Sadie Undergoes Bilateral Knee Surgery

Lots of love and outside time

A little over three weeks ago, Sadie underwent double bilateral knee surgery for two torn ACLs. This was her last shot at something that would potentially give her a chance at actually being able to get up again on her own. I had to at least give her that - she deserved to be able to get up and get a simple drink of water instead of one of us having to bring it to her or being able to go greet someone at the door when she hears someone come over. 

She went in early on a Friday morning and didn't come home until Wednesday evening.  They kept her longer due to her size (125 lbs) and because she just wouldn't stand at all which would make it very hard for us to get her in and out of the house. Well, when we picked her up, it still took all of our strength to support her. In fact, it took two of us to get her out of the house even (Tom came home from work so we could take her out midday the first two days). My muscles ached. It was exhausting and a full time job. Ice her, give her medication, do her exercises, take her out, repeat. Then, she started peeing uncontrollably. Because we had to support her so much, her harness was cutting off her bladder so she wasn't fully going to the bathroom when we took her out. So add to my list as her 24 hour skilled provider, changing pee pads and cleaning her up and bathing her all the time and I was just spent. We moved her down to our basement to get her in and out easier. And for more than three weeks, one of us has slept down there with her so she wouldn't be three flights down from us all by herself. 

After about a week of the peeing, she finally got stronger and Tom figured out how to support her at the top to allow her to fully release so we haven't had any accidents in over a week. That was a game changer. She's started to walk a bit on her own too and my muscles aren't exhausted and screaming, especially when I pick up my weights at Barre class. 

Sadie's incisions have healed nicely. The swelling in her knees and hocks have subsided. She's not painful. her medications have decreased drastically and she looks good and is getting stronger. She has been receiving acupuncture since we brought her home and starts laser and water therapy tomorrow so just like a human, I have to add into my summer schedule as my kids' Uber, my dog's therapy appointments twice a week (one which is in Buffalo Grove - 45 minutes away). 

It has been exhausting - physically, mentally and emotionally. So exhausting that everything that I didn't have to do got put on the back burner. 

Did I make the right decision? I'm not sure. Has it been a hell of a lot of work. It has. Just praying now that I made the right choice for her and that all of this work, time and money has been for something. We love this dog. But this is it. This is all we got. Fingers crossed. 

Icing in Michigan 

More ice in the basement with a garbage bag over her bed and a pee pad