Home from surgery

Well, we opted for Rita to go ahead with the ligament surgery. Now, we've got 6 laser treatments over the next 2 weeks. Can you believe we're scheduling laser treatments for the DOG?

Rita's a special case. She's no doubt the unplanned addition to our pack. When she was found HE swore he would never take care of this dog. Well, 4 years and $5K later, we couldn't imagine our life without her. She's had a rough life, a bad case of heart worms to start with. Once we had the heart worms fixed, we had metal screws put in her leg to fix where it had been broken. Then, when the screws did not stay in place, she went through another surgery to add plates and more screws. This did her so much good! She could walk, run and play and move much easier on all four legs. Around the time of the hurricane, we noticed she was lifting her good rear leg completely off the ground. She would occasionally use it, but not for long. Often I think it would only come close to the ground, without putting complete pressure on it. So, once the hurricane excitement was over, we made it back to the vet. This time he offered a second specialist. We were not happy that the first had to do surgery twice on her broken leg.

We dropped her off yesterday and around 3:30 they called to say she had made it through surgery well. She was very swollen and they would do the first laser treatment this morning. Once that treatment was done, they would determine if she could come home. We were very happy to pick her up at 11 AM today. She was bouncing with energy, as beagles do. It will be a difficult 8 weeks. Her activity should be very limited for the next 6-7 weeks -- outside only on the leash, never allowed to run free or play with her pals.

Her leg is incredibly swollen. The incision is very large. These are the best stitches I've ever seen! The doctor did an awesome job closing up. We have our first fall cool front and that leg must be cold -- they shaved almost her entire leg! She's certainly on her way to recovery, and hopefully this is the last major medical procedure she will undergo. I didn't have the heart to take pictures of her today, but I will soon.