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!

Ruptured Anterior (Cranial) Cruciate Ligament (aka torn ACL)

Tuesday night Lulu went on a tear in the backyard, what we call her "crazies," running from gate to gate at brake neck speed after dinner. And then she just stopped and sat down. When I got up from the table she got up and I noticed that she was limping, favoring her left hind leg. This of course was a great concern for me. I sat down and she limped over, I ran my hand over her leg but she didn't pull it away or whimper with pain. Oh boy, was I going to have to go to the pet emergency room?

I gave James a call (he was out to dinner with a friend) and we decided that perhaps it was a pulled muscle or cramp and that we would wait and see. While I couldn't take her to the vet yesterday because of previous work conflicts I did make an appointment for this morning just in case. She continued to favor her leg and would hold it up and not put any weight on it at all. She was drinking water and eating as usual, but she was certainly "off."

We just got back from the vet where the x-rays revealed that she has ruptured her anterior (cranial) cruciate ligament in her left rear knee. If she were a human she has torn her ACL. This is apparently the most common knee injury for dogs and if left untreated can quickly cause arthritis.

X-ray of Lulu's left hind leg. Can you spot the rupture?

There are two options to treat the torn ACL: an extracapsular repair (basically a heavy duty fishing line to takes the place of the ACL) or a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) (where the tibia is cut and rotated in such a way that the natural weight bearing of the dog actually stabilizes the knee joint using a plate). Our vet's office only does the extracapsular repair and we will have to go to a vet surgeon for the TPLO. I have already made an appointment for a consult with the vet surgeon to find out more about the TPLO.

Because Lulu is so young our vet is suggesting that the TPLO is the more appropriate treatment option. But of course (as in all things in life) that is the more expensive option. Frankly, neither option is cheap! However, no more agility for Lulu, no more getting up on the couch or the bed, and no more walks until the after surgery and recovery (six to eight weeks!).

The injury isn't keeping her down, but Lulu's new nickname is Gimpy. We'll keep you updated on her progress.

Doggie Dooley

This past Christmas my sister bought Lulu a Christmas present. I thought it was just a toy or something small. The biggest box she brought over was for the dog. I had no idea what would be inside of it. And when I opened the box on Christmas morning on behalf of Lulu, I started to laugh....it was a poo composter!

What is a poo composter? It is an in-ground pet waste toilet of sorts. The dog isn't expected to use the composter. It just breaks down the dog's poo naturally instead of using plastic bags going to a land fill. I've been talking about one for two years but didn't really find anything; apparently if I had searched "in-ground pet waste" instead of "poo composter" I would have found it much sooner. Regardless, the Doggie Dooley was installed last weekend.

The directions suggested installing the "toilet" away from the house, but with the size of our back yard that wasn't really an option, but this corner worked quite nicely.

Why did we wait so long? The "toilet" must be installed in a four foot hole. A four foot hole. So we had to wait for the ground to warm up and an extra pair of hands. James' brother-in-law John came in handy.

John and James made quick work of the four foot hole. However, it left a big pile of dirt in my backyard for a week.

To get it started you add 6 gallons of water and the digester power (which is added weekly).

Lulu wasn't that excited about the installation as much as I was. No more plastic bags! Except when we are in public and when the ground temperature falls below 40 degrees. Regardless I am very excited about this latest addition!

Lulu Tunnel!

One of the things you wouldn't think a dog like Lulu could do is leap. But leap she can. We have put up little picket fence pieces up on the backyard to keep Lulu out of some of the beds, or from charging the shared fence with our neighbors when they let one of their dogs out in their backyard. However, if Lulu really wants to, she can leap over the picket fence. It's like she is a bunny.

I have wanted for sometime to capitalize on this trick and continue her training so I was able to finally grab a spot in one of Fairfax County Parks and Recreation's dog agility classes. It isn't competitive agility. Just for fun. And last night was our first class. The instructors, Patsy and Karen, were very patience, supportive, and knowledgeable. I really like them. However, I don't really like some of the other owners in the class. There are only four other dogs: Einstein (some sort of mix working dog breed), Ripley (some sort of hound), Spotty (some sort of lab mix), and Theodore (a very interesting standard Poodle). The owners I'm not really fond of are for Ripley and Theodore.

Lulu did very well. While we were working on the tasks. In between tasks she was a hand full. She just wanted to play or charge the other dogs, specifically Einstein and Ripley. Unfortunately their owners couldn't, or wouldn't, see how I was struggling to keep her focused on me and would bring their dogs near us. It was incredibly frustrating.

She has aced getting onto the "table" but that is because she jumps onto the couch, the ottoman, the chair, and the bed all the time. The "tunnel" was more interesting. She will go through but with some coaxing. I am going to see about buying a play tunnel for kids (cheaper than the actual dog agility tunnel) for practicing in between classes.

I'm just very excited about another opportunity to learn with Lulu. And maybe we'll take it to the next level. But we'll see.....

Creature of habits....

Routines. We all have them. Some more strict than others I suppose. I secretly envy the strict routine that Sheldon has on "The Big Bang Theory" for the comfort of knowing what will be happening next but knowing that I could never have such a routine. Except for when it comes to the animals. That is a routine that is almost never broken. And it is funny how one house guest can change things.

My sister Nancy is staying with us for a few days and helping James and I out by replacing our 30+ year old outlets and light switches. Gives her something to do and saves us some time. Nancy loves Lulu and Lulu loves Nancy. About as much as she loves our other sister Molly. And it is funny how she loves each of my sisters in a different way. Just like a human even. She knows what she can get away with depending on which sister is around.

So the weekday routine starts at 5:00 AM when I crawl/force myself out of bed to give Lulu a bathroom break, feed all the animals, prepare coffee/lunches for James and I, get James out the door, and then spend the next hour and a half trying to get myself out the door for work. Normally after Lulu has finished her breakfast she'll hang out with me downstairs until I go upstairs and then she is hanging out on the bed having a post-breakfast nap. We always go outside one more time and then back to the kitchen to clean up bowls, coffee pot, and any utensils used to prepare lunch which are the last activities I undertake before leaving for work. Now, Lulu usually hangs out with me while this is happening knowing that as soon as I dry my hands I'll go for the bag of big bones and she knows its time to go in her crate. However, with Nancy staying with us Lulu knows there is going to be a different routine.

This morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen I realized that Lulu wasn't on the first floor. And then I knew exactly where I would find her: outside the door to the guest bedroom waiting to be let in and lifted up onto the bed so she could shower her Aunt Nancy with kisses and settle down for post-breakfast nap #2. And sure enough that is exactly where I found her.

So I opened the door, where she immediately went and put her paws on the bed and looked at me with those "Okay Mom! Lift me up! I get to spend the day with Aunt Nancy!!!" eyes

Such a funny dog.....