Back to the Scene of the Crime

This week will mark one year and 10 months since Kayla's first knee tore completely at Pier Marquette beach in December of 2006. Her second knee followed on Christmas. After two surgeries, 16 weeks of post-op, 16 weeks of physical therapy and nearly a year of monitored doggie play, Kayla is trim and active. She is chasing rabbits and fetching sticks like a good water lab. This weekend at the beach it was a bit too brisk for her tastes. The waves were high and she doesn't like to go too high when they pull so hard. This is a good thing. Still, she did wade in and jump a few waves. These were taken just to document her playful attitude, her back on her-pawe-edness, her lucky charm!!









Kayla says thanks again to all who helped and, gee, if it wasn't for mom wincing when I jump so, so high, I wouldn't even remember those bad days when I needed a sling to walk and couldn't climb the stairs. I'm just as puppy as puppy can be! Excuse me-- I have some squeaky toys here to play with. Watch it turtle, you're on your way OUT!

I'm doing great!!

We haven't sent an update in a while, so I wanted to say that I am feeling really good now. I walked all over Ann Arbor yesterday. Two days before that I even ran after some rabbits in the forest!! I would have caught them, too, if it wasn't for those pins in my knees. I really am quite fast for a dog who has screws in her knees-- but I might not actually CATCH squirrels again. That's OK. Mom massaged my leg after I did lots of big jumps in the forest. She still gets nervous sometimes. And yesterday, after we went ALL OVER Ann Arbor (which I got to see for the very FIRST TIME-- and there are nice places that mom can eat lunch and that will make me grilled, low-fat chicken too!) we came home, and the humans took naps, while Penny and I guarded the house. Then, the people were going out on a date and they forgot it was walking time. Mom thought I'd be too tired to go for a walk, so she hadn't asked me, but I showed her. I jumped up and down on my back legs by the door to show her I was not tired at all and that I am strong. Look here at my picture from St. Patrick's day. I am sitting with my knees close to my tummy. Mom calls that "sitting nicely," and the doctors said when I can hold sitting like that for a long time, the muscles will be getting very fixed inside my legs.




Well, I can sit like that for a VERY long time. I sometimes even do it when I'm not paying attention-- but if you talk to my mom, will you tell her, please, that I can't sit like that FOREVER and to just give me the treat anyway. I'm doing the best I can, and I think that's pretty good. (I think she does too!)

Kayla can't get enough

Last week marked a year since the replacement of Kayla's second knee last year. Today, we went into town, walked around, stopped at the bookstore, and had lunch before coming home. You'd think she would have been too tired to do much else, but when I teased her tired little self tonight, she bounded up and asked for another walk. Two nights ago she was jumping over fallen tree branches chasing cottontails into the forest. Even in my best hopes for her recovery to walk, to enjoy walking again, to be in less pain, and even given what I'd read, I would not have thought she would be running and bounding and towning around Ann Arbor!! I admit, I got a bit teary today when she pulled a quick rocket dog around the house to ask for another walk after a six-hour outing. True, we still do some therapeutic massaging and she has orthopedic beds, but really, who could have expected this?

I'm posting a picture of her St. Patty's gear. She and her roommate Penny went into the D for the St. Patrick's day fundraiser and walk. She's always been generous (and a good partier too!) :-)

Down in Weight!!

Kayla's target weight for some time has been 72 lbs. She weighed in last week at 71.2 lbs!! Yeayh!! That was worth a celebration romp in the snow with her new roommie Penny.

Finally Photos!

I'm finally posting photos. These aren't action packed, but they show a good 360 of her progress. Here she is lying in the sunshine in our yard.



Next you see her profile. She is still top-heavy, from the weight gain from before the injury when she didn't want to play, and I believe from the overcompensating. She looked for a time like a paraplegic quarterback . . .all neck and shoulders with no muscle in her hind legs. You can see she is growing muscle in her back quarters again, gradually, and that her fur has almost completely grown back: her bald legs filled in first, but it took forever for the bald patch on her back where she had her two epidurals. She even got sunburns-- OUch!! But that has grown back now and no more need to put on sunblock!!

In the sitting image you can see she sits with her knees splayed and to one side. If your dog does this, there is a good chance she has a knee injury. It hurts less to sit this way but it also uses less of the the muscles required for proper knee function. Kayla is about 40/60 sitting the correct way/easy way after a few months of rehab. If I have a treat, she sits with her knees nice and tight to her chest, and yesterday, for the first time, she lay down that way, from a sitting position, which I haven't seen in a long time, but our hope is that she'll get up to 80/20 eventually, and that her legs will be marathon worthy by next summer. Stay tuned for pool days, and really, I'll try to get pics up sooner this time!!

OH And What Traveling!

I forgot to Mention Kayla got to go to Indiana and play with kids!! She ran along the swing and was so excited she almost knocked them over.

Here are pics from her first day back at the beach, too:

She's getting ready to go down the boardwalk.

"Oh, so happy to see Shinta and be on the SAND!! But I'm not so sure about swimming, yet. I don't think I should go in the water yet, though."

"Hmm. Looks like mom thought of that. She got me this nifty (yuck!) life jacket to wear in the water. It does make floating easier, but I really don't like swimming with it--even if it does give me handles for mom to hold in the waves!!"

A Mile and a New Attitude!!

Kayla is sleeping peacefully (on the bed!), so I'll post this blog. Clearly, she's been too busy to type!! :-) What a month. Kayla has cleared the 1-mile mark for her rehabilitation walks, and though I'm not religious about her rehab (bad mom), she is doing so very well. She walked her old walk from last year (with a corner cut here and there) and logged about a mile and a half during two walks last week. She wanted to lie down at about a mile and rest, and she earned it! I'm hoping to be to a 1.5 miles, no rest, by the end of the month-- maybe even 2 miles. SO-- all dog walking partners from autumns past, get ready. After two surgeries, a lot of lying around, and a worldwind trip around the Midwest, Kayla is nearly back in action!

CROSS YOUR FINGERS! Kayla is making tentative plans to go up to Lake Michigan and play with her old gang at the end of this month, beginning of September. She hasn't run off leash since her surgery, and she's "cleared" to run two months after her final check up, which she had in July-- so it's any day now, if "mom" could just feel it's safe. I think after two miles, I'll feel more comfy.

ALSO, Congratulations is in order! Kayla has lost 5 more pounds!! It's been tough, and she's been eating 1/4 her recommended feeding schedule, but she is down to 76 pounds, the weight I had initially had as her target. The vet wanted her at 65 (which is unreasonable). She was quite trim at 72 pounds, and I'm hoping with the new longer walks we can get back to that weight without cutting more food. Her food-obsessive behaviors have gotten out of control, and she actually clipped me with her teeth the other day taking a treat out of my mouth to perform a trick. Very unlike her not to be more careful, and she's just fixated on food. At the same time, she's sleeping harder and longer than she has in about two years. She stretches out on the bed and fidgets less frequently. I think we can say she feels much better. Yay Dr. Probst! yay all who contributed!!

Finally, Kay is registered for Doggie Swim Day at Buhr Pool!! Maybe we'll see if her legs can swim before we take her out to Muskegon's Dog beach!! In either event, we'll post the photographs.