| Max's story | ||
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Owner: Nancy Guthrie E-mail: nlg103@aol.com Date posted: January 9, 2001
Max is a 20 month old Newfoundland. After several months of being told he was just having growing pains, on December 14, 2000 I decided to take him to our local vet. At that time x-rays were done and I was told Max should be seen by a orthopedic vet.
I made arrangements that day to take him the following day. Our fears were confirmed -- he would need to undergo TPLO surgery. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jon Dee of Hollywood Animal Hospital, in Hollywood Florida.
It has only been three days since surgery but Max seems to be handling it fine. Of course he wants to be babied every minute, and hates that he has to go on a leash each time he needs to go out. He has a bandage on his leg so he continues to try to get comfortable, which has turned out to be a feat in itself. He weighs 150 pounds, so he is not easily moved unless he gives some assistance. As I write this, Max is sleeping like a baby. I will update his progress as time goes by.
UPDATE: January 16, 2001 It's now been 2 weeks since surgery, and so far so good. We have to keep Max docile which has proved to be a great task, he thinks he's well so he wants to play and chase the birds that land on his fence.
I must say it seems alot longer than 2 weeks. Max has decided that he wants to keep everyone up at night, which I'm sure is stemming from his lack of playtime during the day. He's normally a very laid back guy so that has worked in our favor a little.
He had a check-up on Saturday and the doctor said he seems to be going in the right direction, but we still need to be very careful. If there's one thing I can't stress enough is that you must follow the doctor's direction. As for Max, other than the fact he wants to play because he feels no pain anymore, he is really handling this like a champ. The greatest feeling in the world was to see him walk on all fours again. I think he was even in shock!
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