Fox ~ Updates
8/3/04
7 weeks post surgery
| 9/30/05 Fox was discharged today. She is confined to a crate for at least the next two weeks when she is scheduled to be seen for a recheck by Dr. Kochin. She will be confined to indoor rest, limited activity, no stair use, playing, or leash walks except for bathroom breaks for at least the next 12 weeks. This time when she was discharged, we were given a sling to help support her hips and assist her with walking. It has been a huge help since this surgery seems to have taken a lot more out of her physically and emotionally than the last one. For now, she is resting comfortably and is eating and drinking which is a good sign! 9/27/05 Today Fox will be undergoing a procedure called an Extracapsular Repair. Her patellar luxation will also be repaired along with any other damage found. Dr. Kochin has used this procedure with great success many times on dogs of Fox's size. We discussed how long it normally takes most dogs to recover however; we all agree Fox probably will not follow this schedule since she seems to take the longer more difficult road to recovery. 9/26/05 Last night I witnessed one of those accidents where you would give anything to be able to prevent it from happening. Fox was turning around when she lost her balance and started to topple onto the floor. Trying to regain her balance, she put her right rear leg onto the floor and instead of supporting her, her legs gave way and she sank to the floor. When she got up, she was holding her right rear leg off the floor. Repeated attempts to bear weight on it were not successful and seemed painful. Today Fox saw Dr. Kochin. In order to keep Fox calm and relaxed my husband waited outside with her. When Dr. Kochin was ready to examine Fox, he and I went outside to bring her into his office. Since Fox was so relaxed, the examination went much easier. Unfortunately, he did not have any trouble getting the classic “drawer sign” so I was not surprised to hear the diagnosis was a complete tear of the ACL. Because conservative treatment failed, we have now decided to go forward with surgery. 9/20/05 It has now been 7 weeks and we are cautiously optimistic. We are still restricting Fox's activity to leash walks but it is encouraging to see that she is now using her leg instead of carrying it. She is now off all medication and does not seem to be in any pain. 8/29/05 Fox returned today for her 4-week check up. Progress has been slow. At times, Fox carries her leg while other times she will toe touch. When at the vet, Fox becomes so nervous and tense it is hard for Dr. Kochin to examine her and gauge her progress. 7/28/05 Fox is now 6.4 years old and once again, currently unavailable for adoption. A few days prior to July 28, 2005 , Fox began limping on her right rear leg. Concerned, I made an appointment with Dr. Kochin, her orthopedic surgeon. He examined the patella and felt that although it was luxating, it had remained a grade two and was not the cause of Fox's limp. After a through examination and X-rays, Dr. Kochin determined the problem was a partially torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament). Because Fox‘s recovery from her previous surgery took so long, we decided to try a conservative approach first. Fox would be limited to leash walks, anti-inflammatory and pain medications in an effort to avoid surgery. Fox's progress would be checked over the next couple of months for signs of improvement. If she worsened, we would need to reassess her treatment. 11/26/04 It has been awhile since I have given an update on Fox. It has been about 22 weeks since her surgery. She is now 5.6 years old. The past few months have been spent trying to increase Fox's level of activity. As the length of her walks has increased, she has days when she is fine and days when covering the same distance results in limping. In the last update, I mentioned the patella luxation in Fox's right knee. Dr. Henry had graded it at a three; Dr. Kochin felt is was a grade two. I have been watching it closely while increasing Fox's activity level. I have not noticed any changes nor has there been an increase in lameness. Fox is currently receiving Glycoflex 2, which is helping with arthritis and pain control. She gets occasional muscle spasms in the thigh of her repaired leg. A combination of deep muscle massage and heat compresses works well for relief. All other therapy has been discontinued. Fox has been listed as available for adoption. Since her surgery, her temperament has changed. She has become timid and reserved around people. She can't be trusted around children. She has snapped at a 10-year-old child and a 13-year-old teenager. She is choosy about which dogs she decides are her friends. Fox does not get along with most female dogs and only likes some male dogs. She does well with my 10-year-old cat. Fox will be placed in the New England states of ME, NH, VT, MA, CT and RI, only. An adoption form must be filled out; a home visit is required, as is proof of a current vet. 8/30/04 Today was Fox's 10 week vet appointment. Dr. Kochin examined the surgically repaired left leg and was pleased with the amount of muscle she has gained through physical therapy. He was also pleased with the range of motion he was able to achieve when he manipulated her leg. He said the pins have healed well but will still need to be watched because excessive activity can sometimes cause a pin to loosen. Fox will now be allowed longer walks which if tolerated well, will gradually increase in distance over the next few weeks. She will also be allowed off leash in my fenced yard and will be given short periods of supervised time to see if she will begin using her leg to run. Currently she is still not consistently using her leg. Dr. Kochin feels there is some room for improvement over the next 4 weeks but says that she is probably at the point where she is as good as she is going to get. While the luxation repair was a total success she will still cope with arthritis in that knee for the rest of her life. As for her right knee, we have had differing opinions on the grade. Dr. Kochin feels it is a two and has not worsened. As Fox's level of activity increases she will be watched carefully for signs of increased lameness in either leg. As of today Fox has been released as a patient and unless further problems develop she will be available for adoption the end of September. 8/3/04 Dr. Kochin said he had seen the X-Rays that Dr. Henry had taken and thought they looked good. The pins are in place and the 9 inches of wire is intact and positioned where it should be. He would like to see her using the leg more but since she actually had a severe grade four luxation, requiring quite a bit of reconstructive surgery, he isn't overly worried at this point. He feels her recovery is going to take time. He has decided to withdraw the Dermaxx since she has little inflammation in the knee. If she shows any signs of discomfort in the next two weeks she will go back on it for a while longer. There will be no changes made to Fox's physical therapy and she will continue to receive it. I told Dr.Kochin that during the July 15th appointment I was watching Dr. Henry do a physical exam on Fox when he remarked that the patella in her right knee was out and he proceeded to put it back in. Dr. Henry graded it at a three and told me surgery would be needed as soon as her left leg healed. I was stunned by this news since I was unaware of the luxation in that leg. Dr. Kochin had done the original examination /consultation of Fox, examined the leg, and at that point in time said the leg was solid. I needed to wait until Fox could be seen by Dr. Kochin for his opinions. Unfortunately, Dr. Kochin confirmed Fox does indeed have a luxating patella in her right leg. He first became aware of it while doing the x-rays for the procedure the morning of the surgery. While I was there on July 29th he examined her knee and found he could manipulate the patella. He said Fox is currently a grade two. He was quick to say surgery will not be done unless she shows signs of limping or injures her cruciate ligament. 7/22/04 On July 15th we took Fox for her second follow up appointment since her surgery. I told Dr. Henry of my growing concerns regarding Fox's reluctance to use her leg. He agreed that by now she should be using and bearing weight on her leg. He did a through physical exam and when that did not turn up anything abnormal he ordered an X-ray. The results of the X-Rays showed the pins and wire are still in place and nothing has moved. He can find no reason other than the fact that he feels she is experiencing a great deal of discomfort. Dr. Henry took her off Rimadyl and put her on a two week trial of Deramaxx to see if that helps. He has concerns about her other knee because of all the weight she is putting on that leg. He has recommended that I have Fox start water therapy which consists of having her swim 15 minutes a day for a week then increase to 15 minutes twice a day. This will be in addition to her other therapy. She will be seeing her regular surgeon on the 29 th of July and I will post another update then. 7/2/04 Fox had her first follow up visit since her surgery yesterday. Her incision is healing well and her sutures were removed. She has begun lightly toe touching the floor but not really bearing weight on the leg. I am to begin applying warm, moist compresses to her knee 3 to 4 times a day for 15 minutes each time. The compresses should help to loosen up her knee. I am also to begin physical therapy which involves gently straightening her leg then bending her knee, repeating this three or four times a day, for a few minutes at at time. Fox now is able to move about the first floor of my home but still can not do stairs. I can begin walking her but I find she tires easily and doesn't go far before she decides it is time to lie down and rest. She is now off her antibiotic medication but is still on Rimadyl for another two weeks as she is still experiencing pain. Our next vet visit is July 15th.
It has been four days since Fox had her surgery. Last night was a rough one for her and neither she nor I got much sleep. Today she is resting comfortably and seems to be experiencing less pain. She was released on Thursday with Rimadyl for pain management which she will be given for 14 days and Cephalexin (antibiotic) which she will take for 7 days. Her activity is restricted for 12 weeks. Her next vet appointment is July 1st. Fox Update 6/15/04 Fox underwent her surgery today for her luxating patella. The vet phoned me after she awoke from the effects of the anesthesia. Fox is doing well. During her surgery her groove was deepened, her tendon relocated and ligaments were built up. She is receiving 24 hour care and pain management. I will be allowed to visit her tomorrow. If all goes well the vet will consider releasing her on Thursday. Thank you to all who donated and made this surgery possible! Fox Update 6/1/04 Patella surgery has been tentatively scheduled for Fox for June 15th. Her expected hospital stay is three days. I will post an update as soon as she is out of surgery. She has been limping more especially on days when it is raining and damp. Her favorite pastime is lying in the sun and giving a huge Shiba smile to anyone who gives her a friendly word, pat, or hug! Fox
Update 4/26/04 |
6/19/04