Week One, second surgery

Wow!! This time the surgery time is going by so much faster. Maybe it's because there isn't so much snow or because mom's home and not at school, or maybe because I have two-- TWO legs to walk on after this surgery, but I feel pretty great.

Last week when I got home, mom said I looked better than the last surgery, but then when she tried to clean under the bandage, I was pretty touchy. I swelled up a lot more than expected and my leg hurt really badly-- more than last time. I didn't really want to touch it on the floor either, but mom said maybe that means the first surgery just went really well and I feel stable. She put a big collar-thing on my head again so I wouldn't lick my leg, but when she was out of the house, I got aound it and chewed off my bandage. Boy did that feel better!! The swelling went down, the red streaks disappeared. The vet thinks maybe I have an allergy to surgical tape and that's why I acted so angry at mom when she tried to remove it. I've never done that before. I licked mom a lot, and my teeth never touched her, and she didn't seem mad, but I know that I did what bad dogs do, and I felt really bad. I try really hard to be a good dog, and even other dog's moms say I am very, very good. I was glad that mom said it was OK and stopped touching my leg. I also am glad it stopped hurting after I chewed that bandage off. Mom still put ice on it, and I let her, and she made me take that medicine that gives me the falling dream, but the pain got a lot better, and I was ready to run by this week. Mom says "no running." Humans and their rules! I didn't want to tell her last night that my leg hurt after horsing around with my toys after she told me to lie back down, but early this morning, I just had to tell her, and she gave me medicine, and I am doing much better. I get my staples out in a couple of days!! We've started doing bicycle paws too, though I've never liked them much.

Mom says there are a bunch of other Orthodogs up for two surgeries like me, so if you're reading this Maddy and Shadow and the rest, hang in there! Don't let the humans take it all too seriously. It's scary, for sure, and I was a little mad to go back to the vet and get MORE surgery when I thought I was finally all better, but I feel like I'm going to have two strong legs. Maybe we should have a puppy play date after all the surgeries.

HIgh paws to bionic dogs!!!

Kayla

Thank you!!

Thanks goes out to my Uncle Pat, my cousins PJ and Jenny, also to Hannah, Heather, Danna, and Kelly for donations made towards this surgery. Kayla is my very special light brought back from a very dark time, and your help to bring her back to her healthy self is such a blessing.

Also, special thanks to Beth for taking me to Sam's club and for contributing to the fundraiser BBQ food.

Surgery #2 complete

Kayla's second (and we hope final) surgery is complete. She looks fanstastic! Less bruising than last time, though I'll admit she's limping more than last time, so it's still early to tell. After her last surgery she only had her other "broken" leg to support herself, and she put weight on the surgery leg from day one. This limping is more like what we're told to expect, so I'm choosing to believe she has more faith in her left leg (the one that already had the surgery) and is keeping herself off the new surgery for now.

She's pretty bummed out about the surgery-- I think she thought her recovery day were over. Poor thing. She's snoozing now, just like a baby. She doesn't sleep very well when she's away, even with a little bit of doggie downer, I suspect, because as soon as I came home from work today, she just sighed and went into REM. She let me ice it for about twenty minutes, so she must be experiencing significant pain, but she's a real trooper. Stay tuned for pics. I hope to have them up this weekend.


Brett/Kayla's mom

X-Rays Look GOOD!

Hey guys. Mom really needs to get the camera out. She's soooo lazy. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago and, even though mom dropped me getting in the car-- twice!-- I am OK and good to go. I went on walk all the way to the park that night, but mom said no playing with other dogs still, no big running and no stick fetching. She says slow and gentle, but it is soooo hard when I finally get to go for walks!!

Today my roommate and I played chase each other's tails in the front yard, but mom yelled to stop. She's so protective. She and the doctor say I have to get a surgery on the other leg soon, and I hope it gets over with faster than this last one, because I don't want to be bored again for so long. Still, I think she might be right (don't tell her I said so), because when I escape her prison and go for little twirls and runs, I always come back holding up that paw.

Also, my roommate isn't feeling well. The doctors see a little bump on her shoulder in the pictures and she has been limping. She has to have a biopsy, which is like a surgery, but different. I think if the people want to stop having to think we are sick they should stop taking us to the doctor-- it's always there that we get bad news!! I don't understand it, but Kaajal's mom is worried, and so is mine. So if you're reading, please put my roommate, Kaajal in your doggie prayers.

Kayla

Walks!!-- Two steps forward, one step back

This week mom let me go for walks outside on a leash. We walked towards the park and I was so excited. I saw other dogs over at the park past the block from our house, but mom only let me walk one block and then I had to come home. I tried to tell her I was fine, but she wouldn't listen. She used to love it when I ran and played with other dogs, but when I tried to pull mom to the new dogs on the street she told me no. On our second walk a dog came over to my yard and he wanted to play the king of the mountain game on our back legs. I was sooo very excited. I Love jumping on my back leg, but mom said no. I pushed awy from her and tried to play anyway, but something happened and my legs wouldn't work right. As we walked our block mom and I could hear a little clicking sound coming from my surgery leg. click click. click. every time I stepped. Mom was worried, but when we got home, it was actually the other leg that mom didn't have them fix that hurt me. I walked on three legs all day using my new leg and not the one that still has to get fixed. Mom didn't hear any more clicking, so she hopes it is just my right leg making that noise. Either way, mom says we are cutting back on walks to less than a block again.

Geesh. She totally doesn't get anything!! I mean, I could have gone all the way to the park. I have so much energy!! And my new leg is so strong!! And, well, I don't really care if I have to hobble some when I get home-- it's sunny out and there are sooo many dogs outside and I want to make friends with them all. It's been so long since I got to play with friends. The last time was in the cages at the doctor's office when I had my surgery and all of those dogs felt just as icky as I did, so we couldn't even play a game of nose licks in our cages.

Still, mom says it's not good to put all my weight on the surgery side. She says it's still healing and we still have to get another picture of the leg from the doctor to make sure the surgery took. She doesn't believe me! She also says she wants to get the surgery on my other leg as soon as possible, but that means I won't play at all this summer, even on three legs, and that sounds like a total drag. I don't think I can be so bored all summer. I jumped up on the bed and the couch this week just to prove to her that I don't need the doctor and I don't need restrictions. But then I yelped and now I"m limping a little, and mom thinks she gets to be right again and I have to be back on "restriction." I hate "restrictions." I so much prefer bones, and treats, and greenies, and hikes. Ugh. I hope she gets it right soon!

If you are a dog reading this, please send your letters to my mom telling her I can play and that doctors are dumb. just address your letter to Kayla Dog Mom at Kayla's dog prison in the white house with the red canoe near the peeing tree by the cracked sidewalk, eight sticks from the little park and across the field from the circle walk. It should get there fine. Oh. And please don't leave p-mail. Mom never reads it and usually she only lets me get the headlines. Oh and about that--- to the dogs in my neighborhood. I tried to catch up and leave you all messages on our walks this week, but as you see, I didn't get much time. I'll do better next time. Kajaal has begun to take some dictation, so she can pass notes between us. I'm especially interested in hearing about the new families of squirrels up at the circle walk park. We have new squirrels in our yard too, and I heard there are lots and lots of little furry things at the park, so tell me your stories of chasing and catching. For now, that will have to do.

-Kayla

Thank you ATT in Pontiac! I received a nice card and a contribution of $130 for my next surgery!! Aunt Jenny's mom, Pat organized a 50/50 raffle for me and all the nice people at AT&T joined forces to help me out. I am so lucky to have so many nice humans in the world. I wonder how I'll ever get a chance to lick them all. Mom says she's going to send a big thank you to AT&T, and, because they are so close, we might go there to say thank you in person!! That would be really fun!

Kayla

A bit of a limp

Well, Kayla has been doing GREAT!! She's been allowed outside to potty on her own two times and has slept upstairs in the bedroom twice! but her increased independence seems to come at some cost of discomfort, and today she seems, while not in extreme pain, a bit uncomfortable, with a bit of a limp. Time to back back off the independence. She has three more weeks until follow up x-rays for the first surgery, and we should get the go ahead to begin walking and exercising in increments. Of course, I don't know what all this says for her other leg still waiting for surgery. It's a tough balancing act. This weekend she will get a car ride up north and a stay in a hotel while Mom visits family. She likes the car these days, mostly for the change of scenery, and I have a friend ot help with any lifting, though I'm not sure she still needs so much at this point. New photos coming this week!

Brett