Today was The Day. I had a very restless night as I was so stressed about the possible outcome. While waiting our turn at the clinic Topi did a grand tour and checked the room but no food was found..
Around 11 am Topi was sedated and I went home. After some looooong hours I got the call that the operation is over and Topi is in the recovery room. What a relief! I will write more about the operation itself later, now we will have a well deserved rest <3
Topi was operated on Tuesday at Eläinklinikka Morelius by DVM Mikael Morelius. Both shoulders were operated by arthroscopy. On the left side there was a appr. 10 mm wide piece of cartilage removed. On the right side, which is also affected, the situation was calm and nothing was done. Everything went well!
The beauty of arthroscopy as a method compared to open surgery is the tiny little wounds instead of large wounds. Topi’s wounds are dry and clean and there is no swelling at all. Another advantage is faster recovery and less risk of infection. I’m super happy that I chose this clinic to operate Topi. The entire staff is so professional and friendly! I was very well informed at all stages and had a good chat with the surgeon pre- and post-op.
The first night post-op went well. Topi was calm and we all slept well trough the night. Now we have to take it very easy, just the mandatory leashed outings. Inside Topi may stroll free as long as he stays calm. I’ve blocked his favorite spots where he usually jumps like the side table in the kitchen… Topi is using the leg well and shows no signs of pain. Sure he is on pain meds still.
Wanna have a look on shoulder arthroscopy? Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/live/EsdYrIGArxs?feature=share
It’s now been a week and everything is going well. We make only very short outings, 3-4 times a day. Topi doesn’t agree with the protocol but keeps himself together amazingly well. Good boy!
All dogs have had a diarrhea, caused by a rotten meat. It looked and smelled good and was defrosted in the fridge but it wasn’t good. Loads of watery stool and vomiting but all are better now.
Topi is well. He is getting to be a pain in the ass and needs more brain work. It’s very challenging to keep him from jumping and climbing..
I’ve started to use a slow feeder. This keeps Topi busy with the food a little longer. I’ve also removed sticthes, wounds are perfectly healed!
Today we went to see the physiotherapist for the first time. We are seeing Kirsti Lind at Eläinklinikka Morelius, she is just awesome! So friendly and calm. Topi is very good state and we can now start walking! We also got so many tools for rehab at home.
The photo below reveals what Topi should not be doing right now. He was reaching for the apple flowers and I tried to take the cutest photo of him smelling the flowers. Things escalated in a blink of an eye… He has quite a lot fool’s energy at the moment.
Today I started cartrophen injections to Topi. It’s a serie of 4 weekly injections. It should provide relief from pain, stiffness and lameness. The treatment is repeated twice a year. I’m hopeful that this would prevent arthritis!
It’s now 3 weeks post-op and all is well. He is allowed to walk 60 minutes a day. We’ve been taking short tours on the surrounding fields which already gives him so much more activation than just walking in the garden.
Topi’s favorite part of rehab is digging. He just loves to dig and I was very happy that our physiotherapist recommended it 🙂 So daily digging is included in our rehab program!
Today Topi started cavaletti training. Just a few minutes in walk. The target is to make him stretch his steps, just little for a start.
Today it’s 33 days post-op and all is still going really well. Walking is increased to 80 minutes a day, which is nice but not enough for a yearling. We need something else too and it’s Games. Things that make our life a tad easier during the rehab period. I’m lucky that I got some games borrowed from Milja, the owner of Topi’s brother Sulo. Now we have several interesting games to get Topi’s brains tired!
