Happy New Year!

Today is Cleo's one month anniversary at her new forever home (mine)! She is such a good girl. I can’t believe how well she is fitting in to our routine and with the boys. The boys can be so naughty and I think (no, I KNOW) we need to do some serious training! I’m thinking clicker training/positive reinforcement is the way to go with these two, and with Cleo as well.

Yesterday, I changed my mind on which type of surgery I want to do for Cleo. I’ve decided to have the Traditional surgery instead of the TPLO. Of course, my vet doesn’t know this yet, although I did leave a message for him to call me Monday. I just think financially, this is the way to go right now. It’s half the cost, but probably twice as fragile as the TPLO, so I (and the boys) will have to very, very careful with her. I belong to a Yahoo Group (Orthodogs) and I’ve been reading about both.

I will order the X-pen soon. My folks have a kid gate that my mom said we can use (it bolts on the wall), so that will save me $32. I was going to go to Biolife and sell my plasma for the next couple months, but I can’t for at least 1-2 weeks, so that blew my budget that I had planned out. That was another reason. I know they said I could make payments, but I’ve decided I’d rather just pay it and be done with it. I was going to sell my wedding and engagement ring (why I’ve held on to them for 10 years, I’ll never know!!) but gold isn’t worth anything right now – at least not what I’ve got anyway. My clothes don’t seem to be selling, even though I’ve had a couple bites.

I sure hope I’m making the right decision for both of us.

End of the 4th Week Home

This weekend will mark the end of the 4th week Cleo has been at my house. She is really starting to fit in well. I think she was feeling everyone out at first (as she should have). But now, Stewie is being an idiot around her (doing his silly boxer pounce) and that really ticks her off! When the boys are playing, if they get too close to her spot on the couch that kind of ticks her off too! And they both back down from her, even if she is 25 pounds less and about 3 inches shorter. They are so funny to watch. I can’t wait until she has her surgery and is better so she can really run and play with them without worrying for her. They do all run the fence together with the boxer behind us, and the lab and chihuahua next door; even if she does it three legged! I’ve noticed that she does NOT like any slick surface whatsoever. I think I might need to get a couple more rugs for the kitchen and maybe the bathroom. What’s one more thing?? HA

With the money I got for Christmas, I think I’m going to buy the ex-pen and possibly a child safety gate. I found an inexpensive bolt-on gate at Walmart.com, so I should be able to get both for under $100 with shipping! Then I’ll have to get my dad out here to help me take the door off and put the gate on.

Since it was rather nice yesterday, the dogs were in and out of the house a lot more (they and the cats really had cabin fever). I noticed last night that Cleo was really packing her leg a lot and this morning, she really isn’t putting a lot of pressure on it. I sure hope the surgery is towards the beginning of the month, but the 19th would sure make it easier on me. Although, if the surgery is sooner, I might be able to bribe my mom to come sit with the dogs for the evening of the board meeting. It’s a good thing she loves me!!

Quick update

I got to visit with Dr. Smith for a short time yesterday evening while I was picking up meds for my old girl, Nikita. He hasn't had a chance to talk with Dr. Sherr (the Ortho vet) yet. Probably due to Christmas, then New Year's. Darn holidays! HA Anyway, he said he would be getting back to me. I told him I anticipated the middle of January (for the surgery, not talking to him about it - hopefully)!! Actually, it would be rather nice to have it on the 19th of January, because I have a board meeting that night. Cleo could spend the night at the vets, then I could potentially have the rest of that week and the following week off, or work from home for those two weeks.

I still need to get the craft room cleaned out. I think that is going to be my best option when I am not here. I think an ex-pen would be nice when I am home because the boys just don't pay attention. They step all over her, and when I try to stop them, then they SIT on her! UGH. What was I thinking getting two boys so close in age?!?

Cleo fund update: I have received $45 more dollars! Thanks to those that donated!! I appreciate it very much. Cleo might like it NOW, but come the middle of January - she will not be happy with you. HA

No New News

Nothing new to report. Cleo's surgery hasn't been scheduled yet. With the holidays, I would expect it to be the first part to middle of January. Since it's been winter here the last week (and it's not even winter yet) it should be a very interesting time of the year to have surgery done. At least that will give me more time to save more money for the surgery. The less I have to make payments on, the better!

Today I started preparing Cleo for 'dressing up' to go outside. She was not impressed! And she would not be impressed with me posting pictures of that embarrassing moment for everyone to see. Ah well, the joys of having four-legged kids.

Here she is with just 'shoes'. Luckily, I had some for Cheyenne. Cleo is a bit bigger than Cheyenne was, but they seem to fit. And she didn't walk tooo funny except at the very beginning.

And these were Dakota's 'jammies'. Why I've kept them, I don't know, but I think with the legs, these will actually work pretty well for after surgery!

Good News! (I think...)

Cleo had her appointment today with Dr. Scherr. He was very optimistic and told me all my options.

I asked what the difference was between Traditional, TTA, TPLO and Tightrope - he explained each one to me. (If you want to know what I remember, let me know!) Dr. Scherr said that he does about 90% TPLO's (I think that was the number anyway) and averages about 1 1/2 TPLO's every day which equals about 400 a year.

I asked if the supplements I was giving was sufficient, and he said it was. Dr. Scherr also does acupuncture, so I asked if it would be beneficial now, or after surgery. He said he doesn't recommend it, because it doesn't really help with recovery - only physical therapy will help with that, and walking will be her best PT.

I forgot to ask about a stifle brace, and I even wrote it down! I asked about payments tho, and he said absolutely. Because the sooner she can have her surgery done, the better. So, the two vets will have to get together to figure out a day for the surgery and will let me know. He did say she would most likely come home the same day.

I asked about the need for a ramp, as I have stairs out both the front and back doors. I had to help Cheyenne when she had back surgery with a towel sling, so I know what to do there. He said that I would only need to do that for a little bit, that she should be able to do stairs on her own after a couple weeks. Of course she would be on a leash for any potty breaks.

I have Cheyenne's coat(s), so she has those. I'm going to look into anti-slip booties (maybe some like sled dogs use) for protection from the weather. I also need to look at getting the ex-pen ordered, or a kid gate for the spare room. I just need to decide which would be best for her and keep her safe from the boys!

What is TPLO Surgery?

TPLO stands for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. TPLO is knee surgery to repair the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). The bone of the tibia is cut and then rotated to an angle that prevents the bones of the knee joint from slipping. Bone plates are screwed in place to hold the bone while it heals. During surgery, the knee joint is inspected, and damaged meniscus and bone spurs are removed via a small incision into the joint. As far as I can tell, TPLO joins bones together, eliminating the need for the ligament.

I’m wondering if I should plan on starting acupuncture sometime after her surgery. The orthopedic vet is the same vet that does the acupuncture, so he would know if she even needs it! I think she might due to the way she currently twists her good leg around to support herself. She looks quite pigeon-toed when she does that.

Update: Cleo’s fund has $12 more for a total of $22! Slowly but surely we’re getting there!

Cleo's First Week

This is my first attempt at blogging, and it figures it will be about my dogs...

I adopted (rescued, inherited?) Cleo on December 1, 2008. She is a 6 year old, Boxer. I think I'm her third or fourth family, but I will be her last! She seems to love her new 'brothers', Stewie - 18 month old Boxer and Mack - almost 2 year old? AmStaff mix, and her 'sister' Nikita - almost 15 year old Husky mix.

When Cleo came to me, her former owner said she would probably need surgery, as her ACL on her left leg was torn. I took her to my vet on Thursday, December 4th, and was told that it was most likely ruptured from the time it was first seen and now. He also suspects a torn(?) meniscus in the same leg. This means that the previous owners 'quote' of $1000 just doubled! Eek! The reason it doubled? Instead of just the traditional ACL surgery, which my vet would be able to do, Cleo has to have TPLO surgery, which has to be done by an orthopedic surgeon along with my vet.


Unfortunately, I don't have the $2000. The sooner I can have her surgery done, the sooner her rehab and pain free life can begin! If you could spare a couple dollars (any amount would help) both Cleo and I would appreciate it. If you can't, that's ok, but be sure to stick around and follow Cleo's journey.


Isn't she just the sweetest thing?