Otis at 3 weeks post-surgery

Otis is doing great! He seems to be healing well--he's not limping at all and he's putting normal (or close-to-normal) weight on his affected leg. The musculature is getting stronger around his hip as well. Sometimes I'll catch him sitting back on his haunches like a "normal" dog sits. It's quite heartening to see that. He lets me rub, pat and manipulate his hip--and I think I can feel the metal plates in there. Pretty neat. He doesn't seem to have any pain at all. And I mean none.

We still use the sling to help him around outside, and since the snow is melting, it's nice to have a little support to keep him from going belly-deep in the soft snow. The animals are starting to come out for spring--deer, rabbits, birds, skunks--and Otis smells them all when he goes outside. It's like controlling a mack truck to keep him from running after the scents. Sometimes he'll get a crazy streak inside and break into a run to chase our cat, Butchie, and we have to practically tackle him to get him to settle down. Then we offer a firm warning--"do you want to go in your crate, hmm?"--and, chastised, he'll start to chew again...this time in a seated position. 

He's started to develop a bad habit of whining and barking in his crate at sunrise. He has all that pent up energy and no where to expend it. The lack of sleep is no fun around the house, but between my husband, me and my mom (in town to help paint the new house), we manage to get him taken care of. I hope that habit fades once he can play at his full activity-level again.

My thoughts? I think he feels like a million dollars right now, and he's just terribly confused as to why we won't let him play. It's very hard as a puppy parent to stay strong. Otis doesn't understand--he doesn't get it. But yet he still has 7 weeks of this to go (surgery 2 in one week and then 6 weeks of rest and rehab). It's gonna be a LOOOOOOOOONG spring. We will be strong--and we will take him to the promised land.

And when May rolls around? Sweet sweet victory will be ours...

;-)