Author: Christine

We have hit the one month post-surgery mark. Zora is doing very well with the TPLO surgery on her remaining rear leg. She Passed her 2-week post op check with flying colors and was released to begin the underwater treadmill rehab. We began that on 15 February. It went very well, we have a wonderful licensed Rehab Nurse, Matt. He provided a very clear set of instruction sheets for the at-home exercises to strengthen the muscles, and stretches and then proceeded to show us each move. Quality Rehab facility. Very difficult to find near us, this one is an hour away along country backroads.

Zora did three 2-minute underwater treadmill walk sets, interspersed with 2 minutes of whirlpool water between sets. She ‘walked’ on the treadmill (underwater) using her rear foot on the bottom. Very pleased and proud of her. She was pooped that evening and took herself to bed really !!

We have also hit the “I am ready to walk in the yard (she was very restricted for 2 weeks due to only having the one rear leg) to go pee and poo”. That is a big relief to both the humans and to her as it has also put her back in sync on her normal potty schedule. A little sitting out in the sunshine watching the street activity and short walks (40 feet) about 4 times a day and we call it a good day . Stronger and stronger each day. She really wants to get crazy but that will need to wait for a couple of more months in her case. Very Happy with her strong recovery to date.

It is Day 11 Post-surgery. Zora had a great day – sitting outside in the sunshine for 15 minutes. About a 20 foot walk to view the street happenings.
Actually 2 short walks in the yard.

Yesterday was our first office checkup with the Vet to review Zora’s progress. Her Vet/Surgeon was very impressed at how well she is doing.

We are still mainly toe-tapping but when moving at a faster than a snails’s pace ( still with a harness and sling for support) there is toes on the ground – when she gets ready for bed at night, and I mean ” I am ready right now”, it is hard to catch her before she heads down the hall to her crate. That is when you can see she is putting some weight on the leg to “put herself” to bed. She’s really looking for her bedtime snack tho the obvious benefit is putting that foot down herself. Zora is a very upbeat dog with an iron determination. Her ” I can do it ” attitude will be our real challenge in the months ahead – keeping her at a slow pace for months to allow for complete healing.

She has been released to begin underwater treadmill therapy and will begin that soon. With rehab

stretches, short leashed yard walks we continue to move forward in the rehab.
Overall a hard and very good two week for all.

IT CAN BE DONE !! Successfully !!
TPLO surgery for a rear legged tripod.

Zora was adopted in March 2020 as a 7 month old from a wonderful pitbull rescue in Catasaqua, PA, just weeks after a traumatic event required her surrender, rescue and rear leg amputation. Zora, herself, turned out to be a full-blooded Fox Red English Labrador.

This Blog will be Zora’s Thank You to a great community and she will share the trials and triumphs of her TPLO surgery. We expect it to be a bit longer healing process than a 4-legger but we are optimistic.

After 3 years of being a wild Labrador girl who earned Obedience Level 3; Advanced Level 3 Mantrailing; and
2022 registered Pet Therapy Dog certificates, Zora partially tore the CCL (cranial cruciate ligament) in her ‘only’ Rear leg ( as a high percentage of Labrador Retrievers do at some point in their lives. ). I was hoping this would happen much later in her life, if at all. Surgery was performed January 26, 2023.

I have been a grateful Member of Tripawds for many years beginning in 2012 with Victoriana (Sweetie Pie), followed by Merit in 2015, both retired greyhound race dogs. Zora is #3 amputee.

Follow along as we recover, heal and get back to being an enthusiastic Sniffer of Life
~Zora and Christine

2/4/2023

Day 9 – Post-Surgery. It is a very cold day in the Northeast USA. How about 8 degrees overnight ? Not the best time of the year for 5 minutes of sunshine outdoors for potty business. Being a typical dog, Zora has her favorite poo and pee spots. It is quite annoying to her that she is relegated to indoor ‘taking care of business’ . A major issue is that she squats to do either activity, and in normal times travels in a bit of a circle as she shifts her weight and angle 😉 . A secondary issue is that most dogs do not want to mess in the house. Quite the mental conundrum for her.

Today is the first day for the Help ‘Em Up harness with the Amputee Anti-Rotation strap. This harness will better balance weight distribution while supporting her squatting business. We waited until the leg healed a bit to use this. Though Zora says she is ready to zoom outside, she is restricted to minimal movement with a harness supported walk from room to room. A crate for sleeping and an X-Pen for daytime lounging. We are going slower than normal TPLO patients because there is only one leg to work with, therefore, only one shot of getting it right.

The incision looks great, healing and dry and Zora is eating well.