TPLO Surgery is (Tentatively) Scheduled

Riley's knee fluid test came back negative for infection (yay!) but we're still waiting on the culture to develop. So far, the vet says there is nothing growing, but it will be a few days before they know for sure. She is tentatively scheduling Riley for TPLO surgery this Friday (5/24) pending the outcome of the culture. We hope there will be an open slot for her, but won't know for sure until Wednesday. It's all a waiting game at this point. I'm enjoying my time with the Ri girl and spoiling her up with all kinds of treats. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, blueberries, cheese, and bully sticks! :)

Silly girl "cuddling" with Auntie Bree

Quick description of TPLO (Tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery from Wikipedia:

TPLO, or tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament (analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in humans, and sometimes colloquially called the same).

The cranial cruciate ligament runs from the cranila mid part of the tibial intercondylar eminence to the lateral condyle of the femur. Normally, the CrCL prevents caudal (backward) movement of the Femur relative to the Tibia. When it ruptures, the joint becomes unstable which causes pain and can lead to chronic progressive arthritis in the stifle if untreated.

In a TPLO procedure, the tibial plateau, the portion of the tibia adjoining the stifle, is cut and rotated so that its slope changes to approximately 5 degrees from the horizontal plane. This prevents the femur from sliding down the slope of the tibial plateau when the dog puts weight on its knee. Thus surgery generally results in faster recovery times compared to other procedures to stabilize the knee. Most dogs (over 90%) are expected to regain a very active and athletic lifestyle with no post-operative complications and without the need for any long-term pain relieving medication.

I will be adding my own pictures/videos of Riley's recovery in hopes that this will be an encouragement to anyone dealing with the same issue. I have absolute faith in the vets at UC Davis. They are, after all, the #2 vet school in the country!

 

Bad News :(

A friend & I took a day off from work today to make the 4 hour round trip to UC Davis for an orthopedic specialist to examine Riley's knee. I'll be brief. Her cruciate ligament in her knee is torn. I had suspected this was the case all along based on how she had been favoring the leg ever since she was attacked.

The resident AND faculty vet both agree it's a ligament tear & requires immediate surgery (they wanted me to schedule the surgery for next week, if possible.) They also recommended the TPLO method, which will cost around $4,500. The vet also says it would be best for her to have the metal plate/screws removed after 3-4 months of recovery to avoid the risk of infection, due to her past history, which is an additional $1,500.

We're relaxing at home with my sweet baby girl and trying to figure out how we're going to make this work. Today's appointment cost $600 (a small fraction of what we've already spent). Please send prayers and good thoughts our way. We could use them. 

Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park

Reuben did the "Run For Your Lives" zombie run on Saturday. I decided to take the pups with me to drop him off and see if I could find a spot nearby to go for a short hike. We discovered a beautiful park with a place for the pups to explore and swim.

Entrance to the upper side

 Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park (that's a mouthful!) is located about an hour northeast of Sacramento. It's a gorgeous park and has all kinds of wildlife, including ticks, so make sure to check yourself before you leave.

Posing for a picture by the creek

I was very excited to discover it was a short walk to the creek. Riley's leg has been really bad, but she looooves to swim and it's a great way to tire her out without hurting her leg. Both pups swam for about 45 minutes before we went on a VERY short hike to explore the area.

Cooper goes full derp

Riley with a little silly lip action

These guys move so quickly it's hard to get good pictures of them! Riley and Cooper both showed off their derpy sides and made faces for the camera.

Pointing at the deer - "Mom! It's over here!"

The deer came bursting out of the bushes to the left

I always doubted the pups would be any good at hunting fur (as opposed to feathers). Well, they found fur for me. A very big, furry doe! Riley kept going nuts around a large cluster of bushes and she locked up onto a point a few times, with Cooper honoring. I just told her she was silly and kept walking. She was so frustrated with me that she ran around the opposite side of the bushes and barged right in... flushing a deer out right in front of me! I was so shocked I didn't even think about taking a picture. The deer definitely wasn't scared of me and just kind of stood there staring at me before she leapt away and effortlessly cleared the barbed wire boundary fence. A few seconds later my hunter pups came running around the bush and started trying to track the deer. I had to recall them a few times before they gave up. My lesson from that day was to trust my pups' noses!

I discovered a new panoramic setting on my phone and took a couple of pictures to show just how gorgeous the park is. If you have a chance and are in the area I strongly recommend visiting the park.

One flag left!

Muddy and yucky, but he survived

Oh, and my hubby did great at the zombie race. He "survived" (didn't run out of flags) and earned a medal for his accomplishment! Cooper's been running with him during the cooler hours of the day and they're both in great shape now.

Velcro Vizslas

Is there anything better than Vizsla cuddles? <3

Pups & Peanut Butter

I love putting peanut butter on my pups' noses. It's hilarious to watch them try to lick it off! After a few minutes, they discovered it was easier to lick it off each others noses. Smart pups! :)

Hunting Styles

"If you have a Vizsla you hunt with who is subtle, then get to know him or her and don't dismiss it as a lack of prey drive, as it may just be they have a different way of letting you know." ~ Aussie Vizsla Diaries

"Try telling them the freezer is full"

A brilliant blog post written by my friend "down under" about hunting with dogs who show their points in different ways. I hate it when people are discouraged by trainers who tell them their dog has no hunt potential simply because they don't have obvious, showy points. Please check out his blog! He has some great tips on bow hunting and training dogs the natural way. :)

Orthopedic Specialist Time

Riley has been limping worse and worse as each month passes and refusing to put any weight on her injured leg. I can pick up her right hind leg and she absolutely collapses if I make her use the other leg as support. A few days ago she sat on the floor and stared up at me, crying, because she couldn't jump onto the bed. I knew it was time to schedule an appointment with a vet at UC Davis. We are going to see an orthopedic specialist (translation: very expensive vet for leg injuries) on May 15th. The hubby and I are hopeful they can give us some answers and possibly some solutions for our poor little girl. Hunt training has been put on hold (yet again) until she's better. 1st appointment is going to cost us $140 just for them to look at her leg, not to mention the cost of gas for the 4 hour round trip drive. I'd better bid my meager savings account farewell.

Sweet Riley has a hard time getting comfortable these days. She likes to lay on the back of our couch because this way it relieves some of the pressure on her leg. <3 It's hard to see a family member you love in so much pain.

Cuddling with her brother

 Cooper is her best buddy and they do everything together. We are so blessed to have 2 of the best dog breed in the world! (We are a bit biased, of course!)

Cooper is getting so big! Almost 70lbs :)