6 Weeks Post-Op - Goofing Around

Koda is walking close to normal these days and feeling spry enough to fetch treats. He is three-quarters of the way through the bone-healing phase (which is 8 weeks). This past week, I could sense that he considers the less-agile leg a bit of a hindrance to unleashing his new-found energy. He walks steady, pivots & turns, and sometimes breaks into a gallop when he gets really excited. (We have to discourage that for now.) There has been a definite shift in his demeanor. He is noticeably in a better mood (tail wagging), much more energetic and playful. Up until this point, he had no interest in playing with his toys...

"What?"

But when we finally gave him Monkey back to play with, he wasted no time in gutting the stuffed primate and beheading him. He seemed quite satisfied with that play session. The head was easier to fit in his mouth without the dangling body, too.

"Well, yes... the head *DID* come off."

Next, we started testing out the roll-up ramp we bought from Ramps4Paws. It was pricey ($209 on sale!), but we don't want to risk any damage to his knee jumping in or out of the cargo area of our SUV during his recovery or going forward. So we did a little training to get him familiar with it, followed by copious amounts of praise. He is still not allowed to climb any stairs (so yes, this means we are still sleeping on a sofa & air mattress at Camp Koda).

Here is 6 weeks' worth of fur growth. The fur on the previously-shaved foot/ankle is now almost blended into his foot fur. And the fuzzy undercoat is getting thicker by the day. But it will still be a few weeks (heading into summer, how ironic) before he has a full coat on that leg.

In the meantime, Monkey had some radical, life-saving surgery of his own. P painstakingly re-stuffed and stitched the dismembered limbs and head back together. We are going to let Monkey "recover" a bit more before playing with Koda. LOL

Day 30 - Almost Normal

Well, not much to report. It's been about one month since Koda's surgery. I suppose this is the long, boring, uneventful part of the recovery process. While the bone is healing inside, there are not many changes happening visually - other than watching his walk. He is walking with normal alignment and weight placement on both hind legs now. He does appear a bit "creaky" when he first wakes up, but the knee joint loosens up and he moves around the house almost as normal as he did before.

The fur is really thickening up.

Of course, he doesn't have his agility and quick responsiveness back yet. But he tries. He gets excited and sometimes gallops over when I call him. And he does some backwards leap-frogging when he knows treats are about to be doled out. The sparkle is back in his eyes when it's treat time. But we try to keep him calm to prevent any twists or pivoting on that Bionic Leg.

Koda spends his days mostly in the front room, dozing off or looking out the window. Which is what he used to do before the surgery - napping either there or upstairs. So this part of his life is back to routine. But when I open the front door for him to get a few nostrilfuls of the outdoor breeze, I can tell he really misses being outside and taking walks. It will be 4 more weeks before we can venture out for real "walkies" - as we call them.

His incision has healed up perfectly. The hair is growing right over and you can barely feel the scar tissue. He doesn't mind being pet there.

Standing on his still naked-looking "turkey" leg. I hadn't realized how thin his legs are until you take away all that fur. Huskies have a good inch and a half of insulation just from fur!

Stay tuned and check in with us next week. Hopefully I'll have some more video, which is more interesting for seeing progress.

Day 21 - Videos! Walking! Treats!

So after Koda's "staircase (high jinx) set-back" this weekend, some rest, and some anti-inflammatory drugs - he appears to be back on track for his recovery. No permanent damage done (so it appears). Here you can see he's walking pretty well, with his re-hab'ing left leg in alignment while he strides instead of splaying out sideways. As the leg muscle grows stronger, he should be walking more evenly.



And he is in good spirits. Treats always make doggies happy, even finicky ones named Koda. We usually play this find-the-treat game over a bigger area and I chuck the treats far and wide. He thinks it's a gas to scamper around, sniffing to find them. But since he is re-hab'ing, I just toss within a few feet of him. As far as Koda is concerned, he found the treat and they taste yummy. More please!

Weekend 3 - Stairs & Set-backs

I suppose everyone gets tempted. After 3 weeks of not being allowed upstairs (where Koda used to sleep in our master bedroom), he succumbed to the siren's call of STAIRS.
"Come up! Come up!" she called.

We just went out to get some pizza and based on Koda's track record of good behavior, we continued to let him have the entire downstairs floor to roam around as he pleased. We just barricaded the staircase. He had never seemed interested, nor tried to jump up on the baby gates to get a look beyond, so we thought we could trust him.

We were wrong.

When we came home, we were greeted by a happy 3-legged hippity-hoppity dog! O.M.G.!!! What happened?!?! Even his first day after surgery, he was not hiking his leg up like this - refusing to place ANY weight at all on the re-hab'ing leg.

I was completely distraught. The only explanation was that he got bored and without watchful eyes around, attempted to jump the barricade and climb the stairs. What if he'd fallen on the stairs?!? What if he damaged the still-healing bone?!? What if? What if?

I had to call the surgeon on his cell phone at 9pm, the night before Easter! He told me to ice pack Koda's leg and he'd call in a prescription for Rimadyl (anti-inflammatory) for us to pick up in the morning. He assured me that unless there was bruising on the leg, probably no major damage was done - that this would only be a set-back for Koda's recovery.

On Sunday, we decided to play it safe and locked Koda up in his kennel while we went to church. He sometimes sleeps in it, but never with the gate in place. So this would be new for him (at home). At the boarding camp he goes to, he sleeps in a kennel, so this whole experience should not be unfamiliar to him. Knowing he would be out of trouble for a few hours, we could have some peace. Being confined would also restrict his activity, allowing his injured leg (and still-good leg) to rest.

Lesson learned: Huskies are not completely trust-worthy. Ha!

Day 16 - Freedom to... Lay Around

So with Koda's new "all of the downstairs" freedom, what does he do? Run randy through the kitchen and living room? No. He settles in near the front entry way, right by front door windows - so he can watch the comings and goings of the neighborhood. I suppose it is the most interesting place to be, to wile away hours and hours of the day.

And if not poised for the best neighborhood watch, he just stretches out in our unfurnished formal living room. I'm glad he's not hyperactive and roving all over the place. With the exception of being able to go upstairs, this is pretty much normal daily activity for him - alternating between various napping spots.

Speaking of stairs, we've blocked them with the baby gate secured by bungee cords to the banister. And the towel is to discourage curiosity and temptation. We figure if he can't see through the baby gate or up the stairs, he will be less likely to try any jumping husky stunts. It's imperative that Koda have absolutely no access to stairs.

The fuzzy Husky undercoat is growing back on his thigh. The skin is dark, almost black, and the fur comes with hints of his final coloring. It feels like fleece now. He seems to like it when I rub his outer legs with some degree of firmness, stretching and flexing this leg.

And at Day 16, here's what the incision looks like with the stitches removed. It's quite amazing that such a long cut heals so fast! Dr. Munjar said the bumpiness will smooth over time. I suppose once a full coat of fur grows in, there will be very little visual evidence of surgery on this leg.

Koda has stopped licking that red, raw spot now. So it probably was the suture knots that bugged him. I'm pretty sure he's not licking anything anymore, now that all the stitches are out and the initial fur growth has come in. His recovery is going well!

Day 15 - Walking In, Stitches Out

Well, here we are at progress checkpoint no. 1 - Koda's 2-week post-op appointment and getting his stitches out. It was also his first car ride in two weeks, so that in of itself was pretty exciting. (And he got to sniff and leave pee-mail somewhere else besides our backyard - exciting day, indeed.) Check out how well Koda's walking now!



When we arrived at the vet office, Koda was eager to go behind "the magic door" again. I guess in his mind, experiences with the surgeon and vet techs are not something to be dreaded. A technician took Koda back and removed all the stitches. I mentioned the bumps on his arm and where the suture knots were.

Koda gimped back out to me in good spirits.

Dr. Munjar came out to discuss Koda's progress. Everything looked good. I was just to put topical ointments on his arm (hydrocortisone for itchiness) and the suture site (Neosporin). He explained that Koda walks with his Bionic Leg "splayed out" because of atrophy in that quadricep muscle. But gradual exercise would build it back up.

New Activity:
We were told that Koda could now have access to the entire downstairs floor - he could "integrate with the family" as Dr. Munjar phrased. And Koda was now allowed 5-10 minute on-leash wander-around-the-backyard sessions, 3-4 times a day. (Which would be great, if only it would stop raining.)

The next 5 weeks would be limited to this new activity. The bone is not completely healed by any means, so it is still critical to restrict activity, including no stairs. Our next appointment is at the 7 week mark, during which new Xrays will be taken to see if the bone has fused properly.

Day 14 Post-Op - Fur & Licking

Well, this second weekend of Koda's recovery proved to be mostly uneventful. He finished all his meds (antibiotics, pain killers and anti-inflammatory pills). No more icing. He's walking pretty well, with a bit of limp, but with less of a limp every day. Sometimes, he almost walks normally, transferring equal weight from each leg. He puts his entire paw/foot on the ground - planting it - as opposed to just tiptoeing on it.

For the most part, Koda has been very good with his new boundaries and the baby gates. I was able to go run for 3 hours and he stayed within his confines. Most of the day, he just sleeps or lays around. I guess when there's really nothing to look forward to in a day except meal times and a couple trips to the backyard to do one's business, the only thing left to do is nap. He hasn't been interested in any of his usual toys. Probably because the fun part about the toys was fetching them, and then shaking them while in his death grip before pulling all their stuffing out. And so, he just naps. All. Day. Long. (Except when a cheesy pizza arrives and must be given a good sniff.)

His husky undercoat is starting to thicken over his bare, naked leg. It will be interesting to see the stages of how his fur comes in, as I've never seen a husky without all of its luxurious coat.

The newly grown fur has covered the stitches entirely now. However, I'm a bit concerned about the bumpiness. It's not inflamed or sensitive to the touch (he lets me run my hands over the stitches), but the area where the sutures are knotted—at the topmost part—is disturbingly pink, raw and bumpy. I'm pretty sure Koda's been licking that part of the stitches. My guess is the knot is irritating him now, so he's licking it raw.

Luckily, all the stitches come out tomorrow morning! And we will see Dr. Munjar, so I'll be able to address these hot spots with him.

Another area I want him to look at is Koda's front "arm" - where the IV was inserted. He's been licking that patch of bare skin more than he should (or than we should allow him), so now it's a bit red and raw, also. I'm thinking that as the hair grows back in, it's itchy, so that's why he's licking it. And he could just be bored. I could put the e-collar on him, except he isn't licking all the time and he is so miserable with that Cone of Shame on.

Sweet Dreams, Koda! In the morning, you'll get to go for a car ride and have your stitches removed. Hopefully, the surgeon will say your progress is great and that you should only improve as the weeks go by. I think we might get to start outdoor 5-minute walks!

Day 10 Post-Op - Progress & Privilege

Koda's little stunt on Tuesday (Day 8) appears to not have done any damage to his leg bone. He is moving along just fine.


He walks with a big limp, only because he is taking full-sized strides with that Bionic Leg now and placing a good amount of weight on it. But as you can see in the video, when he wants to hustle, it's back to the Three-Legged Hop-a-Long.

I decided to trust Koda with a bit more square footage. I've been feeling sorry for him and I had the feeling he just felt disconnected because he couldn't see me or what was going on around him. So I configured the baby gates to add the dining area adjacent to Camp Koda. Now getting out to the backyard for potty would be easier, he could see out back, see past the kitchen to the front door windows, as well as watch me in the kitchen. He seemed content to just sit and look around.

Of course, I watched him for a bit to make sure he didn't try any funny business. He didn't. I'm so impressed with how well he's accepted this new freedom.

Eventually, I found him just laying on the area rugs - watching, and sometimes just there with his eyes closed. Later, I checked on him and he had gone back to his bed, napping.

Speaking of napping - in the hope of good behavior, I stopped putting on the Cone of Shame at night since Monday. He didn't seem to be licking his stitches, so I wanted to reward him for it.

Another reason I wanted to open up his space was to include his regular feeding set-up in the area. He's been getting more finicky about eating. Feeding time has not been in the usual place and I'm always holding the bowl under his mouth, instead of him standing at his feeder. It could be these little things that make him feel uneasy - because it's just not normal. Nothing about his life has been normal for almost 2 weeks.

Bingo! Once I let him feed himself from his bowl—in it's usual spot—he finished without me coaxing him. Yay!

His stitches are really healing quite remarkably. With the fur growing back in and covering the cut, it's even harder to see the incision. He still doesn't like to be touched there very much, even gently. But petting him anywhere else on that leg seems to be fine with him.

In the picture below, you can see a close-up of his stitches. The skin is really knitting together well - no puckering, redness or oozing at all. You can barely see the blue suture string used to close up the incision. He gets the stitches out in 5 days.

Day 8 Post-Op - Bad Koda!

This is Koda after being scolded... after he tried to jump up on the rock terrace... Very bad dog! After peeing, he took two steps and tried to leap up with me holding onto the other end of a 6-foot leash. He didn't make it up and landed on his back legs. Ouch! He sat down for a few minutes - probably because it hurt. I don't know what possessed him to try a daredevil stunt like that.

Luckily, he was happy to get up and limp back into the house. He wasn't any more lame than he had been during his recovery. But I was worried that maybe he did some internal damage to the bone - which is still setting and healing. I called the vet, and they asked if Koda was walking on it (yes) and if he was still taking the anti-inflammatory meds (yes). They said he probably didn't do any damage, but if he started to NOT walk on it, or if it looked swollen, to bring him in for Xrays. They also offered to prescribe some sedatives, because as dogs begin to feel better, they get squirrely.
I just might get some of those for him...


On a more pleasant note, Koda got his first "Get Well" card - from my nephew, Azi. That was so sweet of my sister to send a card! She's really thoughtful like that.

The front shows a cat offering a bone to a dog laying on a sofa
and says, "Since you can't dig up your own..."

On the inside, Azi drew a bone and a hunk of cheese and wrote, "Bone for You... cheese for you... Love From Azariah... Loves for you... I Love You... Yes, you doggie Koda."

So sweet!!! This just made my day!

Other than the heart-stopping drama Koda put me through this morning, the rest of the day was uneventful. Koda really loves hanging outside, dozing in the sun. So I secured a 10-foot steel cable to a tree and his leash and let him relax on the deck. He can't go further than the deck and toward the sliding door to the house, and I can keep a watchful eye on him from the kitchen. I suppose the ever-changing breeze—with scents from afar—keep him from being too bored.

Day 7 Post-Op - Watch Koda Walk!

This is the scene from my vantage point at the kitchen table - Koda sitting and standing, popping his head in between the gaps in the furniture barricade. He is increasingly antsy, pacing around inside Camp Koda. He can't understand why he doesn't have the run of the house like he used to - before this thing with his leg. I'm not sure how much square footage to give him, as he is growing frustrated by being penned up in such a small enclosure.


Watch Koda walking! Today he is getting around even better, more like a bad limp. He is really using his Bionic Leg to walk now.

The stitches look more healed every day. His fur is growing back and covering the cut and sutures. So happy that the worst part is over.

I went out for a quick run in the neighborhood, so I put on his cone (it seems to make him less agile) and added a few boxes and such to reinforce the more vulnerable parts of the barricade. Koda pushed a few pillows, so I know he is testing the walls to see where he can possibly get out. I think within the next couple of days I will use the baby gates to give him access to the hallway to my office, where I've had to return in order to get some work done.

Just in case—in the off chance that Koda clears the living room barricade—I put up some baby gates in front of the stairs. If he got out, at least he couldn't hurt himself going up and down the stairs (like the maniac he is on stairs). I suppose I'll be putting these up in the next few weeks, when he gets full access to the first floor.

He was a good boy. When I returned from my run, he was just sleeping on the floor in his corral. Yay!

Day 6 Post-Op - Well Enough to Jump

At 4:47am, Koda woke us up with the sound of his dog tags clanking against his cone. Since he didn't go potty before we all went to bed, he needed out in the middle of the night. This was unusual because he is usually one to sleep very soundly through the night. I guess there are always exceptions.

Today, Sunday, was the first day we would be leaving Koda completely unsupervised for a couple hours while we were at church. We put the cone on and fortified the Camp Koda blockade to ensure he would not try to escape.

When we returned, all was well. No drama. No evidence of attempts to escape. He was just sleepy and a bit sullen because he had the cone on.

His stitches are healing up nicely. The skin is smooth and closing up, while his fur is starting to grow back. He has a little bit of fuzz - which feels like suede. Outside, he is now "striding" with his Bionic Leg and actually using it to walk! He does so very gingerly, not putting very much weight on it, but indeed using it to walk. The bruising is almost entirely gone, with barely any trace of redness or purple patches. Just as Dr. Munjar, said, the bruising would be very ugly and get worse, and then *poof* disappear. Looks good!

We did have some drama later in the evening. My husband was getting ready to take him out to the backyard. Koda was amped. He turned his back on Koda while putting on his shoes and the excited dog jumped over the bench! And his bad leg didn't quite clear the bench and hit it! Ouch. Ugh. Need to watch this dog very carefully now. He's obviously feeling good enough to jump over things! After that little stunt, we reinforced that exit with a baby gate covered with a towel so he can't see though it (and thus it appears more solid). So the barricade is about 8 inches higher now.

While physical improvements are welcomed, the recent fussiness about taking his meds and eating is not. It's taking more effort to get him to eat. He seems disinterested in his food and I have to practically spoon feed him. Not really sure what that's about. It could be that he feels he is so inactive that he's not hungry. Koda is not like most dogs, who will eat any chance they get. He self-regulates.

Here you can see that the swelling in his leg and ankle are gone. His leg is back to normal proportions. He's gotten his regal and nonchalant expression back on his face, as well.

I also started manual physical therapy with Koda today - passive range of motion for his knee. He let me handle his leg and gently flex and stretch his leg to work his knee a bit. We just do it 10-15 times per session, 2-3 times a day.

Day 5 Post-Op - Standing On Four Legs

Saturday morning, I left my husband in charge of Koda Care for the morning. (I have a standing weekend long run with a girl friend.) I left detailed instructions for hubby and hoped for good news when I returned a few hours later.

Standing on all FOUR legs now!

Apparently, Koda was feeling quite frisky, playful and mischievous. I found out that the two "cheesy treats" - filled with Codeine and the antibiotic - were flat out rejected. Koda spit them out and refused to eat the cheese chunks. I wonder if he wised-up to our deceptive ploy. And I also found out he didn't want any of his breakfast - hopping away from the offered bowl, towards the corners of his corralled area. This is the first time he refused both treats and his food, since the surgery. He also refused to do any potty.

I thought his behavior might have to do with me not doing the honors, as dogs like routines. So I made up another couple of cheesy treats, (I had to dump the other doses of meds, now soggy) and offered them to Koda. He spit them out. So we had to do things the "hard way."

Giving Meds the Hard Way:
In obedience class, the instructor taught us how to give medication in the event that a sick or older dog was not eating. You basically open his mouth, drop the pills into the back of his throat, hold his muzzle shut with one hand and stroke his throat with downward gestures until he swallows. Pills down!

Half and hour later, he was crying, so I took him outside. He did two gigantic poops and a long pee. That might explain why he didn't want to eat any food or treats! And as you can see, he is able to squat—using his Bionic Leg—to do his business.

He is starting to use his leg to walk now, instead of just three legs. He steps with it and gingerly puts just a tiny bit of weight on it. But when he is standing, he prefers to stand on just three legs. But when he does place the fourth leg, he is no longer just "toe touching" but placing his pads down.

Also, the Bionic Leg is markedly less red and bruised-looking. The swelling is going down too, but there is still a golf-ball sized amount of fluid around his ankle. But overall, the leg is looking better and better.

Enjoying another sunny day on the deck.

Day 4 Post-Op - Touchdown!

Koda is practically back to his normal self. He is really getting tired of being corralled. More and more, we are seeing him poke his head over the lower pieces of furniture, whining and wimpering. It's only a matter of time before he tries to test his boundaries and climb over a bench or an ottoman. And he has that calculating, mischeivous look in his eyes now, too. At least this all means he's feeling better!

Out in the yard, he is putting his Bionic Leg down now. Not really stepping with it, but setting it down for balance. He is still hopping along (really well) on three legs, but places the 4th foot down when he is just standing. We have touchdown!

Yes, not quite a full paw plant on the ground, but "toe-touching" - as they call it. He's putting a couple of his toes down.

The stitches are closing up nicely and some of the ugly red blotches are fading. His ankle is still purple with a bit of fluid making it puffy. But I can tell the fluid is decreasing and the bruised extremity is starting to resemble his ankle more.

Every day he seems to be in better spirits. I'm happy to see him relaxing and acting more like his pre-surgery doggie self. Silly dog! (He wants me to rub his tummy.)

Day 3 Post-Op - Tails are Wagging

This morning we woke up to a happy, alert, tail-wagging Koda. He was in a near-normal good mood and eager to go outside for some fresh air. I don't think you truly appreciate a dog's predictable, easy-going and happy-go-lucky disposition until they lose it.

We spent some time in the afternoon, laying together on the deck, soaking up the abundant sunshine that has come to grace Portland this early spring. Koda was very happy, sniffing the air with his eyes closed. He made no attempt to run amuck. It's almost as if he knows his physical limitations right now. He was content to just lay on the deck. Other than the inconvenience of getting around on three legs, I think he's pretty comfortable.

Koda is "toe touching" with his injured leg, now. Actually, I should stop referring to it as his "injured leg" because it's fixed and in the recovery phase. So I shall call it his Bionic Leg now - since it has a metal reinforcement and screws in it. Koda isn't stepping down completely on it, just touching for balance.

A look at his stitches about 72 hours after the operation. It still looks a bit Frankenstein, but the stitches are laying a little flatter. The blotches of red and purple bruising all over his leg continue. It's especially dark purple around his ankle.

You can see how much fluid is pooling around his ankle joint. It's squishy and he doesn't like me to touch it. You can also see a small "x" where there are a couple stitches. Mr. Munjar explained that they also drilled a hole in this lower part of his leg in order to stabilize it on a rig during the surgery. This is necessary because once he cut the top portion of that tibia, the lower portion needs to stay in proper alignment.

Koda blissfully dozing in the sunshine.