Mariah's story

Owner: Tanya Seda E-mail: tseda@rubycommunications.com Date posted: January 20, 2001 Yesterday I took Mariah to a TPLO orthopedic surgeon in Portland, OR for her bilateral TPLO surgery. She could barely get up from the ground without assistance and was whining and panting throughout the day. I was absolutely beside myself when I dropped her off with my partner yesterday! Mariah was mortified when we walked into the hospital ... she took one look at me, turned around and walked away calmly with the vet assistant. The anticipation began, along with the nervous breakdown ... I received a call late in the afternoon confirming she had made it thru the surgery without complications (whew!!) Waited for the surgeon to call back and played phone tag throughout the night ... Could not sleep well that night (everyone was wondering where Mariah was) ... I could not even look at her food bowl or water. Ruby (her sister) was/is really depressed as well ... Today I picked her up at lunch. I took a very strong male friend along with me (who she trusts and is familiar with) to carry her to the car and inside the house (at 110 lbs. I could not do it myself). I could not stand the waiting for her to come thru the doors to finally go home. Then, in comes the surgeon with Mariah (my poor baby girl!). He was using an orthopedic designed sling to escort her around the hospital and to the car. Of course, I asked to keep the apparatus ... To make a long emotional story short, she is doing absolutely wonderful!!!!! She has learned in a short period of time to balance her weight in her front legs and maneuver from there. She has very little swelling at this point (unlike her soft-tissue surgery), and is bearing weight on her left leg (the better one), although it is not allowed. No signs of arthritis or poor conformation in her knees. Wow, what an amazing creature, so brave, loves life and her family. We are lucky. I found no stories available on bilateral TPLOs and feel our story would assist a concerned reader researching this procedure.