8-weeks post op

Leo is doing so well! He can trot along really fast. We haven't let him run outside "free" yet. I think we're safe but he's now used to being contained on a leash outside. Inside, he is active chasing the cat. He loves her and would love to play but she doesn't want him nipping at her ears. :)

I'm so pleased with Leo's progress. I cannot wait to tell Dr. Porter - the best veterinary surgeon in Canada (at the very least). He will be happy for the news too.

6-weeks post op

As of today, Monday, August 8, 2010 it has been 6 weeks since surgery.

Dr. Porter had said that if Leo had been in a cast, he'd come out of it after 6 weeks so I think not keeping him in the brace is OK. Although I feel like if I took him on a walk farther from home, I'd definitely still want that protection. But I also feel anxiety of separating from it. The brace was so integral in Leo's rehabilitation. It worked so well... I guess I'm so surprised that the time has finally come. The leg is still weak since the leg muscles have atrophied quite a bit but Dr. Porter said that would just take time to build them up. He was very happy with how he has healed over all. I owe him a phone call this week.

I weighed Leo the other day and he had lost 3/4 kg. His digestion is good but maybe he's not eating as much. It may be attributed to muscle loss but in another few weeks I'm sure he'll average out. In any case, Leo is behaving very healthy and happy. :)

Canine Rehabilitation with an Orthosis

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Good news!

Leo has a revamped brace such that it bends at the knee. We are in the last stages of rehab. Actually, he still has quite a raw sore from the original chopped down version so he's been in the kennel and out of the brace more often than he's been in the brace.

For the first few days, I'd put the brace on only to go outside for short walks. He has been maneuvering very well inside the house without the brace. We haven't been restricting him much inside. Originally, he'd be in the cage half the time but now we're letting him run free. He is mostly using his repaired leg! In the evening of Saturday, August 6, I took the 3 of them for a short walk around the block. It was a pleasant surprise when I noticed Leo using all 4 legs equally to walk! Before, I'd have to stop him and make him go slow to use all 4; now he was going faster-paced using all 4 and trotting right along. I was so pleased! What progress!

I am so hopeful Leo will return to normal and I finally feel like we're over the half-way mark. I think leaving him out of the brace is helping the sore to heal (there is still quite a scab) and he is not allowed to run off-leash.
I'm to call Dr. Porter after a week to give him an update. After a phone call this week and if I have no concerns, I only have to go back for a follow-up after another 6 weeks, so mid-September.

New pain point

The brace seemed to be working so well I didn't really check it carefully until Saturday morning. Leo can now bend forward at the knee which is chaffing on the inside of the brace and causing major irritation. It's very raw. I was able to see Janice at PawsAbility immediately (well... within an hour, since it's about 45km away). She carved it down more and put in softer padding.

At home Saturday, he was OK. We put him in the kennel Saturday night thought. We also let his rawness 'air out' while laying quietly at home Sunday and Sunday night (except for a bit to go outside for a short walk in the evening before bed). In fact, he is able to lift his leg up now while walking which is what he was doing before the surgery, tucking it up under himself -- but he's not supposed to! He should be using the leg in the brace!

It is a bit disheartening since Monday, we both had to leave for the day so in the kennel he went again. I just couldn't confine his irritated, raw shin bone in the brace all day without supervision. Poor little guy would be so hot and bothered from chewing at the Velcro and his own foot all day...

I have an appointment scheduled to see Dr. Porter Tuesday at 11:10 am for a follow-up and get "next steps" so we'll see what he says about it.

The brace gets adjusted today

I was curious as to how the new brace would look with it only half there but also anxious to get Leo into advanced rehab with a brace that provides more mobility. It looks great, functions and he cannot get out of it. :) He can now bend his knee forward which allows him to start using the upper part of the repaired tendon.

It's been 31 days since surgery and Leo is out of brace #1 and into the modified "rehab" version now. :)

Follow-up Results

Dr. Carl Porter suggests allowing as much air around the foot so that the toes can dry and also keep the brace clean(er). Leo is in the dirt so much... he allows for bacteria to get in the brace and it starts to irritate him.

That said, he may just end up in the kennel for the next week. Dr. Porter says to leave the original brace on him an additional 7 days before modifying it. I called Janice (after he had time to call her) to make an appointment. Next Thursday, July 28th, I take Leo in for 10am to get the brace adjusted. She is going to cut the top part off and change how the harness and back strap provide suspension.

This is such a long recovery process. Lorne said it would be easy. I didn't have any delusions either but reality has set in. Leo does not like being confined in that contraption he has for a 4th leg. However, Dr. Carl did say that the tendon looks good, it's in tact and is healing well! That's the main thing... the other issues are just the duties I have as a canine nurse-maid! ::sigh::

Follow-up at the vet hospital after wearing the brace for 2 weeks

It's been 2 weeks since Leo started wearing his brace.

Sunday, July 17, just 11 days after first getting the brace, he managed to get out of it in front of our eyes while he was completely strapped into it. What a dog. We were on our way out so fortunately we caught him but unfortunately for him he ended up in the kennel for the day but without his brace.

Yesterday, Rogers was coming so I worked from home and kept an eye on him. It just seems that as one part heals another part starts getting sores. His toes are red and something is irritating him. He goes, goes, goes but then he'll lay down and start chewing on his toes. They are under a velcro strap screwed on with metal so it's a bit difficult but sometimes, eventually, he can disengage from his brace. His lower leg is completely wet and slimy.

In any case, he is off to the vet tomorrow. The surgeon called Monday (back from vacation) so I figure I should get this done with. Also, he is probably ready for a revised brace - in the toe area but not in the hip area. We think he would most definitely get out of the brace if Janice were to chop off the top! ::sigh::

Canine Nurse Maid

That's me. I've been tending to these dogs for so long. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and now Thursday I've been working from home this week alone. I give Bailey antibiotics every 3-4 hours and I check Leo's brace regularly - it's so humid, it cannot be very comfortable. He has a sore on the inside ankle bone which isn't healing. I tried antibiotic ointment on it but it doesn't get enough air or it's still rubbing against the brace or sock on the inside.

Tuesday, the 12th, I take both dogs to Cedarbrae Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Lavoie checks Bailey's eye which he says is 95% healed! I'm pleasantly surprised. I had told him my administering the medications on the weekend was 'intense' and he said that that had paid off. He squirted the neon green/yellow liquid in his eye so that the 'ulcer' (scratch) would show up and there were only a few specs! On Saturday, there was a pinky nail sized solid scratch. I can barely believe it but am relieved this has practically healed, all short of surgery. It is looking much better even since then, he opens it nearly completely (well it's hard to tell since I'm still adding drops to his eyeball every few hours). Dr. Lavoie also tried to withdraw more blood to make the serum. He didn't get much and what was there was fatty (he had to 'spin' it again). I admitted he was fed salmon for breakfast. Isn't that interesting? :) In any case, it isn't as urgent that he receive this serum but the antibiotics should continue another week or two. Wow, that is still very intense. I won't be able to stay home all that time so he'll get as many doses as often as I can give him.

Since I was at a veterinarian's office for Bailey and Leo was scheduled to have his stitches out, I figured I'd get Dr. Lavoie to remove his sutures while I was there. I only took 2 minutes anyway. Leo healed very well but the raw sore was of concern. Dr. Lavoie suggested the brace be modified or left off him to allow it air and a chance to heal. I actually put him in the kennel for a few hours each afternoon without his brace on while I worked so I could watch him. He did try to lick it some but he would settle down when I told him to leave it.

Leo sporting his brace, sniffing around the yard:

Thursday, the 14th - I take Leo to PawsAbility. Janice was kind enough to email me at 8am immediately upon returning from vacation. She was able to see me around 3pm. She adjusted Leo's brace on the inside where he has the sore and padded it with a softer material in case it does rub. She also suggested going without the sock which is great. Janice also fixed his 'tread'. It's a new black rubber 'boot' that I can fix with black electrical tape if necessary. She also gave me a strip of velcro and applied new straps which he had chewed off last week.

Leo certainly gets good use of his brace. Upon arriving home he rolled around on his back in the dirt and grass kicking up a storm. He is always on the go but is obviously slowed down by his limited ability. He is spunky and tries to play with Bailey and Rex a little. He is just so dang cute. The brace fits well and he doesn't seem to have any problems with it. Hopefully when I leave him home tomorrow he won't chew stuff off it. :)

Poodle at the dojo

I administered drops every 2 hours, i.e. starting at 7am and ending at 11pm - 9 times 2 drops each of 2 medications. Whew!

Bailey made out just fine. He enjoyed the outing, meeting new people and getting attention from strangers.... except when the grading was going on then he had to stay in the kennel. He didn't need the cone much after the 2nd day.

Bailey also got to attend Sean's birthday party BBQ where he was the sole dog but he had to dodge Morana's 9-week old kitten a lot. The pussy had to stay inside so Bailey came outside with me. It was very humid and I'm sure the grass is cool.

Bailey has an ulcerated cornea. Really!?

Seriously. Bailey had randomly been "winking" with his left eye. Other times he'd have it open but in the last week or so it seemed to be closed more often than not and this morning it was pussy on the outside and red on the inside.

I called Cedarbrae Veterinary Clinic around 9am and asked if I could get squeezed in today. I couldn't wait another day. Even the vet's office said he should come in right away to get examined. She said come as soon as possible but that Dr. Lavoie is booked. So I arrived around 1030am. Although it was quite busy it cleared out and I was into a room before too long - driving away within an hour of arrivng.

Bailey's left cornea is scratched. Dr. Lavoie applied those neon yellow/green drops into his eyeball and when we opened his lids I could see where it was 'patchy' on the surface over his iris. It was explained (like with Leo last year) that there are no blood vessels there to bring oxygen to the site and assist with healing so what he did was mix several viles of Bailey's blood with 'something' to make a special healing serum at the injured site.

This is what Dr. Porter suggested we do with Leo, use his own blood and re-inject in at the surgical area. Sounds cool. The deal is I have to put 2 drops into his left eye every hour. Every hour! Second day, every 2 hours. Thereafter, every 3-4 hours. He also has the antibiotic drops which remains 2 drops every 2 hours. Thirdly, there is the Metacam anti-inflammatory which will help remove bacteria from the site and promote healing.

Because the drops bothered Bailey (they were painful) we needed to put a cone on him. I cut it a bit when we got home so he can maneuver around better. But the drop applications are so aggressive! I really hope this helps heal his eyeball so he doesn't require surgery.

He seemed to be in fairly decent spirits and slept quite a bit today. He doesn't love the drops but he is a good dog and will stand there for the hourly application. Unfortunately, tomorrow my husband has to work so he can't administer the medicine. I'm going to have to crate Bailey so I can tend to him while at the dojo! Sigh....

Leo chewed his brace off!

I thought I would not put the back harness on overnight, so he'd be more comfortable but by morning Leo had chewed off his sock and slipped out of the brace! His face was damp from mouthing at it just as the sock was. When I sat up in bed, he got up and started hobbling towards me; I freaked out!

My husband and I together struggled to keep the sock on properly while putting his leg back in the brace so for the day we thought we'd try the brace without the sock. Friday evening it was OK but he had still chewed off the 'make-shift' velcro strap and sticky pieces. There were 2 that she applied at the fitting Leo was able to chew these off. The straps that Janice had built into the brace with velcro and metal hooks are secure. I guess he is just going to have to deal with this new braced leg and harness strap. I emailed Janice she advised to always use the harness for the best suspension and the socks for absorption and to watch for chaffing; he has a small sore in one area.

I am to remove his brace daily and check for any sores. It also relieves him of it for a bit while I change his sock.

Post-op Hock Orthesis

Leo's appointment today was at the Canine Wellness Centre where Janice Olynich runs PawsAbility. It's a great 'warehouse' shop with all kinds of prostetics and orthotics and dog runs, braces, everything!

Leo was to actually get custom-fitted so we had to be at the shop so Janice could make the alternations. He was curious and fidgety at first but by the third fitting, adjustments, removal and modifications, Leo was just as happy to sleep while he waited. :) He's wearing one of many socks I was given for him to wear under the brace mainly to help absorb any moisture and add some space between his leg and the brace.

Check out Leo's new custom brace!

Ta-da! Leo is standing on his new brace. He is already beginning to use it as proficiently as he learned to get around in the cast.

Last but not least the much appreciated perfectionist Janice Olynich, B.A., C.P.(c), Certified Prosthetist at PawsAbility! She is great with Leo and made sure everything was going to fit and work properly with the brace before he was good to go.

Here is Janice again with Leo at the end of the appointment. It took about 2 hours for the fittings, adjustments and paying the bill. :)

8 days post-op

Last week, just 3 days after surgery, Leo was still too swollen to be fitted for the brace but after 8 days of healing in a cast, the swelling is reduced, there is more definition in the repaired tendon and he was able to stand on his injured leg!

Leo had his cast removed again, the brace fitted (he was made to walk around a bit), then a cast reapplied.  I had the option of tape colour so I picked red. :)

Leo knows when it's time to go!





Leo in front of TVEH:  Toronto Veterinary Emergency (and Referral) Hospital - they are awesome!

The cast - as well as the brace - is angled so that Leo's leg is slightly bent at the knee (even though it is immobilized so he cannot bend it) and it is designed so that his foot is pointing downwards (so that he is on his tippy-toe).  This is to keep the entire leg immobile and allow it to heal. He can (and does) put his weight down on his peg leg but it is wrapped sufficiently that it can continue to heal without fearing injury.

Leo is getting used to his cast and will walk (even run) a lot more than he did last week especially since he is able to put weight on it. 

It's only for another day though then he gets his new digs - a custom hock brace!

Emme, Karen's dog

I finally met up with Karen and Bill, her husband-to-be (October 22, 2011)... and of course they had Emme with them. :) She hopped in the car, ready-to-go, after waiting patiently for us outside of Tapps at Finch and Tapscott Roads.

See how much she's grown in 2 years... this is from August 2009:

Leo's first few days in a cast

He was very quiet his first full day home from surgery.  He slept a lot and didn't move around much.

In this picture, it was the 2nd full day home from surgery and he has managed to jump up on the couch to sit in a sunny window. 


Information about Janice is from this website: http://www.pawsability.ca/

On June 30th, we went in for a follow-up examination. Our appointment is with both Dr. Carl Porter and the lady from PawsAbility, established in 2007 by Janice Olynich, a Certified Prosthetist. Janice's early interest in animal care started when she took a part-time job at a veterinary clinic while in high school. She has an Honours degree in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario (London, ON), then graduated in Toronto at George Brown College from the Clinical Methods in Orthotics and Prosthetics program. When she came to Toronto to study she began working part-time at Westside Animal Hospital and kept that job for seven years, while studying and later while working full time.

She proceeded to work at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in their prosthetics department. A chance opportunity to fit a dog with a prosthetic leg led to the idea of creating a Toronto-based custom prosthetic and orthotic service for animals. At our appointment she announced she will be working with pets full time, no more humans! Prosthetics and Orthotics for animals is an emerging specialty within the broader field of Animal Rehabilitation.  Fortunately, it's accessible (in Toronto) and Leo is benefiting from its services.

Here, Janice works on the initial mold for the brace. One of TVEH's vet techs (in purple) is holding Leo. Leo was a good dog. He laid patiently (for about 45 minutes) as the cast was cut off, a mold was taken and a cast put back on.

This is the resulting "mold" which I think is more for the angling because it it not used in the end product at all.

The pack at home.

Peg Leg Leo - home from surgery

Leo is home and resting.  When he saw me at the vet's office, he was so excited and didn't want to stop licking my face!  He is so cute and it was good to see him in the same good spirits he's always in!

Leo in the back seat coming home from the vet with a temporary cast and a bandage on the front leg where he had the anesthesia:

He doesn't seem to be in pain, check out the position of his hind legs! 

It's funny too, upstairs without carpet, I can hear him following me with his little peg leg. :)  He is also shaved very close so his soft tail tickles his own backside such that he'll whip around and start chewing - but just to scratch the itch.  Poor little guy.

He wears the temporary cast for 2 days then gets fitted for a custom brace which will be ready next week.  He'll have to wear that for 6-9 weeks and he's not supposed to run, jump, use stairs or rough house.  All the things he loves to do each and every day.  Unsupervised I'm supposed to confine him to a small room or cage so that he doesn't do any of the above.  He also came home in a cloth cone because he can't chew his cast but it doesn't seem to bother him yet.

I gave him his 2 daily pain medications and now he is sleeping....

This is an itemized list of what was required for the surgery:

Leo is fine!

I finally got a call-back from the vet's office but I won't be able to go see Leo or talk to the surgeon until tomorrow afternoon.  However, the lady said that Leo is currently curled up in a ball and looking at her.  I assume he will sleep a lot and be very quiet for awhile.  I'm so happy he's fine - I can't wait to hear the details so I have a better idea about recovery time.

Dropped Leo off at TVEH this morning

I cannot believe how this morning started.  I take the dogs on a good walk because I wanted Leo to get about since he will be inactive for awhile after today.  I come back and want to turn on the radio but can't only to discover that my husband had put the dog food on top of the TV stand so Leo wouldn't get it (had to fast overnight) and the MOUSE that is living in our walls chewed through at least 4 wires to maneouver its way to the top and make a mess - not to mention destroy connection to our media devices!

I tied 3 pairs of loose ends back together so I will buy replacements before my husband gets home.  I told him about it but how frustrating!  This really is war now!  Anyway, I cleaned up some then managed to get Leo to the TVEH by 8am.  He was curious as always but was nervous once the lady put a leash around his neck and he had to stay while I walked away.

I will probably have to leave him overnight but if I don't hear back, I need to call after 3pm to see how he made out and if he can possibly come home tonight.

Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital (TVEH)

Bailey is better, Leo not so much

I am happy to note that Bailey has healed but still aggressive with bigger dogs. He is 10 years old and still my little Poodle baby. He regained the weight he lost from the trauma/surgeries and is a healthy 18 pounds again.

Bailey the Poodle

So last month, I took all 3 dogs for their annual check-ups, to get flea and heart-worm medication and vaccinations. For a measly $530, they all got a clean bill of health!

All 3 dogs

Not so fast! Did you think I'd get away with no extra vet bills this year? Let's go big, shall we?

Leo, the Shih-tzu (Looking rather innocent, wouldn't you say?)

On Sunday evening, May 29th, 2011 less than a week after his check-up, we notice Leo is hopping around the living room. I see that there is a small puncture in the back of his leg. I clean the blood, apply antibiotic ointment and within 4-5 days it has essentially completely healed.... however, Leo is still not using his hind right leg!

I wait about a week then see my DVM on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. He says that his Achilles tendon is torn and that he'd need to refer to a specialist in order to examine further and/or fix it. If it were a simple $800 ACL surgery, he'd do it no problem. Instead, this is a rare injury where the tendon is torn, cut or otherwise hindered from use. Leo does put weight on that foot but it drops to the elbow. Basically the tendon in his calf is cut.

I wait a couple more weeks to see how it plays out since the adhoc quote for surgeries ended up being $3-4000! Yes, I should probably wait a week or two to ponder this. So I do. The leg is no worse, but no better and it's extremely sad to see him quieter than usual (although it hasn't seem to stop him from running at high speeds. He can still keep up with the poodle!).


A couple of days ago I called my DVM friend Dr. Regan Morris, who has her own veterinary clinic now Bayview Wellington Veterinary Clinic, to ask for her professional opinion. She basically explains what my DVM said and told me what the specialist will probably say.  Thanks to her, I have more knowledge and the confidence to go see a specialist.

I called the Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital (TVEH) that both she and my DVM Dr. Luc Lavoie at Cedarbrae Veterinary Clinic had recommended. There are not a whole lot of specialists in the GTA! In fact, once I got there, it occurred to me that I didn't even realize that there were specialists for veterinary medicine yet it makes a whole lot of sense. I just have never needed one. :)

American College of Veterinary Surgeons This fascinates me. I'll have to share with Brittany. I told Dr. Carl D. Porter, DVM, MVSc, DACVS, that my daughter is just beginning her B.Sc this fall and wants to become a veterinarian. The "DACVS" refers to being a "Diplomate" of the ACVS.

This requires 4-8 years of specialized veterinary education including at least 3 years of surgery residency on top of the veterinary college degree! After reading the information on the wall, I told the DACVS that that is a lot of school! I then calculated in my head that it is about 16 years of POST-secondary education. For instance, if Brittany were to go that route, starting her B.Sc this fall somebody could also be starting grade 1 at the same time then complete their high school and Baccalaureate degrees to finish at the same time she would be a DACVS! WOW! Obviously, a person would be in the mid-30s before practicing outside of academia. Awesome. :)

One little perk that I like about requiring a specialist (and having to pay outrageous fees for surgery) is that the doctor gives me his business card. :) I don't know about you, but I don't often get business cards of somebody with so much education and expertise. He also called me personally to set up what will happen going forward.

Leo's Appointments

Drop off Leo by 08:00am Monday, June 27th for day surgery Temporary cast will be applied at no additional charge. Whew! This is because the prosthetic person prefers to wait until the swelling from surgery goes down.

Pick-up Leo Tuesday, June 28th

Return to TVEH at 17:30 Thursday, June 30th so the canine prosthetic specialist can take a mold of his leg for a custom prosthetic device (brace). This should take only half an hour.

Tuesday, July 5 go to Paws Ability to get the custom brace put on.

Estimate for Calcanean tendon repair 

Here's the fun part!  I'm glad my DVM gave me a heads up.  I was prepared to hear and see these numbers by the time I saw the specialist.

There is a complete 20+ line item break-down but basically the low-end price estimate (for surgery only) is $2405 and the high-end price estimate is $3175.  I just paid $186.45 for the consultation to find this out.  I should get a business card!


The custom brace will be $500-700.


I'll post an update of Leo's surgical recovery....

The 3 Muskateers - Rex, Bailey & Leo :)

Mother's Day 2011

My niece had to return to NB after having lived with us for a couple months in Ontario so a road trip was in order.  I'd be solo on the return trip so I brought Bailey and Leo.

Here are the 2 small dogs at a pit stop on a New Brunswick road trip on the Mother's Day weekend:

Going in May meant I got to meet Jackie's family's new addition - before he gets too big.  They got a puppy and named him Fraz!  Here is is on Mom's cat Rufus' cat bed - already too big for his britches. :)  He was tuckered out running around after kids and cats and dogs all afternoon.

Visitor from New Brunswick: Keyla!

April 2011 - Easter
Tammy, Allan and Sydney came to visit Allana and of course brought Keyla with.

Keyla after Easter dinner :)

Keyla standing up straight and tall!  What a wiener dog trick!