Back-To-School Bargains At Amazon - Flip HD Camcorders

Get A Flip UltraHD Camcorder

For Back-To-School Video Recording

High Definition (HD) Produces Sharper Detail

Capture Action Quickly, Easily, And Best Of All - Inexpensively!

See a Flip HD Video Posted On YouTube:
http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-alvin-cockapoo-neurotic-or.html

Canine Luxating Patella Surgery - When Puppy Exercise Is Not An Option

Post Surgery Recovery - Puppy Playing Is Only In Simon's Dreams

Simon's into the third week of post canine luxating patella surgery with 3 more weeks to go.

How Simon Is Reacting To Inactivity
You don't really know how an active dog who's forced to be inactive will react. Simon's reaction ranges from whining to restlessness to scratching incessantly. He wants to run and play with Alvin. Since that's not an option, he behaves like a confined animal.

An Example - one morning after we removed the ecollar, he bit or scratched a hot spot in the lower part of the surgically repaired leg. Of course that means treating the hot spot AND putting the ecollar back on.

Puppy Exercise Banned
Since puppy exercise is banned during the six-week recovery period, the owner becomes the social director for deciding how to keep the dog inactive but engaged.

Funny thing - a wonderful article on puppy exercise showed up in the author's mailbox. It lists 10 Ways To Engage Your Dog Indoors (in case he cannot exercise outdoors). Some of these suggestions are perfect for Simon.

Here's the article:
http://www.dogster.com/articles/Rain-or-Shine-10-Ways-to-Engage-Your-Dog-Indoors-224.

Halfway Through Post Surgery Recovery! Lifting Simon up and down stairs is backbreaking!

Is Alvin The Cockapoo Neurotic Or Struggling With Anger Management? Capturing Weird Puppy Action With Flip HD Camcorders

When you have one of the Flip HD camcorders, you keep it with you so you can capture weird happenings like the video shown below.

It shows Alvin The Cockapoo going beserk on a pillow. And then it appears he tries to explain his actions.

After you view this video - please comment on the dog behavior - I think Alvin might need a doggie shrink!

Alvin's Anger Management Video

Canine Luxating Patella (Trick Knee) 12 Days Post Surgery - Simon Stitchless

Twelve days after luxating patella surgery on his right back leg, Simon got the surgical stitches removed by his vet. The vet reported that the surgical site appeared to be healing as expected with no infection and minimal swelling.

How well does he walk? He walks effortlessly without even a hint of a limp. In fact, he has escaped to run through the doggie door so he can play with Alvin on the deck.

Because he does not lick the surgical site, we were able to dispose of his ecollar. This makes it much easier for Simon to find a comfortable sleeping position.

The Next 4 Weeks Of Recovery
Now comes the hard part - continuing Simon's minimal level of activity for the next four weeks. Interesting that the vet said to watch his weight, so we compared his weight on July 17 - 5 days after surgery - to his weight on July 26. He lost 1/2 pound or 2% of his body weight.

But the deal is - he's also eating a lot less than before the surgery, leaving about 1/2 of his nighttime meal and consuming fewer cookies (treats).

It will be an interesting 4 weeks!

Canine Luxating Patella Surgery - Simon Bandage Removal Day 5

On Saturday, 5 days post surgery for canine luxating patella, we took Simon to the vet for bandage removal. We decided we needed one person to drive and one person to control Simon so he could not hurt himself. You could probably crate a dog and drive to the vet yourself, but Simon's crate is too small for him (he's was supposed to grow to 20 pounds, not almost 30).

It took 2 vet techs, one to hold him and one to cut off the bandage. The hospital did NOT shave his entire leg so some of the bandage adhesive adhered to hair. The tech shaved part of his lower leg to release the adhesive.

Simon gave one protesting yelp - when the tech tried to remove the bandage on hair. Besides that, he was very cooperative. He walked out of the office with a very slight limp.

Here's 2 pics of the leg sans bandage. You can see 8 stitches to the left of center line of his leg. The leg seems to be healing nicely.

See the post on 7-16-2010 (http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/07/canine-luxating-patella-trick-knee_16.html) for a complete list of posts on this surgery and Simon's recovery.

Canine Luxating Patella (Trick Knee) Surgery - Simon's Recovery Week 1

Simon (The Patient) & Alvin Get Re-Acquainted
Post Surgery

Simon's week 1 recovery is routine:

He gets pain medication twice a day.

He gets anti-inflammatory medication once per day.

He sleeps - a lot - day and night.

He eats twice a day in limited amounts because he's putting on weight due to inactivity.

He's on a leash if he's outdoors.

He wears the e-collar most of the time - if we take it off, he immediately starts licking the sutures.

He wants to run with Alvin, but that's a no-no.

He has to be carried up and down stairs, and he's no light weight.


The complete documentary of Simon's trick knee diagnosis, surgery, and recovery can be found here: Simon's Story.

Canine Luxating Patella - Simon Returns Home From The Animal Hospital

Approximately a day and a half after his surgery for correction of canine luxating patella (trick knee), Simon came home. In case you just checked in, prior posts are as follows:

Sir Simon the Sad's Trick Knee - Medial Patellar Luxation (6-15-2010)
http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/06/sir-simon-sads-trick-knee-medial.html

Canine Luxating Patella - The Surgeon Explains Simon's Surgery (6-26-2010)
http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/06/canine-luxating-patella-surgeon.html

Canine Luxating Patella: Simon Scheduled For Surgery 7-12-2010 (7-11-2010)
http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/07/canine-luxating-patella-simon-scheduled.html

Canine Luxating Patella (Trick Knee) - Simon's Surgery Day (7-12-2010)
http://designerpuppys.blogspot.com/2010/07/canine-luxating-patella-trick-knee.html

One Day After Surgery
Amazingly, he walks quite nicely, even with a recently repaired knee. He ate dinner, peed and pooped, got his pain pill, and promptly fell asleep. He has to be carried outside to do his duty and don't you know - it's raining, so he has to wear a plastic booty over his bandage.

These Instructions Are Demanding
The post surgery instructions are both demanding and conservative, but we have to follow them. What do ya think - he cannot go up and down stairs, jump onto or off of furniture, and has to be on a leash when he goes outdoors - and these restrictions last FOR 6 WEEKS!

And There's More . . .
He has to wear an e-collar (see the video below).
He has to stay away from Alvin. Besides banning wrestling and other brotherly activity, the discharge nurse said that Alvin cannot lick the sutures (and he will try).
There's pain pills twice a day and an anti-inflammatory once a day.
The bandage comes off after 5-6 days (from 7-13).
The sutures get removed in 12-14 days (from 7-13).
The surgeon sees him in 6 weeks.

BEFORE the surgery (when his patella was dislocating), he was able to do a 28 inch vertical jump onto the table on the deck.

Wonder what it'll be when he's fully recovered!

A Real Short Video
This is a not-too-exciting video of Simon's lack of activity this evening. At least you can see the wonderful bandaging job done in the hospital. The top sutures show because the bandage can't go any higher on the leg (according to the hospital vet tech).

Remember he's on pain medication! He did NOT climb on the couch. We put him on the couch 'cause that's where he's comfortable.



This video was taken with one of the FLIP HD camcorders,
the FLIP UltraHD.

Canine Luxating Patella (Trick Knee) - Simon's Surgery Day

Today I know who's more anxious about Simon's surgery and it isn't Simon.

We took him to the animal hospital at 7:30 AM. He shook when he got there (he was there for X-Rays and apparently it wasn't a pleasant experience) and insisted on being held. Holding a 30 pound dog for any length of time ain't possible, so I sat down with him and waited while he was checked in.

Successful Surgery
At 11:00 AM, the surgeon called with the news that the surgery was routine/successful. They were giving him morphine via an intravenous drip. According to the surgeon, if he progresses as expected, he'll be coming home Tuesday afternoon.

We set up his pen to keep him away from stairs and furniture he can jump onto.

The other party affected by the surgery is Simon's bro - Alvin.
He kept looking for Simon all day, didn't eat his dinner, and finally woke up after I gave him a bone to chew on and guard. He's in dog heaven 'cause Simon's not here to challenge him for the bone. The picture is Alvin guarding his bone against an imaginary threat.

9:00 PM Simon Update
Good news. Simon has just been taken off his morphine drip. It has been replaced with fluids. He will get more morphine tonight if he's uncomfortable. He's alert and responding to the vet tech who said he's "a sweet dog," something we've heard more than once.

Canine Luxating Patella: Simon Scheduled For Surgery 7-12-2010

Sir Simon The Sad will undergo corrective surgery for canine luxating patella tomorrow (7-12-2010). His hospital stay - 3 days.

Thanks to the advice of chazhound.com/forums (http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t118211/) forum members and his breeder, I have been taking his temp for the past several days so I have a benchmark to figure out if he has a fever post surgery. I've also been trying to catch him limping so I can video his current condition (The Flip UltraHD camcorder comes in handy A LOT).

Finally caught a short video of the limp Simon develops when his knee dislocates. Watch the first few steps in this video . . .



We prepared his food and treats for the animal hospital stay. If he wants to eat, at least he'll have familiar food instead of "hospital food." He can't eat after 12:00 midnight (Sunday) but can drink water.

To all those dog owners out there, please wish Simon a pain-free smooth recovery!

The video shown in this post was taken with one of the FLIP HD camcorders, the UltraHD.

The Ultimate SECRET To Puppy Obedience Training - It's Up To You, The Trainer

What's the ultimate SECRET to Puppy Obedience Training?

Without a doubt, it's the

Trainer's ability to GET and MAINTAIN the puppy's attention.

If you do NOT have the dog's attention, he will not learn and you will not teach anything . . . ever.

If you really want a well-trained, obedient dog, learn Puppy Obedience Training commands from an expert Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Beth Ostrowski-Parks. She has a puppy obedience training DVD called It's PAWSIBLE! Dog and Puppy Training DVD.

Here's the review of this DVD that can help you train your dog step by step in a few weeks: http://www.squidoo.com/Dog-Training-DVD-Review

The following video demonstrates how It's PAWSIBLE! works: