Day 2 Post-Op

Otis is not yet home with us, but I've been speaking with the hospital every day. Here's a rundown of what we heard yesterday and today:

Friday morning--Otis was doing very well, and he was still on the IV pain medication. The techs were using the sling to help him get around and he was putting a tiny bit of weight on his right foot, which was expected. He wasn't eating well, but that's normal. They adjusted his pain medication in case he was nauseous.

Friday evening--Otis was *still* doing very well, and by the evening, he was eating and drinking normally. The tech told me that he was the sweetest puppy, and very mellow. That's our Otis. :-)

Saturday morning--Otis is again doing great. He's using his leg, eating and drinking normally and was on oral pain meds finally. Apparently, you need to walk him very slowly so he's forced to use the leg, and when you do that, he puts a bit of weight down as he should. Our little man has gotten curious about his boo-boos, though, and he's licking them--so he's got one of those "cones of shame".

That's good news though, since we'll be crating him while we're at work. Better to be safe than sorry, I say. Lindsay told us that he loves to squeak his little skineeez rabbit, and she's surprised that he hasn't ripped the squeakers out of it yet. (That's because our baby loves his rabbit and doesn't want to "kill" it...he's a lover, not a fighter!)

On another note, he's being started on a new medication to "increase the contractility of his bladder". Apparently, a short-term side effect of this surgery is minor nerve damage. This nerve damage can cause difficulty with urination, such that he has a weak stream when he goes (sounds like a commercial for prostate medication to me, lol). This can cause damage to the bladder if it gets worse--but at this point, the medicine is just precautionary, and we'll have to keep an eye on him at home as well. We're on schedule for him to come home tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. I can't wait to see my man-man!

Note: Found out last night that some colleagues of mine have an 8-year old Bernese Mountain dog who had this same surgery 7 years ago from the same surgeon. I played with her all evening, and she was jumping and bounding about. That makes me very hopeful and very happy. :-)

About TPO...

After my first post, I realized that it might not be clear what a "triple pelvic osteotomy" entails. I didn't know either, and after hours on the net (thanks, google), I found a lot of information. I'll include some links if you want some more info, and when we get our x-rays, I'll try to upload those as well.

In the most basic terms, hip dysplasia means Otis has "loose hips". So, when he moves, his gluteal muscles (and others) have to work to keep his femoral head (the ball) in his hip joint (the socket). As it is, the ball doesn't really fit in the socket right. So Otis has been limping because his poor leg muscles have been working over time...especially after a trip to the dog park or a romp around the yard. Over time, the rubbing of ball-on-socket results in arthritis. And with a dog like Otis, it wouldn't be but a couple of years until he'd be completely crippled. That's not a life we want for our man-man. Some dogs who are dysplastic never need surgery. Unfortunately ours does.

The TPO surgery involves three "osteotomies" (bone cuts) around his pelvis and the insertion of a steel plate and screws to reshape the hip socket. Ideally, this preserves his natural hip socket and allows for the hip to move as it should. Voila--no more dysplasia. Our doctor says that the max rotation they can do with success is 40 degrees. Luckily for us, Otis only needs between 20-25 degrees rotation. This (plus his young age) makes him a good candidate for full recovery. Not to mention our surgeon is one of the most sought after in the nation. :-)

Anyhow, here are some links (not from our vet, but just some that I found online) that show x-rays, etc. I found them helpful as I was learning about the procedure. I'll be posting "Otis's last rambunctious weekend before surgery" in a few days.

http://www.dcvets.org/surgical/tpo.pdf

http://www.veterinaryspecialty.com/TriplePelvicOsteotomy.aspx

X-rays after both hips have been done: http://www.lbah.com/images/canine/Hip_Dysplasia/TPO.jpg

As a researcher myself, I have a soft spot for research...so here's some research on the successfulness of the surgery:

http://old.vri.cz/docs/vetmed/48-2-41.pdf

The beginning.

We got Otis, a golden retriever puppy, from a very reputable breeder in October of 2009 when he was 9 weeks old. He was the largest of the litter--my choice--and the husband let me choose which golden ball of fluff we would call our own. He named our little man Otis--after a dog he used to own years ago. When we first got him, he looked like a fat little manatee...and on the first night he collapsed in his water bowl. Adorable.

I've not been what you would call a "dog person". In fact, I've never had a puppy/dog. We currently have two cats--Butch and Jasmine--and I was perfectly happy with my feline companions. But 'tis true what they say...there is nothing like a puppy, and I was smitten from day 1. And my husband truly found a best friend. We were in heaven. Well, at least the kind of heaven that includes cleaning up accidents and saying "no!". From that time, Otis has been our constant companion...rambunctious, happy, kind and gentle. A perfect golden. He especially loved playing in the autumn leaves.

But not long after Christmas 2009, we noticed Otis having trouble standing up from a lying position and limping after vigorous play. Concerned, we got x-rays in early February which confirmed our suspicion...Otis was dysplastic in both hips. Our reaction, of course, was serious devastation.

This is our documentation of Otis's journey dealing with hip dysplasia. Next Thursday, February 18th, Otis will receive the first of two Triple Pelvic Osteotomies (TPO) on his right hip and we will embark upon a 10+ week adventure. We're in it for the long haul, and we think the sharing will be therapeutic for us, and hopefully informative for anyone dealing with TPO. To be honest, we have no idea what to expect, and we're a bit apprehensive, but I suppose we'll deal with that in time.

For now, here are some more photos of our Otes-man (affectionately known as "man-man"):

"Stay, Otis, staaaaay..."

Soon he'll be running through the grass just like he used to...