A Golden with Luxating Patellas Part 2

August 1^st- X-Ray Day

The first step to getting a firm diagnosis was to get x-rays of Brinkley’s knees. It would be a day long event to knock Brinkley out, get the shots they needed, and get blood drawn to test for any complications. I picked Brinkley up once I got the 'okay' and worked from home the rest of the day to keep an eye on him. I worked while he made faces like this:

The dude was out of it.

On August 2nd I got the phone call with the x-ray results. The vet said that he definitely had Luxating Patellas and that he would need a consultation with a surgeon. When I called the surgery center they explained the following:

“You’ll have an 8 AM appointment. Bring the x-rays. The surgeon will look at the x-rays and talk over his plan of attack with you. If you agree, then you’ll leave Brinkley here and he will operate that day. We will keep Brinkley overnight to monitor him. You’ll be able to pick him up at 5 PM the following day.”

BAM. Just like that I’ll find out how they will fix Brinkley’s issue. I’ll find out if it will be one leg or two. I’ll find out how much it costs. I’ll find out the recovery time. And I’m supposed to nod my head and send him on his way. And that’s exactly what happened.

August 6^th- Appointment/Surgery Day

My brother joined Brinkley and I for moral support as we met with the surgeon. We discussed how Brinkley’s leg is working now, what he will do to fix it, and how it will work after the fact. They can only focus on one leg at the time so they planned to do the surgery on his left leg, which was giving him more grief. Fingers were crossed that fixing the left leg would make the right one get better since it wouldn't have to work so hard. 

The doctor explained, used fancy plastic molds, and big words that showed off his education. He attempted to comfort Brinkley who knew someone was wrong and wasn't happy about it. While I listened, Brinkley sat on the padded bench with me keeping an eye on the surgeon. While all the right things were said, and everything made sense, all I could focus on was the knot in my stomach from the thought of leaving Brinkley overnight. 

On August 6^th, I had officially spent TWO nights without Brinkley. Both nights were due to out of town weddings. For both of those weddings, I would get picture updates with hilarious captions from my mom who treated Brinkley like a king.  It made it easy. Picturing Brinkley confused and in pain was not easy. I knew it was for the best so I signed off and it was time to say goodbye.

August 6^th was probably one of the longest days of my life. I stared at my phone waiting for the phone call saying he was out of surgery. I waited so long for such a quick phone conversation. I attempted to console myself by saying that less time on the phone meant more time making Brinkley comfortable. The night was longer than the day, and also full of wine. 

August 7^th- Recovery

Brinkley was picked up from the surgery center the next day and it was obvious he was ready to be at home. While obviously sore, he moved as quickly as he could. He couldn’t use his back leg so they provided a sling to help him carry his back weight. He wore the cone of shame, which brought back the embarrassing days of his neuter. 

It was important to keep Brinkley from moving as much as possible for the next 8 weeks. 8 WEEKS. He could only go outside twice a day and other than that he should be in a confined space with his cone on.

The surgeon had explained that the best way for him to heal was to have nothing covering the wound. It would keep it aired out. Luckily it didn’t look as horrible as I had imagined. 

The first night he was home I slept on the floor with him since he was used to being on the bed with me. I couldn't handle the thought of him attempting to jump on the bed. I made a pallet for the both of us and was hoping to catch up on sleep as the night was sleepless. Apparently Brinkley had hated being apart as much as I had because all he wanted to do was have our heads right next to each other....with the cone on.  …..It was a long night. 

Week 1 & 2

The next few weeks were all about the same. I turned my bathroom into a space for Brinkley. I had a lamp in there so he wouldn’t have bright lights on all day and night. I added a small fan to keep him cool and calm. I kept his nearly twin size bed on the floor for him to sleep on. It was a boring few weeks as can be seen in Brinkley's face....

Two weeks later, he got his stitches out. All seemed well, but the cone stayed on. About a week later, it seemed like his wound was opening up a bit. I took him back for a follow up and they gave him some antibiotics. They continued to leave the wound open and able to breathe.

Week 5

5 weeks later and Brinkley is still recovering wonderfully. He isn’t confined to a small space and his cone is off. His hair is growing back, which I honestly think he is most excited about. He is off the pain medicine and he can walk short distances.

His other leg will still give out on him a couple times a week. Fingers are still crossed that the right leg is still overcompensating for his surgery leg and will be fine once he is fully recovered.

While still on the road to recovery, Brinkley is recovering fabulously. He is back to being his goofy self and is enjoying taking it easy with his brother. Stay tuned for more updates!

More photos....