Sounds like he's realy on the mend now hope he gets the all clear to start his little walks

__________________

All my children have paws!

I updated his post earlier and added it to week four - trying to keep weekly posts in one place. He pulled another trick out of the hat and scared the life out of me again, more AB's - this boy is costing me a small fortune now that i've used nearly all of his insurance and I won't use the rest for small claims, only hip related things now. What WOULD we do without insurance eh?

He is doing extremely well - touch wood and I know we are very lucky bunnies.

__________________

Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

Glad things are on the mend and on the up.... I do find it hard to visualise him charging round the garden as my Malamute Kai is such a big lazy bones..... he doesnt charge anywhere apart from when there is food about !!!!! He does always walk well infront of me though on our walks and keeps having a wee peek back just to check that we are both gooing in the same direction !!!! Good luck at the vets next week and hopefully then you can try and resume a normal daily routine..... As for me, well, I am off to Wales on Monday to pick up little Anouk, she is 9 weeks old today..... Carebear on here bred her.... So my life is about to be shattered !!!!!! Pamx

Sounds like Flynn is keeping you on your toes. It's lovely reading your posts and I am so pleased everything is going well.

Domino had his 6 week check this week, everything was fine except were the cement has been put some of the bone appears to have did but it is nothing to worry about. This last week has been really hard as Domino just wants to play all day and night now he is out of the cage and in one room. We have decided to limit his time out of the cage because he is just trying to do too much too soon. The other dogs are being really good and are tryig to ignoe him but the kitten has other ideas!

Michael has decided that Domino needs hydrotherapy as the muscle hasn't come back as quickly as he thought.

Keep up the good work.

Val xx

Well done Domino, I hope you enjoy your hydrotherapy.

You are the same as me Val - I wouldn't trust Flynn with too much freedom either, after all the work we've put in keeping them entertained and safe it's just not worth the risk.

Can't wait till Flynn can have a little time out on his own in the kitchen, I think we are both getting very bored with each other now, lol.

__________________

Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

Hip replacement surgery is surgery to replace the painful and damaging to the hip joint with artificial for plants without pain, fully functional single active lifestyle. This surgery is usually performed in severe hip pain due to dog called hip dysplasia, and osteoarthritis. hip replacement surgery may be considered abnormal and painful for the dog because of a hip fracture, luxation, and necrosis.

Domino had hydrotherapy yesterday. He was so good not sure if he really liked it though!

Hope Flynn is still doing well.

Val xx

good boy domino for going to hydrotherapy,
i dont think they actually like it, but after a few sessions they get used to it. and i must say it does work wonders. harry had 5 sesssions in all, one a week, and got his muscle back lovely. there was a huge improvement after we started them.
good luck.
michelle xx

Wednesday 29th Sept. (WEEK SIX)
Well it's now the most important milestone of all - the six week check and final discharge from Noels care.
Flynn had his x ray today and in Noels words "this is a good as it gets" - perfect result! No movement at all of the implant and as you can see by these x rays there isn't much to distinguish between the initial ones taken after the op to these ones now, six weeks later. That means that there is no fracture, no bone degeneration and no movement of the implant, so it is all now firmly imbedded into the bone and new bone growth has taken place - wonderful news!
He can now have freedom in the house under supervision, one room at a time, walks starting at 20 mins and building up to 40 mins til he has regained some muscle, hydrotherapy can resume for a short period as he won't need it so often and in two weeks time will be allowed to jump in and out of the car unaided. He will still be crated when i'm not around and at bed time for the next three weeks and will have to be toileted on lead for a further two months in case he decides to go banana's with his new found freedom. He will be able to stand up at the gate/window etc. around four weeks from now so he will need to be watched while out but not like he has been during the last six weeks. Three months from now he will be able to be treated just like any normal dog, doing everything he did before and hopefully more.
In the New Year he will have the other hip done and then he will be better than he's ever been before, able to enjoy all the exercise he needs. The right hip has suffered a little due to his resting the left and muscle wastage in the repaired leg has also put pressure on it but once he starts to use the left leg properly the right one should improve too. Hydrotherapy will definitely help the right hip as well as the new one and over time it too will become stronger - crate rest has taken it's toll on both leg muscles but isn't as bad as i'd thought it would be.
Anyone thinking about this procedure with their dog has to weigh up the pro's and con's depending on the dog. Age, size and fitness levels should all be taken into consideration but with a good surgeon's advice the decision should be easy to make, either way.
We have done everything "by the book" and not faulted, obeyed every instruction by the letter and still managed to let Flynn have quite a lot of time out of the crate to have some fun.
As I have said before the sedatives have played a major part in Flynns recovery, keeping him nice and calm for the first few crucial weeks and if anyone has this op i'd definitely ask the surgeon for ACP tablets, as I don't think Flynn would have been half as good without them.
From the first e mail to Noel, to seeing him on "The Bionic Vet" and since dealing with him, my opinion of him is even higher. He and his team have supported me throughout and to me they are "second to none". They have been there at the end of the phone whenever i've needed advice and I have been welcome to take Flynn there if I had ever needed to, regardless of what time. Added to that Noel took my daughter Rosie into theatre today to see some ops. She watched a hip replacement, elbow replacement and a spinal op, while Emma and I had lunch and went shopping. He knows Rosie has an interest in human surgery and encounters lots of different scenario's in A&E where she works. What a very lucky girl she is!
I have to mention also the help i've had from my daughter Emma, you really do need a helping hand especially in the first four weeks or so and she has been there constanly for me, day or night and helped me so much through times of worry. I haven't worked during this period and will not be doing so for a while and think it is important to have someone with the dog at least for the first six weeks post op as you never know what may happen.

His x rays today.




Noel will replace Flynns right hip early next year as it much the same as the left was and now has taken added stress due to taking weight off of the left during recovery.
Thursday.
So far today Flynn seems to be at a loss with his new found freedom. He is only allowed in the kitchen for the first few days and is following me everywhere I go. We have been together constantly for six weeks now and I expect he wonders why i'm not sitting with him all the time. I won't be taking him out for a walk for a couple of days as I want to start slowly and increase his exercise level in the house first. I don't think it would be wise to take him straight from crate rest to regular exercise, so i'll leave that til the weekend.
He's in very good spirits and just enjoying time walking around the kitchen by himself, i'm sure it must be so much better than having me leaping up everytime he moves, lol.
He ate two carcasses for breakfast then came out in the garden with me a couple of times - a lovely sunny day too so can spend more time out there with him today.
He's resting now although he has been choosing different places to lie, should think he loves having the choice at last. He's walking fine on his own and now at last we can both relax a little.
I will still crate him when I go out and at bedtime but for the rest of the time the kitchen will be his new "crate". So very nice to be at this stage but I won't overdo anything as he still has limitations as to what he's allowed to do.

Free at last!


Friday.
Second day of freedom and he's getting used to his new situation. Am still limiting him to the kitchen and he has tried to stand up at the worktops twice, got told off though. He also would have chased the cat had he not been on a lead in the garden, so he's getting back to normal. Very important to limit his freedom, apart from that he's been very waggy today - a real happy bunny.
Saturday.
I let Flynn lie out in the garden today, the area where his kennel is is about the same size as the kitchen and paved so he can't really come to any harm. He seemed to enjoy being able to come and go as he pleased as I left the kitchen door open. I want him to move about as much as possible in order to use his leg more and build up some muscle. I have also started taking him on the lead around the lawn area at a nice steady pace for around five mins at a time, a few times a day. He will be going out for his first 10 min walk on Monday and I want to keep him a bit mobile for that.
Sunday.
Been raining most of taday so I did some indoor training with Flynn, sit - down - flat - close, etc. haven't done it before as it involves a lot of up and downing and I was worried about the hip. Anyway he hasn't forgotton any of it and the best news of all is I didn't hear one single "clunk" from his right hip. Obviously I wasn't expecting to hear his new hip but as the right one had been playing up I had thought I would hear it. It's the first time I have done training with him in months without hearing his hips.
Despite the rain he spent some time lying out in the drizzle which he loves, just coming in now and then.
Monday.
Still raining so just a quick walk for 10 mins. Flynn walks so well it's quite amazing even at a nice steady pace, no sound from either hip it's like they've been oiled, lol. My son said last night while watching him walk that he never imagined it would be this good but then he never saw Noel in action. Feels so nice to know he isn't in pain.
Good day although Flynn does want to go into the front room and is now bored in the kitchen - not prepared to rush it though and he'll be allowed in there at the week end, just a little more patience.
Tuesday.
It's been a quiet day for Flynn today, he's been very relaxed and not wanted to go in the front room or even bothered about comming out of the crate at first, most of the day he's slept. I expect he'll have a quiet day now and then as he's only just started being allowed some freedom and has got to get used to it again. He had a lovely calm walk later today for 10 mins and walked well, once again no clunking or stiffness. I was tempted to take him out agian as Noel said he can have 20 mins to begin with but decided not to take any chances as the last thing I want to do is overdo it and make him uncomfortable. Although his muscle wastage is minimal he still has to build up again and that alone could be uncomfortable for him. Still taking one 100mg Rimadyl but no sedatives as I don't think he needs them anymore.

__________________

Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

Hi Val - well done to Domino for having his hydro, seems like he's comming on strong too now. Does he swim or is it a treadmill? I would have liked Flynn to swim but the only pool near me uses a hoist as it's not a walk in and Noel said that's a big no no - too much weight dragging on the new hip as he's so big, so Flynn will continue with the treadmill he was using before the op.

Does Domino have to go back to the practice or has he been discharged? as Flynn doesn't have to go back any more - will miss Noel and his team though, lol.

We can see how our boys get on now as we're nearly at the same stage - bet Flynn will be soooo excited on his first walk.

I'll probably update on a monthly basis from now on, just a short post but let's know if Domino get up to any tricks and give him a big hug from me, they have been very brave boys. xx

__________________

Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"