kong filled with greek yogurt (extra protein) - frozen in the freezer.  We usually get a good 30-45 minutes of calm licking out of these treats.

We'll be posting another video of Rowdy walking this week.  He's definitely starting to put weight on his recovering knee and getting around amazingly well.

Rowdy's Recovery - That fisheye lens is loud!

Rowdy-Fisheye
Originally uploaded by ModernLifePhoto

Taking a little break from a traditional post, we couldn't help but post this funny photo of Rowdy. We were getting ready for a wedding shoot the next day and I was playing with a fisheye lens for our 5D. The lens' focus motor is louder than most of the other lenses that we have - prompting Rowdy to leave Amber & Roxy (in the background) and his kong filled with peanut butter. After nearly two weeks of no playing, no running, no jumping, etc - the fisheye motor proved too intriguing and tempting to not investigate. The photo was so cute, we couldn't resist posting.

Rowdy is doing well.  You can see that he's still sitting on his left side and his right rear leg is flaring out.  He got his stitches out yesterday morning due to some reaction to the sutures (redness, irritation).  We're treating it with over the counter cortisone cream and in a day, it's already looking better.

Rowdy's Recovery - Rowdy as a puppy

Rowdy - our white boxer as a puppy
Originally uploaded by ModernLifePhoto

If you're reading this, you know we love our dogs. We REALLY love our dogs. Rowdy just finished week 1 of his TPLO recovery and is doing great. The hardest part thus far is convincing him that he's not the little puppy seen in this photo anymore, and as much as he wants to play already, he cant.  It's really hard to keep a 2 year old boxer from playing, but we know in the end - we're doing the right thing.

Rowdy is our 2 year old male boxer who has the most personality of any dog we've ever met (we are biased), and he completely changed our lives forever. We rescued him from a puppy mill situation and he absolutely chose us - how could you resist a little guy like that right?!?

In the last 2 years, we've gone from dog loving people to dog obsessed people. We photograph dogs, volunteer for the MN Boxer Rescue, donate time to the HSUS and do anything else we can do to help animals in need. We really owe it all to Rowdy as he's shown us what true love is. He loves us 110% of the time with 110% of his heart.  It's this kind of love and devotion that we feel so passionate about and truly feel that every pet deserves to feel.

We get asked sometimes why we're doing this site, and we thought a little background about how much Rowdy means to us would be helpful.  So if you're reading this and going through what we're going through right now, asking yourself if it's the right thing to do (because it is very hard), think about how much your dog loves you and impacts your life and know that you're absolutely doing the right thing.

Your pup is going to wonder what they did wrong, why you won't let them play, why are you confining them to a smaller space than they're used to, why can't they jump up on the couch, etc.  You have to remember that it's all for their quality of life long-term, and think about a way that you can turn that experience into a positive one for others.

~ woof!