WEEK 9 POST-OP: JUST COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS...

I cannot wait until I get to see Dr. Dew (my appointment is not until July 10th though). This is really driving me CRAZY! I am feeling so good- why do I have to stop playing??? I have a new foster friend, Zoe. She stays in the kitchen most of the time, but it's nice to see her every now and then. She's kinda a cross between me and Lula (she's the first one in the pictures in case you can't tell us all apart- who am I fooling, I'm the gigantic one!). Somehow, we seem to get alot of black dogs! That's okay, because they need homes more than anyone! Well I must go for now, I'll keep you posted on my boring recovery :) I'm so glad things are going well though. How's everyone else doing? Mom's gonna check the orthogroup board and let me know. Goodbye for now!

WEEK 8 POST-OP: CLOSE UP PICS OF KNEE

Mom thought you might want to see what my knee looks like now. She's sorry it's taken so long to post this week :) It's so hot outside so I pretend to sunbathe inside (well not really... actually I lie on my back and moan so that one of my canine buddies will come over and try to play with me. That is until mom steps in- she's a bummer sometimes). My hair is almost completely grown in now. Mom has noticed I have lost some muscle mass in my leg, but I'm doing great functionally (that's what she says- it just means I walk great on my leg; I'm not limping at all and never have really; and I'm feeling really good). Only 2-3 more weeks and hopefully I'll get the okay to play. Mom only has 1 more week of work until she gets a break so I can't wait until she has more time to walk me. Right now she only has time once per day so I think she said she would try to walk me twice a day (as long as it's not too hot- it's 97 degrees right now). I hope everyone is recovering well from their surgeries! Until next week....

WEEK 7 POST-OP: AM I RECOVERED YET???

This is getting really old- mom yells at me every time I try to play (even a little!). I am feeling absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to see Dr. Dew again so he can give me the ok to play! Only 3 more weeks- YEAH!!! The white dog in the picture is my foster sister, Speckles, and the little bitty terrier looking dog is another foster sister, Munchkin! Mom felt sorry for Speckles when she went to take pictures of some dogs at the vet for the animal shelter so she decided to bring her home. She's been with us about a month now (don't worry she is only around me under supervision). Little Munchkin is only 9 pounds! Can you believe it- I think my paw weighs more than that! She was scheduled to go to a rescue group up north, but when she went to the vet they found out she had heartworms! Sooooo... another dog that will be with us for at least 3 more months! That's okay- it's kinda fun to have new friends. Munchkin sleeps in the room with me and loves to walk beside me outside (I think she feels protected when I'm around). Well, I'm walking about 1/2 mile regularly and mom is going to increase it some more this week. I haven't had any problems at all! Until next week... Wags and kisses to everyone!

WEEK 6 POST-OP: GIVE ME MY BONE MOM!

Well mom got too busy to post pics last week! She's as bored as I am at night and has even resorted to trying to steal my bone! Don't worry- I was able to grab it and go! The picture in front of the fan is from after I went on a walk (I'm so spoiled that mom turns the fan on for me when I get back and I go right to my place!). Mommy got a new anti-pull leash for me and used it tonight. She's all excited about it because it seemed to work (only time will tell 'cuz that's what she said after the first day using a regular harness). She kept bragging to daddy how good I was on my walk. Of course she also said that she's going to cut back even more on my groceries because (and I quote) "Bella looks like a walrus". What's that all about??? Anyway, I made it even farther today without limping (maybe 7-8 big blocks) so I think mom is going to start having me walk even more. I think she is shocked that it has already been 6 weeks (it's going by so fast!). She's not sure exactly how far I should be going right now, but I don't think I'm going far enough. Oh well, the good news is I might be able to get out even more real soon! I'll let her know if it's too far I'm sure! Oh and my hair is pretty much all grown in (tiny bit shorter than the rest) so i'll try to have mom take pictures of my knee so you can see how "normal" it looks now (no visible scar really). Wags and licks from me :)

WEEK 5 POST-OP: I'M READY TO RUN...NOT!!!

Ok, so I think I'm ready. Boy this feels like forever for me- why does mom yell at me everytime I try to play with my sister??? I feel GREAT! I finally tried the supplement that nice lady Brenda sent me. The good news is I didn't seem to mind the flavor! The bad news...well...I had quite the case of the runs (yeah- the D word). I'm sure it's because it's new to me- maybe mom needs to give me a little at a time first. I wonder, is there such thing as an all-in-one pill I could take??? Mom's gonna do some more research :) I get to walk a little further now, which is great. I'm not so good on the leash yet though as I have forgotten my manners (I keep pulling which drives mom CRAZY). Poor mom, she's sitting here itching like crazy. She apparently has chigger bites all over her back (I know, it's a weird place for them). She was taking pictures of dogs at the local animal shelter for the Petfinder site and wallah... she got to take home a surprise(s) from the grass (weeds) there. Mom's pretty disgusted by the description of those little critters! Anyway, I am so lucky to be recovering so well so please cross your fingers and paws for me that I continue to heal so well. Mom will take new pictures of me in the next day or 2 (she's really busy with work stuff right now). Until later....

4 WEEKS POST SURGERY: STILL FABULOUS!

Nothing but great news here! Mom is amazed at my progress (I'll post some pics in a day or 2). She has been so busy that she hasn't updated this much. My hair is growing back well (about half-way there) and I am walking extremely well! Mom and dad took me down the street a few blocks and I didn't limp at all when I returned- YIPPPEEEE! My poor sister is bored to tears (so am I), but I just keep counting down the weeks! We still have 6 more weeks until we get the all clear from Dr. Dew. I know it will go fast though, because 4 weeks has flown by! Check back in a few for more details! Hugs and kisses to all my fellow canines who are recovering from surgery or who will have surgery! Keep your heads up- it'll be over before you can say WOOF!

3 WEEKS POST- SURGERY: OH MY GOODNESS

Well it has been a fairly uneventful week. As you can see on my sister's face in the second picture- we are both extremely bored! All we can do is chew giantic bones- don't get me wrong, I love them, but geeeez! Mom walked me halfway down the street the day before yesterday (yippeeeee another change of scenery). Well... I wasn't very good on the leash 'cuz I was so excited (I kept pulling like a crazy girl). I seemed to limp a very very tiny bit when I got up later on, so mom of course is making me rest until tomorrow (she'll try again if it every stops raining!). I have a new foster sister who is going through heartworm treatment, so mom now has to walk her on a leash too- she's getting very tired of leashes :) She keeps saying "Oh there's hope- only 7 more weeks 'til we see doc and hopefully we'll get to bury the leash for good" (well we know she doesn't mean it 'cuz she's still going to walk me!). Wonderful Brenda from the Orthodogs group sent me a new supplement to try (it came today) so I can't wait to taste some tomorrow! I'll let everyone know what I think (I'm quite the taste tester!). Check back for more info soon! Congrats to all my doggy friends who are able to roam free!!!!!