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.