Update on Lulu

At the last posting we had found out that Lulu had torn her CCL (dog equivalent to a human's ACL) and had an appointment on Friday to see a surgeon at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center. Lulu and I met with Dr. Anderson and based on her assessment and options I left Lulu in her very capable hands Friday morning for surgery. I guess we were lucky they had availability that day. Lulu had already been denied breakfast that morning so we wouldn't have to fast her later on in the week. While we would have paid any price to repair Lulu's knee, because of her size and her weight (which we maintain at around 60 pounds) Dr. Anderson said that the extracapsular repair was a viable option. Wasn't cheap but was cheaper than the other options. Lulu had to spend the night and I was able to pick her up on Saturday morning.

This is Lulu's third scar. And she is only 2 1/2 years old!

She was so drugged up that it took her about three minutes to realize that I was even at the RVRC to bring her home. Poor puppy! Above is what she looked like for the first couple of days post-operation: high as a kite and napping. The nurse said this would be the best her leg would look during her recovery. We must have a wonder dog because her leg hasn't bruised or swelled in the least. And starting yesterday she is putting more weight on leg. She can take stairs again and surprised me last night when I turned around and she was on the first floor. She shouldn't use stairs until after her first physical therapy appointment next week.

She is ready to rumble and is becoming quite the hand full in her limited capacity. She wants to run and play and frolic. And I cringe and hope that she doesn't hurt herself again while telling her no. Only a week to go before the sutures come out!