One Week Later...

Waiting for visitors

It is a week today since Dusty had his LPL operation. His wound is looking good – and when we went to our vet’s, she was very happy with him and said it couldn’t look better. We hadn’t seen her before, but she was absolutely lovely and made a huge fuss of Dusty which as you probably know, always goes down well with me.

Day 6

He had a special chewy as a reward for being brave when we got home. He shivered and shook all the way to the vet’s and I had to hold his tail out of the way when she looked at his wound as it was stuck firmly between his legs.

Reward for being brave

He’s using the leg a bit more now and is acting differently from how he was after the TPLO surgery. Then he’d had a bone cut completely in half then realigned and held in place with a metal plate and (understandably) he didn’t feel quite as well in himself afterwards.

This is him looking very sad and sorry for himself. It is his default look though and a moment after I took this photo, he was bouncing around – or trying to. My eldest grandson keeps working out how long this is all taking in dog time which is much longer than a few weeks.

Looking fed up

He does have lampshade free time when he has a chewy or his Kong stuffed with treats or just fuss and food time.

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In other news – I used to be a very organised person – I used to make detailed lists of everything I had to do which caused me no end of stress. Then one day I cracked and tore them up and said I wasn’t going to be ruled by lists any longer and in future to hell with it, I was going to go with the flow.

Now I’ve become incredibly disorganised which causes me no end of stress (pass the Kalms). I don’t like computer organisers or the calendar thing on my phone. As part of my Mother’s Day present, my lovely daughter gave me this organiser. It’s a pad of sheets, so every Sunday I tear one off and write out my plan for the week and pin it on my board. This works better for me than having things written on the calendar as writing things down week by week puts it more clearly in my mind. It’s not as bossy as a list, but feels more like a gentle reminder.

My lovely organiser

This week Dusty and I have been sharing my office in the mornings with my eldest grandson so he can sit quietly and do his SATs revision. You should see the mountain of paperwork he has. It’s frightening! Afternoons are for fun though. We even got some garden time yesterday as it was so warm. Hope you are enjoying some spring sunshine!

Goodness me!

Enjoying the bed before the op!

I have neglected this poor old blog (and all of Blogland) of late. Life in general and concerns about Dusty have kept me busy plus I can’t think of anything to blog about just now.

So I’m sorry, but it’s another update about Dusty – and another operation scar to look at.

Day 2

We took him back to Newmarket last Tuesday. He wasn’t limping, but did a little hoppity skip occasionally. Our own vet had already diagnosed luxating patella which he was sure would need an operation.

We saw two vets there. The first was lovely – so easy to talk to and he spent a good time talking over my concerns. Then he got the head of orthopaedics to come and take a look – it seems they’ve been discussing Dusty and looking at the x rays done by our own vet. He was very nice too.

Apparently his patella luxated to the outside which is unusual. When they examined him under anaesthetic, they found the patella moved even further out of place and said it would have caused him big and painful problems later on if left untreated.

So last Wednesday he had the op to correct it which involved deepening the trochlear groove (so his patella fits better into it – his was almost flat) and tightening his ligaments. While they were in there, they removed the plate and screws from the last operation as they are no longer needed (yay!). Now he has pins and wire holding everything together from the latest op and he’s hopping round on three legs.

It can take a while for them to bear weight after this operation.

So I’ve been cold packing his leg and using arnica cream for the bruising. I mentioned to the vet that I was concerned about what happened last time - he got an infection in his scrotum, I think from where he was shaved and his sensitive bits became irritated which meant he ended up wearing the lampshade for weeks while the antibiotic cream did its stuff. He made a note and assured me they would take care of “his little bits”. When we picked him up, he said they hadn’t shaved those bits at all! I know it sounds daft, but I was impressed that he’d taken my concerns seriously.

While he was there, we had two phone calls a day to let us know how he was doing. He’s always been very nervous, but I know they were making a fuss of him. He even licked the physiotherapist’s arm when she was talking to us before we brought him home.

He is to be very restricted for two weeks, then building up very gently to more use of the leg over the following four, then back for a progress check at 6 weeks post op. He has someone with him 24 hours a day – mostly me. I can’t even go to the loo without getting someone to come and sit with him. Sometimes I wish I’d cage trained him when he was a puppy so he could be left safely for a few minutes, but I’ve never liked cages for dogs. Anyway, it won’t be for long and we’ve been through it all before.

He has to wear an extra big lampshade as he is an expert at getting round them, but he does have time out not wearing it. You can see in the photo below that almost his whole leg has been shaved.

Cuddling with Lovely Grandson

While he was away, my lovely oldest grandson put all Dusty’s toys away and when I asked why he said, “I didn’t want you seeing them all the time and getting upset.” Bless him. When the grandchildren come round, they crawl in on hands and knees (so he can't jump up) and bring him a treat and lots of cuddles.

The support from family and friends has been wonderful. I don’t know what we’d do without them – you! Thank you!

A Proper Bed At Last!

Tonight for the first time since the middle of November when Dusty had his TPLO surgery, I will be sleeping in a proper bed! Yay!

Last Tuesday, Dusty’s X rays at our vet’s showed his bones had healed and the metalwork was fine. Now we are waiting to hear from the orthopaedic surgeon about what happens next with regard to his exercise and the timing of an operation for the luxating patella.

I was walking round on air all day.

Last week we got rid of our old very high bed base, so I moved back upstairs with Dusty knowing he’d be fine getting on and off the mattress on the floor which was slightly more comfortable than the chair bed. Today the new bed arrived – it’s an extra low one designed for attic rooms. It feels so comfortable, but when he has his next op, I’ll probably end up sleeping downstairs on the chair bed again for a while.

We have pushed the bed up against the wall to minimise the risk of him falling off. It’ll be handy when smaller grandchildren come to stay for sleepovers too as I won’t have to put bed rails on the sides to stop them plummeting to the floor (it only happened once and fortunately the very small grandchild was unharmed, but I don't think my nerves ever recovered). And it'll be handy if we ever move to a house with sloping ceilings.

Harley is glad he’s getting back to normal. She can’t wait for the day when he’ll be allowed to run round the garden chasing other cats away. Today it was me running round the garden in my socks after another cat had cornered her behind the bins. She’s such a gentle, inoffensive little thing and at least two of the other cats round here pick on her.

Happy Almost Spring!

Dusty - Our Little Enigma

We took Dusty back to Newmarket on the 29^th December for x rays to see how he’s progressing. He was walking well and his incision had healed so well you could barely see it, so I hoped they’d say he was doing marvellously. But there is only limited healing of his bones. We came away feeling rather down.

Almost as soon as we got home, he started biting at his leg and on Saturday he made part of the scar pink and sore so it was back on with the dreaded lampshade.

We took him to see our vet when we took Harley in. He found that Dusty’s kneecap is now loose which can be a complication of the surgery and he would need another operation to fix it.

We couldn’t get back to Newmarket this week, so our vet did the x rays to check the implant is still okay as they were worried that something might have gone wrong with that. We then had a worrying wait while the orthopaedic surgeons looked at the results and decided what to do.

Today we heard that the implant is fine and when his bones have healed, he will have to have another operation to sort his kneecap out and in the meantime, more x rays in a few weeks to see how he’s progressing.

We’ve done everything we’ve been told, keeping him on the lead unless he is in a small confined area with nothing to jump on, carrying him up and down stairs and in and out of the front and back doors. Visitors are kept to a minimum and he doesn’t get to see any other dogs. He has a good quality diet and hasn’t put on any weight and he is never left alone even for a minute.

When his little people come to see him, they crawl in on their hands and knees so he won't jump up at them!

I’m still sleeping downstairs with him so there’s no risk of him jumping on and off my bed and it looks like I’ll be doing so for the foreseeable future.

I am looking on the bright side of things and the bright side of this is that I don’t have to traipse across muddy fields in the cold and wet. And looking ahead, when he can go for proper walks again, we should be approaching lovely spring!

Hooray for Harley

This time last year at not a lot more than a year old, Harley had gingivitis and had to have her teeth cleaned because they were smothered in tartar at the back. They did lots of tests at the same time, chief suspect being Feline calicivirus.

All came back clear. But FC can give a false negative and our vets still suspect this is the culprit. Six months ago her gums were still red and Neal said she would almost certainly need her teeth cleaned at her next appointment and possibly a repeat of the tests.

She has dental food, dental treats, L-lysine chews and Plaque off (thanks again Pat!) and at her six-month check-up yesterday her teeth were clean. Gums a bit red (but nothing like as bad as before). Tom said they probably look worse than they are and she shows no sign of soreness or pain.

I was so pleased that her teeth were at least clean. Such a contrast to last year when they were so bad, they didn’t know if she’d have to have any removed (she didn’t). She passed the rest of her health check with flying colours and has even put on a little weight!

So for Harley a grand start to the New Year. Something I am very happy about and thankful for.

Hope everyone reading this has something good going for them just now and that it carries on.

Happy Christmas!

Just popping in to wish everyone who reads my ramblings a very happy Christmas (I promise to keep this short). Thank you for sticking with me and for your kind and generous comments.

I don't have any particularly festive pictures, but I like this one of four of my grandchildren (there is a fourth one buried in there) having a cuddle with Olaf. "Why is he so big?" one of the smaller ones asked. "Because he's eaten too many mince pies," I said to which I got a long suffering look, a groan and, "Don't be silly, Grandma. He's a snowman."

Happy Christmas!

Lots of Love,

Teresa xxx

Books, books, books...

  

As we’re hurtling towards the end of the year, I thought I’d write a post about some of the terrific books I’ve read this year.

When I was a child, one of my favourite books was one I inherited from my sister called The Girls’ Book of Heroines. I don’t have many books that I’ve kept from childhood, but that is one of them. I used to read it over and over and still have an occasional dip.

This year Debbie Blake’s, Daughters of Ireland: Pioneering Irish Women was published by The History Press. I treated myself to the paperback and oh my! I planned to dip in and out over time, but ended up reading it cover to cover over several days. I had the same feeling reading that as I did my sister's heroines book, this sense of discovery about amazing women, but in much more depth of course.

I found myself reading bits out to my husband. A truly inspirational and eye-opening read about fascinating women. As a footnote you can find out more about #Distractingly Sexy  posted by female scientists on Twitter.

Most recent book read was Milly Johnson’s Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café. Another one I couldn’t put down. I love Milly’s books and have enjoyed every one, but I think this is her best yet.

Here is a list of some of the other books I’ve read and enjoyed (I'm too lazy to write reviews, but you can check them out on Amazon and "Look inside"). There are more, but I can’t get to my notebook where I write down every book I read as it is buried under a pile of presents so I’ve had to rely on my memory (not very good as I know I’ve read far more than this). I’ve put links to the books on Amazon and Author blogs/websites where known.

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

The Birds, The Bees and Other Secrets by Frances Garrood

Short Story Secrets: Turning Words Into Money by Hettie Barton

Not A Drop To Drink by Patsy Collins (You can also find Patsy at Womagwriter)

Tying Down The Lion by Joanna Campbell

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (And it's going to be on screen! Can't wait!)

Edwins Baby & Other Stories by Susanne Ross Jones

Dreaming Big & Other Stories by Susanne Ross Jones

Elizabeth is Missing by EmmaHealey

Poison (87thPrecinct) by Ed McBain

Wolf Hall & Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

The Axe Factor by Colin Cotterill

The Positively Productive Writer by Simon Whaley

Give Up Ironing: A Writer’s Guide to Time Management by Kathleen McGurl

Ghost Stories and How to Write Them by Kathleen McGurl

The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory

Edit is a Four Letter Word by Glynis Scrivens

I’m always on the lookout for book recommendations, so if anyone has any ideas, I’d be grateful!

Update on Dusty. Four weeks now since his op and we have at last dispensed with the lampshade. Next week he goes for his first hydrotherapy session – as he loves swimming I’m hoping he’ll enjoy it! It will be nice for him to have a change of scene. He’s getting very bored and regularly empties my paper recycling bin for me!

And in other news, while I am sleeping downstairs with Dusty, someone else has taken over my side of the bed. I just hope she moves over and gives me some room when I can finally go back to my bed!