UPDATE: Post Surgery Day 10

It has been 10 days since her surgery and it is time for those ugly stitches to come out... So i asked Coco Bean if she was ready to go for a ride in the car and she ran to the closet because she knows she can not go out without a coat on:I took Coco Bean for a ride in the car to have her stitches out...it was a quick in and out procedure so i didn't have to be put into a room. they just took Coco Bean into the back and brought her back out to me no more than 5 minutes later :)

When we got home, Coco Bean was a very good girl and let me clean up the incision site because when they took the stitches out it bled a little, and she let me take a photo too!
Even though it was a quick simple procedure, shortly after we got home Coco Bean was tired from all the excitement, and was sitting at the bottom of my chair BEGGING to be held
Coco Bean is more wonderful than you can imagine. She knows exactly what she wants and if it is a lap to sit on, she settles down very quickly. At first, she wanted to look out the window:And when she was done with that, she fell fast asleep on my shoulder:
And from there, as if that wasn't comfortable enough, Coco Bean did what her favorite thing to do is...she insisted on crawling into my shirt and sleeping some more:
Coco Bean is using her leg a little more and more each day. I still dont let her wrestle with Lady Godiva & Truffle and oddly enough, she doesn't really try to partake in their crazy doggy derby bitey face sessions yet. I think she knows that she is not ready for that just quite yet.

Lady Godiva & Truffle spend a lot of time sitting with Coco Bean and cleaning her face and hears for her. they are being really good little nurses and i am very proud of them.

I will continue to keep you updated as Coco Bean's progress continues.

Back Scratches, Belly Rubs and Extra Cookies to you all,

~The Mommy

Post Surgery Update: Day 5

i have happy news ro report...Coco Bean seems to be feeling much better.

I took the donut collar off of her for a little bit and she wanted to play! she grabbed one of her little squirrel stuffies and brought it to me! of course i dont want her playing quite yet, but it made me happy to see her enthusiasm. so i brought her up onto my bed and she was acting SO goofy! i had to share this pic of her being silly up on my bed:
doesnt her little shaved butt look cute!?

I even took a photo of her surgery incision so that you could see how well she is healing. the bruising is hardly noticeable and is healing quite nicely:
i called the Vet today and asked about the top bump because it is red and i was worried. I sent the Vet this photo and he told me it is nothing to worry about. He said that it is nothing to worry about.

On Saturday, Coco Bean poobled for the first time, then again yesterday, and a whole pooble load today! Let me tell you, she sure made up for those two days of not pooping!

I will keep you all posted on her progress!

Thank you for keeping my little Coco Bean in your prayers. The Power Of The Paw is working wonders and she is healing so well!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts.

Back scratches & Belly rubs,

~The Mommy

Post Surgery Update.

I got Coco Bean home last night. she had one of those cone collars on which i think are so mean, so i put the donut collar on her which does the same thing but does not obstruct her view or mobility.
She is really out-of-it and wants to sleep a lot so i make her conferabl. here is a photo of her right after i took the collar off
Here is a photo of her boobooI have her her medicine this morning which is the antibiotic mixed with the pain meds into a liquid form. the horrible taste of the pain meds made her foam at the mouth. had to take a photo of her foaming at the mouth. it was upsetting to me to give her something that made her more uncomfortable but somehow i was able to get .6 ml into her instead of the .7 the vet wanted me to give her.I called the vet and he is making up a different elixir of her pain meds and antibiotic separately to that we don't have this problem anymore.

Coco Bean is standing but is wobbly and refuses to even attempt to put her back left leg down which is totally understandable (i wouldn't either if i were her). She is still staying in her doggy playpen and i heard her get up late last night to eat doggy food, and then again at around 4:00am and she went peepee then got back into her bed.

her food, water, bed are all in the playpen and the playpen is lined with pee pads so she does not have far to walk for anything she may need.I will be posting update daily to keep you all informed of her progress.

Again, i thank you all for keeping Coco Bean in your prayers and thoughts and for keeping your paws crossed for her. While i know she still has a ways to go for recovery, i know that the power of the paw is working so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and paryers.

Love Always,

~The Mommy

Coco Bean's post surgery UPDATE

i called the vet at 9:50am adn they had just received Coco Bean's blood work and it showed that she was good to go and all in the clear for surgery. The surgery was scheduled for later in teh afternoon and i was told to call back at 5pm.

i called the Vet at 4:55 ( i just coudln't wait any longer). The vet said that Coco Bean made it through surgery quite well and was in the cage recovering still hoked up to IV fluids and pain meds. they wanted to keep her overnight to make sure that there are not any post-op problems. of course i agreed. as much as i want her home with me, i know she will not feel well and will be distracted with Truffle and Godiva running around and i KNOW they will not leave her alone if i bring her home.

i just want her to rest there (with the extra pain meds) until i pick her up tomorrow. i anticipate a lot of babying her and hand feeding her. And i know she will have a large bandage on her leg. i wonder how she will get around to go potty but i'm not worried about that too much. what i do worry about is whats going to happen while i'm at work on Friday. What if she needs something and i am at work!? I am going to ask my boss' if i ca work half the day at the office and the other half a day at home. I'm sure they will understand.

if any of you or your friends have had a dog (or dogs) with this surgery, can you please let me know if she will be able to get around? I have a small playpen set up for her. i call it the "recovery nursing station" and it is in my bedroom next to my bed. i have the bottom covered in pee-pads and a small bed and her water bowl in it so she doesnt have to go very far to eat/drink/go potty of she needs to. Also, Lady Godiva & Truffle wont be able to get to her to play which i KNOW they will want to do.

Thank you for keeping my precious Coco Bean in your prayers and thoughts.


Your Friend,

~The Mommy

Coco's Luxating Patella...

I am writing this with a heavy heart right now. On Friday evening, Coco Bean was playing with a sock that she had taken from the hamper. She would throw it in the air, chase after it and roll around with it. About 20 minutes into this, all of a sudden she would not put her back left leg down.

I laid her on her back and moved her little leg around with no reaction from her. We got into bed and as she always does, she laid down on my stomach. she would whimper or grunt and shiver almost the entire night. The next morning, she was acting fine but i noticed that she was skipping more noticeably than usual.

On Sunday when she was getting her bath, her back leg went out from under her and she fell hard on her left hip and then refused to put her leg down. Within an hour, she was back to her perky loving self.

Although she was acting and walking normal (except for the more noticeable skip) i knew i had to take her to her doctor. Today after work i brought her to the appointment and they took an x-ray.

when they brought me back into the room, this is what i saw:Coco's x-ray and a diagram and a book with drawings of a kneeThey did not have my little Coco Bean with them. Instead, they were giving her pain medication. Her little knee is so bad that her patella (knee cap) is off to the side of her knee and wont even stay in place. i immediately asked how soon they would be able to do the surgery to fix her little knee...at this point, i dont care how much it will cost. i just want my little angel to be well and pain free.

they asked if they could keep her over night to keep her hooked up to an IV of fluids and pain medication so that they could do the surgery first thing in the morning and i agreed. but first they brought her to me so that i could say goodnight and kiss her and tell her how much i love her.

i miss my little angel so much right now i dont know how i am going to sleep without her. i feel so horrible that i did not know she was having this problem and extreme pain because she hid it so well.

they told me that this surgery will not only fix this problem and free her of her pain, but it is an incredibly successful surgery and will fix it permanently and i wont have to worry about her little left knee luxating again.

The whole surgery package (x-ray, blood work, IV's, catheter, etc) is going to cost me $1,032.00.

I ask that you keep my little Coco Bean in your prayers and thoughts tonight, tomorrow, and through her recovery. I know that if we all come together the power of the paw will get her through this safely.

~The Mommy