I finally stopped crying

I'm finally able to stop crying. I think I'm freaking Koda out and he can sense that something is terribly wrong. We (I) are not acting normal.

Lorinda from Double Dog Ranch sent me an email about a client who boards with them, and her dog "Carmen". Her Carmen was diagnosed with metastasized lung cancer and was only given 6 months to live. She started Chinese herbal treatment and other holistic methods and miraculously extended Carmen's life by 6 YEARS! She said the cancer eventually did spread, but she lived so much longer.

I was floored. And hopeful.

I put a call into the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) and also looked up a local holistic veterinarian. I found one and made an appointment. We are going to get a consultation from Dr. Bob Ulbrich of the Holistic Pet Vet Clinic on Monday. I'm hoping he can prescribe and provide us with a cocktail of herbs that will help Koda's immune system fight the cancer, slow the cancer spread and hopefully increase his quality of life and time left with us. It seems kinda New Age-y, but I am willing to try it. It is non-invasive, non-stressful for Koda and low risk. And it doesn't cost as much as surgery or chemotherapy.

I also found the blog post by a man who's Miracle Pooch "Chuck" experienced the same life-extending effects by using Chinese herbs. His German Shephard/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix was already 9 years old when he was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. With his owner's TLC and holistic treatments, this dog really defied the odds. He lived 5 years longer! All the way to 14 years old! Which is a long time for even a healthy, large-breed dog!

So I have hope. There must be something in these herbs that can help dogs with cancer.

In the meantime, Koda slept all day (which I forgot he always did when he was healthy too). In the afternoon, I managed to play "kibble toss" with him and got in a Rimadyl, 1/2 C. of kibble and some water.

In the evening, Emily came over and Koda was very excited and happy to have company again. We went for another "stroll & sit" session. He drank a lot at one of the neighbor's water bowls. He did pretty well walking, but only did one spurt of fast trotting. He made it back home with good pep.

Koda did a "good finish" with his raw food for dinner. He got a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a chicken treat afterward. I'm relieved that he ate the raw food. It's going to be a challenge to keep weight on him. So we are doing what we can to feed him lots while he still has an appetite - well, without him getting upset tummy, because he'd only be too enthusiastic to eat tons of treats if we let him.

Epic Fail with Peanut Butter
Perry and I tried to give him a Tramadol crushed in a teaspoon of peanut butter, using the "hard way" method. Koda sputtered and spit out all over the place. I think I only got about half a pill's worth into his system. So much for peanut butter. He's going to associate it with bad things from now on.

He was able to come up the stairs pretty well that night. I gave him a chicken treat in the bedroom - which he ate enthusiastically.

I am still in shock

I am still in shock. And relaying the bad news to family and friends has rendered me a useless, soggy, tear-soaked mess. I'm even crying on Koda when I pet him. The response from people has been so supportive and loving. I am really touched by the outpouring.

Jackie came over around 7pm. She brought over a gift of chicken jerky from Costco for Koda (and ice cream for us). So nice of her! Koda was in great spirits when Jackie came through the door. He was wagging his tail and seemed very excited to have company. The 4 of us (Jackie, Perry, Koda & I) went on a walk, more like a leisurely "stroll & sit" outing, as I am calling them now. We managed to walk to the "condo circle" on Del Monte.
There was lots of stopping and sitting, but also spurts of very fast trotting. Quite amazing, and I cherish those moments. Koda was happy and alert.

When we got back, we fed him 3 chicken treats and tried to get him to eat some raw meat smoothie. He had a few slurps, then walked away. Jackie had similar luck.

Later, I just plain spoiled Koda. String cheese, doggie cookies, Orijen kibble and then, vanilla ice cream. I hoped he wouldn't get an upset tummy and barf it all up. I managed to give sneak a Tramadol in a chunk of cheese - but I know he will get wise to that trick soon and we'll have to use the less pleasant man-handling method to get medications into him. He hates it. And I hate doing it.

The day ended well, even though Koda really struggled to get up the stairs at night.

Now I understand what the care-takers of terminally-ill people mean when they say, "There are good days and bad days. Today was a good day."

Koda has metastasized lung cancer

Tuesday, July 12, 9:30am - Had a morning appointment to see Dr. Munjar, Koda's surgeon. I'd given Koda some Rimadyl over the weekend because his leg really seemed to be bothering him. Dr. M felt his leg, but it was his spine that caused him to yelp when he pressed on it. He took him back for some x-rays and I could hear Koda yelping holy hell.

The x-rays showed that his knee looked great - no inflammation of the patellar tendon and the bone looked good. But it was other things on the x-rays that were troubling.

There was a large mass pushing his large intestine, causing it to curve around and not go straight out to his rectum - as would be normal. I could see the mass with my own eyes.

But even more disturbing was the chest x-ray. It showed white splotches —nodules— in several places all over his lungs. Dr. M was very concerned about these and told me they could be cancer.

Cancer?!?!?!

We talked about options, like having his colleague, Dr. Simpson, perform surgery to remove the tumor in Koda's abdomen. But first he wanted us to see Dr. Franklin, an internal specialist veterinarian. It's hard to read doctors' expressions and determine if they are playing things down or just naturally stoic because they see so much in the medical world. Or if they don't want to freak out the owners. Hard to say.

The vet tech at the desk asked me how things went and I started crying as I relayed the bad news. She was very sympathetic. She said she hoped to see us back, because that would mean we'd be having the surgery to remove the tumor.

I burst into uncontrollable sobs when I left the building. I just couldn't believe what I'd seen in the x-rays and the news of likely cancer. Shock. How could this be happening?

I stopped bawling long enough to call Dr. Franklin's office from the parking lot. After explaining the situation, they were able to squeeze us in right away. We showed up around 12: noon.

Dr. Franklin looked at the x-rays Dr. M had just taken, felt Koda, then told us he's like to take another set of x-rays. He also said he would need to do an ultrasound of the mass, as well as a guided aspirate (like a biopsy), to try to determine the type of cancer we were dealing with. He probed Koda via his rectum and said he could feel the enlarged lymph node there. Perry had joined us half-way through this office visit. We left Koda with Dr. Franklin after signing-off on a $1000's worth of diagnostic tests. I'd be able to pick him up later that afternoon.

At about 4pm, I returned to the Oregon Veterinary Specialty Hospital to pick up Koda... and see the second set of x-rays. Dr. Franklin took me back and pointed to the ultrasound on the monitor. It was supposedly of the tumor, but to tell you the truth, I couldn't tell what I was looking at. When he brought up the digital x-rays, I could clearly see the white splotches all over the lung area - which in a healthy dog, would be all black. There was a "lacy" pattern with several white nodules of cancer. It had definitely metastasized from the abdomen tumor.

Koda definitely has cancer. And it is advanced. Advanced enough to have "metastasized" or spread into his lungs.
Most likely, the tumor in his abdomen is the "primary" cancer.

But we wouldn't know what KIND of cancer Koda has until we got the results of the aspirate back from the cytologist (someone who studies cells). Without knowing the exact type of cancer, Dr. Franklin could not give me any information about what treatment options we have. With CDs of the x-rays, a print of the ultrasound, and some antibiotic pills in hand, I paid my bill and walked out with Koda.

I lost it again in the parking lot.

Tuesday had been a rough day. I couldn't stop crying. The thought of those cancer cell multiplying and killing Koda every moment was crushing. Now all I could do was wait until Wednesday to find out about the aspirate results and what our options were.

Wednesday, July 13 - I went about my day in shock. I was hoping I'd wake up and this whole cancer thing was just a bad nightmare. But it wasn't.

I took Koda for a walk in the morning. He must've been really worn out from the stress of the office visits and tests. He seemed happy enough to go out for "walkies", but could only make it down 7 houses, having to stop a couple times already. We turned around and made our way back. He had to stop at almost every driveway to sit and pant. So sad. This was a heart-wrenching experience, only made worse by knowing these walks would eventually be remembered as the "best days" he has left.

I waited all day to hear from Dr. Franklin. He finally called around 7pm. The aspirate didn't yield any results. Apparently the tumor cells don't "stick" very well to the needle, so the lab didn't have anything to go on. But he was pretty sure Koda has hemangiosarcoma - which is "a rapidly growing, highly invasive variety of cancer. It is a sarcoma from the lining of the blood vessels; that is, blood-filled channels and spaces are commonly observed microscopically. A frequent cause of death is the rupturing of this tumor, causing the patient to rapidly bleed to death. Dogs with hemangiosarcoma rarely show clinical signs until the tumor has become very large and has metastasized."

Unbelievable.

Our options became this:
1) Re-aspirate (no charge/reduced fee) - but we might not get an answer.

2) Do a 2-cut biopsy ($539-$708)
Cons: Requires anesthesia; vascular risks = massive bleeding
Pros: Better than 90% chance of identifying the cancer

3) Exploratory surgery of the abdominal mass
Cons: Requires anesthesia; Is a major surgery; Stress & recovery from surgery; Risk of infection; Tissue could be too damaged to identify. Costs $3-$5K
Pros: Better than 90% chance of identifying the cancer; Can see extent of it and can take it out - removing the primary cancer mass.

Radiation therapy is out - lungs too close to the heart.
Chemotherapy is only an option if we know what kind of cancer Koda has. So that would require the biopsy or exploratory surgery. And chemo is stressful - 6-8 weeks of treatment for Koda. And very expensive, about $3K.

All of these would involve more stress and risks for Koda. Office visits, procedures, surgeries, going under. There are risks of losing Koda "on the table" during any of this and never having the chance to enjoy the time he has left or say goodbye. There would be multiple risks no matter what we chose. And if we chose to do nothing, Koda would have only weeks to months left. Even if we were to go through with a successful surgery, tumor removal and chemotherapy - we might only extend his life a couple months. And at what cost? Koda's quality of life would be compromised. It doesn't seem worth it.

I hung up with Dr. Franklin and wept. It seemed like the only humane option would be home hospice care. Perry and I decided to lavish love on Koda and try to make his remaining time as comfortable and long as possible at home.

2011 Update on Koda

Every since Koda had his TPLO surgeries (March 15, 2010 and June 2, 2010), his mobility and stamina have not been the same as pre-surgery. His recovery was steady, but he never quite regained the athletic endurance he once had before. He was always happy and eager to go on walks, but it seemed his body could not keep up. I had accepted the reality that Koda would never run with me again.

On January 27, 2011 - I remember a wonderful trail walk with Koda in Tryon Creek State Park. It was an hour long and he trotted up and down the hills with gusto. I really thought he was "making his come back" because this was the strongest he'd been physically since the TPLO surgeries. I had all sorts of hope for him.

In the spring of 2011, Koda seemed to be "slowing down." In hindsight, I think he should have been getting stronger on his walks, but we started only taking him on the hill-less "scary forest" route. It's relatively flat and takes about 40 minutes including potty stops. It seemed that hills really bothered his legs, so we avoided them. I just chalked it all up to Koda's not returning to the same fitness as before, post-surgery knee stiffness, and just getting older. He is about 9 years old now, my guess.

On June 2, 2011 - I'd taken Koda for a walk in Tryon. It was about 45 minutes. We did the North Horse Loop and wound around back to the Nature Center. He slowed down some on the way back, but I didn't think anything of it. He seemed to do much better on trails than on neighborhood sidewalks. I think it may have to do with a more stimulating environment, more to see and sniff.

Five weeks later, Saturday, July 9: Trail walk with Koda in Tryon. It was very hard for Koda, even though we went on easy trail without hills. Within 100 yards, he had to start sitting down. Then for the next 1/2 hour, had to sit down about 8-9 times. :( Something is definitely wrong.

I took Koda straight to Banfield Pet Hospital as a walk-in after the disheartening walk in Tryon. Dr. R saw him. I told her I thought it was the leg/knee, perhaps stiff with scar tissue from the surgery, but wanted to rule out any other physical problems before seeing his doggie surgeon on Tuesday. I asked her about his slight weight loss - about 4 pounds. She checked his weight history and said he was within his normal range. She listened to his heart and lungs - said they sounded fine. Drew blood and ran the tests. She said everything looked fine - couldn't find anything wrong.

I asked her about the blood tests and half-jokingly inquired, "So the blood work is fine and it's not like he has cancer, right?"

She explained that cancer does not show up on blood tests, for some strange reason.

Damn me and my uncanny intuition.

Sorry we've been out... WALKING!

So... bad news and good news.
Bad news is - I've been waaaaay negligent in updating Koda's blog.
Tsk tsk! Sorry!
Good news is - Koda and I have been busy taking long WALKS, which is why the blog hasn't been updated!

It's been over a month since the last post and Koda's been working his little atrophied muscles with twice daily walks down our long street and back. He always starts off with gusto, but I always hold my breath on the return... dread weighing on my heart if he were to start sitting down frequently or holding up his re-hab'ing leg.

But my worst fears have slowly been replaced with sighs of relief, as with each completed walk, Koda has only needed to sit down once or twice. But from being out-of-breath and not because his leg hurts. He sits for just a few seconds—literally—then pops back up and continues his walk with pep and vigor. Besides being out-of-shape, the warmer temperatures slow him down a bit too. All that fur.

Here's the x-ray from Koda's last follow-up visit with the surgeon. Everything looks great! No inflammation of that CCL tendon. The "cut line" where the tibial head was removed and rotated has completely healed. And the holes that were drilled into his leg bone to secure the metal plate are filling in nicely with new bone tissue. So now the leg bone is less fragile. Hurray on all accounts!

With that, Dr. Munjar felt his legs and just remarked that his left quadricep muscle is "very puny" and needs a lot of exercise to build it back up. So he discharged Koda with an aggressive exercise regiment of twice-a-day walks, incorporating hills, trails and switchbacks. Even some off-leash play at an uncrowded dog park.

So we've been out walking... and walking...



And even a little running! Yes! Koda is running again!



But he gets winded pretty quick, so he stops to just sit and enjoy being outdoors. After being cooped up in the house for months, this must be heaven to him. (Oh! And by the way, we got to remove the baby gates - giving Koda free reign to go up and down the stairs all he likes.)

When we're not taking walks, Koda hangs out in the backyard. What do you do if you're a husky in summer? You dig yourself a ditch in the dirt and curl up in it to lounge away the day.

Well, we're going to get back to walking and hopefully we'll have more happy news to report in a couple weeks! Thanks for reading and for all the support!

Stitches Out (again) & First Walk

It's now been 16 days since the hardware removal surgery. Koda had his check-up visit with the surgeon and the stitches removed yesterday.

Watch that left leg move!

Dr. Munjar said his leg felt good, and the area which was painful when probed before (where the bone plate was) no longer seemed to be causing Koda pain. All good news.

Just from my own observation, Koda has been in a pretty good spirits the last 2 weeks. I think he really does feel better without the bone plate implant. He is walking more "solidly" too. He still has a slight pivot - which is from quadricep muscle atrophy in that left leg. But the new regimen of walking will serve to strengthen his muscles and get him back into shape for all the things that a middle-aged dog likes to do.

No stitches here!

Dr. Munjar said to go for 10 minute walks 3x's a day through the weekend. Today we managed 2 walks. On the first walk, 14 houses - NO SIT STOPS!!! I was nearly holding my breath as he walked past one house after another, turned around and made it back home without any stops! His second walk was 19 house lengths, but he did have to stop and sit at house 9 and 11. I'm not sure if it was his leg or him being out-of-shape. So I guess more walks will give us a better idea of his leg condition.

Next week, we are supposed to increase to 15 minute walks 3x's a day. These walks are kind of the "proof is in the pudding" tests. If he is able to ramp up his walking, we'll know he is on the way to a full recovery. If he still has to sit down, it will be heartbreak again, as we would have to pinpoint what is wrong.

11 Days after 2nd Surgery

Post Op #2, Week 1 update: Koda is doing really well! He's walking (dare I say it) better than he was 7 weeks after his TPLO surgery. When walking, he "plants" the left leg more solidly, and it doesn't seem to splay-out as much. This second recovery phase has definitely been a bit easier than the recovery phase after his first surgery. While his leg is still fragile because of the 6 holes in his leg bone, it's not like the tibial head and tibia bone are severed. That part of the leg is healing nicely. This recovery period is for the 6 holes to fill in to solidify his tibia and for the incision to heal, which is "just" a clean soft tissue cut.

Koda refused ice treatments on his leg. And after 3 days, didn't appear to be in any pain, so I stopped his pain killers. Well, that and because he refused to eat them anymore.

Yeah, giving him meds became a big production with lots of foaming and spitting drama...

Because Koda had so many meds to take - anywhere from 1-3 times a day, I had to get creative. His anti-inflammatory meds and glucosamine chrondointin supplements (for strong bones) were liver-flavored (I gather dogs like this), so I could crush these into his raw meat "stew" meals. He wasn't drinking enough water, so I started adding a lot of water to his meals to keep him hydrated, making more of a stew.

But I couldn't mix the antibiotics and pain killers in his food because they were bitter, and once they got wet, the bitterness permeated and he refused to eat his food. I think I wasted a couple doses discovering this, as he left his bowl after one taste.

Medication Tricks:
Because dogs go mostly by smell, I added some wild fish kibble to each of his pill bottles, so that the meds would take on the smell of the kibble. Then we'd play the Kibble Treat Game, where I rapidly toss kibble for him to catch in his mouth and then sneak in a pill in the rapid succession. Because he was so excited about getting treats, he'd just swallow quickly.

Going with this "smell masking" idea, I'd entice him into his kennel with the promise of kibble and then mix a few of his meds in a handful of kibble and bits of chicken jerky. Usually he was so excited to eat the kibble that he's just wolf down the pills too. But then he discovered the icky taste of the pain killers because he used his tongue to lick up the kibble/pills. Foiled.

Other times, I'd prepare 6-7 cheese "treats", with pills in two of them and do the same rapid cheese treat dispersal: cheese, cheese, pill in cheese, cheese... and so on. Because he was so excited to eat the cheese, he'd just swallow and anticipate the next treat. But this method only lasted a few times. He got wise to the cheese treats. I think the moisture of the cheese caused the pain pills to leach out their bitter taste. *sigh*

After all these methods stopped working, I was forced to give Koda his meds "the hard way" - which entailed P holding him still, while I pried open his mouth, dropped the pills in the back of his throat, closed his muzzle and stroked his throat until he swallowed. Koda was NOT happy.

Shaved leg and stitches 8 days after hardware removal.

Shaved leg and stitches 11 days after hardware removal, his fur is growing back amazingly fast. In four days, Koda will have his stitches removed and a check-up with Dr. Munjar. I think at this 2-week mark, he may be allowed to go up and down stairs again. Koda has really, really missed the upstairs bedroom. When we go up the stairs during the day, he waits by the baby gates with this forlorn look on his face. I think he will be much happier once he can sleep upstairs again.

Second Surgery - Metal Bone Plate Removed

After a two weeks of anti-inflammatory (Rimadyl) and muscle relaxers (Methocarbamol) without any improvement, it was decided that the metal bone plate in Koda's leg should be removed. Eleven weeks after his first surgery, he underwent his SECOND surgery - to help him recover from the first one. *sigh*

I was able to drop him off for surgery and pick him up the in the same day. At 4:30pm when I came to get him, the techs brought him out and he started thrashing and flailing - still groggy from the anesthesia and confused about his gigantic appendage.

Exhausted and disoriented, he laid down on the lobby floor while the techs called the surgeon RIGHT THEN to see if it would be okay to cut off the bandage (it was supposed to stay on until the next morning).

Cleared to removed the massive cocoon of a bandage.

Lots of layers of cotton to compress his leg and prevent swelling.

Dr. Munjar had cut Koda open the same incision from the first surgery. He said it's cleaner this way and because blood vessels have not yet formed through that scar tissue it's actually better to cut there. If he made a second incision, the strip of skin between the old and new incisions would be cut-off from blood supply and become a sort of "dead zone." Interesting.

The first night home was extremely difficult. When I got him home, he just kept crying and whimpering on and on and on. He was anxious, swaggering like a drunk and agitated. He kept pacing. We have to keep him quiet and NO STAIRS for 2-3 weeks because his leg is even more fragile now that the bone plate was removed, leaving 6 big holes in the bone! They said he could easily BREAK his leg!!!! If that isn't stress, I'm no sure what is! If he breaks it, it will be another surgery and another 8 week recovery!

We tried confining him to his kennel to get him to stay still. He kept crying. It was so heart breaking! Finally, P ended up sleeping on the sofa back in make-shift Camp Koda.

The next 2 weeks will be tough because Koda is not allowed up the stairs. We may cautiously try to "wheel barrow" him up with his backside in a sling. But if he struggles and falls, it would be really bad. So not sure it's worth the risk, even though Koda desperately wants to go upstairs. He keeps standing in front of the staircase, looking up longingly.

Koda will now spend his days, doped-up on antibiotics (Simplicef), anti-inflammatory (Rimadyl), pain killers (Tramadol) and anti-diarrhea/tummy anti-inflammatory (Metronidazole - he'd had a 24-hour bout of liquid diarrhea over Memorial Day weekend, oh joy). If he didn't calm down after his first night home, I would have to give him a sedative on top of the rest of his meds. Thankfully, he appears to be more relaxed today.

It's going to be a tough next 2 weeks. For some reason, I kept thinking the recovery after this second surgery was going to be a breeze. I was wrong. It's still going to be a long haul as we baby step towards full recovery.

Heartbreaking News - 9 Weeks Post-Op

After Koda's 7-week check-up and x-rays, the surgeon said the bone joint looked good, almost completely fused and cleared Koda for outdoor walks of 10 minutes, 3 times a day. The first 5 days, he was doing really well - he'd trot for 6 house lengths, then 13, maxing out at 17 houses and back! He was tired at the end, but making progress.

But then he started having problems - having to stop, then sit down, every few houses on the way back. Finally, on days 9 and 10, he could only walk 4 house lengths and had to stop at every driveway on the way back and sit down. :(

I knew something was wrong.

I made an appointment with the surgeon.

Dr. Mujar had new x-rays done and felt his leg and the bone plate. The knee joint is still healing great - no tenderness, swelling, inflammation, etc. But Koda would flinch and jerk his leg when he pressed around where the lower part of the bone plate is screwed into his leg.

The surgeon said it's not the knee joint, but a "sensitivity" to the metal. Basically, his body doesn't like that metal piece in his leg and it's making his leg achy and sore, which is why he is able to walk less and less. He says this is so rare. Usually dogs with major allergies would be the likely candidates for this rejection. But no, it's Koda. Koda who isn't allergic to anything! He says this only happens to about one dog a year - of all the thousands of surgeries he does a year. Go figure.

The other unlikely reason he mentioned was if his knee had been swollen like a tennis ball after the surgery. In which case, when the swelling went down, all that extra tissue would need to go somewhere and would end up acting like shrink-wrap around the metal plate. So imagine trying to move and having something tight constricting that area. Scar tissue. But since Koda's knee was NOT swollen like that, he said that scar tissue is probably NOT the reason he is having problems walking.

He sent us home with more anti-inflammatory meds as well as a muscle relaxer (his groin muscle is now tight, probably as a side effect of straining to use the hurt leg). If he doesn't improve in a few days, then it will be surgery—AGAIN—to remove the bone plate.

At this point, the bone plate has served it's purpose, as it was screwed in to keep the tibial bone in place while it fused back together. Now that the bone is fused, there is no more need for it. But with 99.9% of the dogs, you just leave it in. After Koda is cut back open, bone plate removed, stitched back up, he'll have 2 weeks of home post-op care like he did before (ice, Codeine, anti-inflammatory & anti-infection drugs) and then the stitches come out. But this time, his activity will not be restricted, as the bone is already healed, so he can continue his walking regiment, etc. That's about the only good part about Koda having to undergo surgery - AGAIN.

Of course, another surgery is NOT what we wanted. But it looks like the only definitive way to get Koda back on track to walking and healing. As there are no other reasons why Koda's walking is getting worse. *sigh*

My heart aches for poor Koda.

7 Weeks after Surgery - The Next Steps

This week was a big week for Koda. He went on a big trip to Eugene (which included long car rides, staying at a hotel and much more walking than his usual meanderings around the house), his 7-week Post-Op check-up with the surgeon and new x-rays, and 10-minute walkies... outside - in the neighborhood! No more of this boring house arrest!


Here's Koda on his second outdoor walk. Watch his rear left leg. He made it down the street (13 houses) and back. He started off with gusto, very excited to be walking in the neighborhood, but on the way back, had to stop three times and sit down to rest on the sidewalk.
I was sad.
He was sad.
He looked at me with sad eyes, as if to say, "Wow. I can't believe how out of shape I am! Would you mind if I rested a minute?"

Here's is my poor doggie, sitting and panting on the sidewalk. The same dog who used to run 10-13 miles with me in Forest Park. If anything, this just reminds me that long lay-offs from activity require patience and time to gradually build back up. We will do what the doctor said, and diligently do the 10-minute, 15-minute, 20-minute, 25-minute walks over the next month, until Koda gets the A-Ok to start running again. And then it will be the same gradual build-up for running. Hopefully, by the end of summer, Koda and I will be out running on a shady trail!

Here is the 7-week x-ray of his knee. Dr. Munjar pointed out that Koda has straight patella tendonitis, and prescribed some anti-inflammatory meds to calm that down. He said it's nothing too serious and that the tendon is irritated because it is working hard to keep his knee cap aligned since the leg muscles are too weak at this point. The new regiment of walking will help strengthen his muscles and relieve the patella tendon.

He also pointed out the new bone growth at the top of the tibia, where there is a "valley" after he rotated the tibial head. Eventually, that "valley" will fill-out with new bone growth.

Conversely, where the tibial head was rotated and extra bone now exists, that "nub" will wear down a little and smooth out as it integrates with his tibia.

All in all, Dr. Munjar said Koda is doing slightly above average in his healing phase. He's not doing fabulous - like some young dogs. But he's also not doing poorly - where the bone is not healing steadily or there are other complications.

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.