Wilbur - One Step Forward, One Step Back

[Guest Adrianne]

This may be long, & I apologize. It's been 9 days since Wilbur's surgery to repair his broken leg, and I know we're making progress. But every day has been a roller coaster, and I'm exhausted. He's been able to get up by himself from day one, which was great, but he couldn't get himself back down. That was fine when my husband was here to help me pick him up to lay him down. Last Monday, though, he was up & down 15 or 20 times, & I was here by myself. He's almost 90 pounds, and while I could get him back down by myself, it wasn't easy for him or me. Why couldn't he get settled; why was he up so much in obvious distress? Turns out Tramadol is not the pain medicine for him. Small victory in figuring that out and discontinuing use. We had a night when he only got up once, which was wonderful. Next, he learned to lay himself down; another small victory. It's not every time, but my back appreciated it. The downside to this was him now getting in small places to lie down. His favorite spot is by the living room window between the couch and a small table. We didn't think much of it at first, but he really has to curl up to be in that spot. So, if he got over there and couldn't lie down, it was very difficult to help him out. And if I was by myself, it was almost an impossibility. That was the spot he wanted to be in 75% of the time.

 

Next came the edema in his good leg. It swelled almost as big as his broken leg. Why, why? Has he injured it? My vet said it was just edema and recommended getting him up more & walking him, and I've also tried leg massages. Unfortunately he lays on that leg and so I can't massage all the way up to his body. I did find a very good article on broken legs in greyhounds, and it said 40% of greyhounds will develop moderate to severe edema.

 

My vet asked if he was putting any weight on his broken leg, and after watching him very closely as he walked, ate, did his business, etc, I realized that he wasn't putting an ounce of weight on that leg. No big deal; it's very early after surgery. But it is a concern for a couple reasons. First, my vet is afraid his good leg may break down from bearing all that weight. He bunny hops, and all that weight comes crashing down on the good leg while the broken leg either drags or flops. Second, he tore one of the pads on his good foot and had trouble getting up at all. Another sleepless night for him and us. And the third problem with that arose in conjuction with him being able to lie down by himself. He circles to find his sleeping spot. His broken leg just hangs there, and as he circles, it gets twisted around his good leg and trips him.

 

He was circling in his tiny spot by the window Friday at 5pm & tripped on his leg and fell backward against the wall. He hit right behind where the rod comes out of his leg. He howled the same as he did the night he broke his leg. I was here by myself and could only help him down & wait for my husband to get home. The wall is not smooth; it's overlapping planks from an old barn. It looked like the edge of one of the planks had cut him from the rod opening to down about an inch or two. It was hard to tell because of the drainage from the rod opening. After cleaning him up, we found he wasn't cut; just bruised on his tail and back end. He calmed down pretty quickly, and we took away his favorite corner. We have a chair there now blocking his access.

 

Earlier that day, he got his broken leg hung on the door jamb coming in the front door. Much crying, but he is much more careful going in and out now.

 

We celebrated him being able to lie down by himself, but honestly, he's now such a danger to himself. Especially when he's circling on his cushions or blankets. Not only does his broken leg wrap around his good leg, but so do the blankets & cushions. I watch for signs that he is bearing some weight on the broken leg, but there are none. Even lying down, he doesn't move it at all, and it doesn't twitch with the other leg when he's sleeping. I don't believe he has terrible pain in that leg, because I do little exercises with him - apply pressure upward on his foot, easy knee bends - and I never get even a hint of discomfort on his part. I am becoming a little worried about nerve damage, although the article I found did cover the topic of rehabilitation for greys that refuse to use the leg at all.

 

We had a good day yesterday until the late afternoon. I noticed his stitch area was wet. I look at those stitches every single day, and they look great. There's no redness, no streaks, no pulling apart, no bad smell, no heat, nothing. But yesterday, he started leaking under one stitch (out of fourteen). The incision hasn't opened; it just seems to be a raw spot underneath one stitch. It's leaking just a very light trickle of red-tinged clear fluid. It is definitely not pus, and it is not just blood. Bandaging and wrapping are next to impossible, although we tried. The problem is the incision is on the very biggest part of his leg where it connects to his body. There simply isn't enough available leg above the spot the get a bandage around. What I did manage last night seemed to put more pressure on the spot and increase the leakage. So I spent most of the night holding a cloth on the spot.

 

To top it off, Wilbur really had bathroom issues last night. Three times in three hours, he went outside and peed like he'd been holding it all day. Well, the third time, he didn't quite make it. It was 3 a.m. and he'd been out only an hour before. I thought he was just restles and getting up to readjust. He went to the front hall, but I decided to give him a minute or two to see if he'd settle back down. He obviously couldn't hold it and released a full flood by the front hall. Wilbur is a boy that will hold it all day without any problem if it's pouring down rain, so this was unsettling. After that, he was fine & didn't go back out until 6:30, which is his regular schedule.

 

The upside to this: when he got up this morning, there was a very dramatic difference in the swelling in his legs. The edema in his good leg is completely gone, and the swelling in his broken leg is a lot smaller.

 

He is still leaking from the one stitch, but now it's bothering him to no end. He won't leave it alone. He will be at the vet first thing in the morning.

 

I am beginning to feel inept and ill-equipped to care for him through this, although, honestly, I can't think of a single thing I could have done differently up to this point. I would do anything for him; he's my third child and the doggie love of my life. I have been with him 24/7 since he came home. I haven't left the house, and I sleep in the living room with him every night. His appetite is great, and he drinks plenty of water. As I said at the beginning, I'm just exhausted.

 

If you've gotten this far, thank you very much for listening.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Wow. I don't have any suggestions to help you, but you clearly need a big hug and your boy needs a gentle scritch. All I can say is that it is going to get better and you are clearly doing all you can.

[brandimom]

Oh my heart goes out to all of you. You all deserve a big hug and sloppy kisses for Wilbur. No advice at this end but I am glad you shared with us because sometimes we do feel better by sharing. We will continue our prayers and good thoughts for you and Wilbur!

[carronstar]

Sending big hugs for you and cuddles for Wilbur. It sounds like you have done everything right.

[EllenEveBaz]

No advice or experience to offer, so sending big hugs to you and Wilbur.

 

Just brainstorming -- crate or babygate at night to keep him quieter? Move table further away from his favorite spot, or would that mean he'd just have to find a new favorite spot? Good news on the edema going down, even if some went down on your floor. Let us know what the vet says about the leaking stitch. And best wishes for more rest for you.

[seeh2o]

This is a tough time for all of you. It sounds like you are doing all you can to make things easier for him. I hope he has a good report when he goes to the vet tomorrow.

[tbhounds]

I share your concern-I would think he should be weight bearing by now. The surgeon really needs to re-exam him. As far as the fluid leaking from the incision site it might be a seroma building up from his latest bump he took on the hip. Warm compresses may help. It might help if you walk him with a sling until your recheck appointment.

[Guest eaglflyt]

Hugs to all of you!

 

Have you tried a sling to help him up and down when needed? That might make it easier.

 

Our Aussie will drink (polydypsia) and pee (polyuria) like crazy when he's on antibiotics for any reason, or anti-inflammatories (Deramaxx) for his arthritis. He has to empty his bladder much more frequently and drank more frequently when on either of those meds. Maybe that's what is happening with your boy?

Edited December 20, 2009 by eaglflyt

[Guest Adrianne]

Thank you everyone for your replies and hugs. Much needed and much appreciated.

 

To answer a couple questions, we did briefly consider a baby gate to keep him in a confined area. Unfortunately, the only place we could do that would be our utility room off the kitchen. He wouldn't be able to even see us in the living room. He has always wanted to be where we are, so that didn't seem a viable option. The crate was immediately discounted for several reasons. First and foremost because Wilbur has not been crated in eight years. We had a nice, extra large crate filled with a fluffy cushion and warm blanket when we first brought him home 8 years ago. He took one look at it, thumbed his nose, and that was that. It stayed in our living room for over a year, and he was in it a grand total of zero times. There was just no need- he learned the dog door very quickly & could handle his business, he never suffered separation anxiety, he never got into things. So, we finally gave it away. Even if we still had it, I don't know that it would be a good thing for him. He is very sensitive to change, and think he would get anxious being in it.

 

We did use a towel as a sling for about a day, but it was only useful in holding him steady outside. He could get up without any problem, but laying him down requires picking him up off the ground (my husband in back, me in front), swinging his legs gently toward us, and laying him on his side. (If I'm by myself, I start from a kneeling position with both arms under him. I can get him just barely off the ground and then I tilt him back toward me.) He won't just sink down. Without picking his feet off the ground, he will not go down. Maybe I'm not thinking about it right; if not, I'm open to hear it.

 

Clearing his favorite spot out would require moving a couch, a baby grandfather clock, two small filing cabinets, and a coffe table that holds my husbands printer on one side and his scanner on the other. My husband uses those on a daily basis with his job, and there just is no place to which to move the items.

 

Very interesting info on the seroma. I looked it up and will discuss it with my vet.

 

As far as the peeing, he has been normal since the 3 a.m. incident. He's been outside three times today--6:30, 10:30, and 4:00. He's drinking plenty, but not more than usual. He has three more days on the Clavamox.

 

He's resting now, and I have a cloth on his leg. I would almost swear that I can see the swelling in the broken leg going down hour by hour.

 

A good day today with hopes for good rest tonight.

[Guest Energy11]

Wow, you are going through A LOT! I was also thinking about baby-gating him into a smaller area or, even using a x-pen for the same. Also, maybe mention light sedation to your vet? Something like Valium is not only a sedative, but muscle relaxer, as well. Might be worth asking. Finally, a friend of ours had a dog with a totally weak back end, and they swore by their sling. No matter, I hope all this gets smoother for you. When Curfew was up every single night, all night, I was a MESS, so I know how you feel. Hugs and good Luck!