# Laos ~ TPLO screw/plate removal



## Lynn_P

Well Laos is home, and happy to be here. He's doing a lot of whining, but I think that's more from the anesthesia than any thing else.

My regular vet and the surgeon said that they have never seen a joint so full of infection. Once they removed the plate/screws the surgeon had to literally scrap bone to remove infection. Where there should have been pink scare tissue there was grey. Overall the surgery went well and hopefully once we get this infection under control he'll be on the road to recovery.

I again thank everyone for their support and prayers.. I will keep everyone update with his progress.

This is a picture of the hardware they removed:










Laos getting settled in, and still a little out of it:










Getting all the hugs and kisses people told me to give him:


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## karmitch

He is adorable. Prayers for a quick recovery


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## Alexandria610

Best of luck and as karmitch stated, prayers for a quick recovery. 

I just recently had a doberman have to go through a TTA surgery so I know a bit of what you're having to go through. That was after several tests and a bone biopsy of the joint to make sure a large mass in her knee wasn't cancerous. Keep us updated on his recovery, I'd sure love to know how he's doing!


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## JakodaCD OA

awwww poor boy I'm glad surgery went well and hope for a speedy recovery, I'm sure he's happy to be home


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## onyx'girl

Laos is_ soooo_ very lucky to have you as his person, Lynn.
I can't imagine going thru what you have in the past year, he is with you for a reason! 
I echo what the others have said, and I bet you are happy to have him home without all that metal causing him more problems.


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## MaggieRoseLee

Poor baby, and his coat was just in all pretty again!


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## Cassidy's Mom

Poor guy, hope he's feeling better soon. Did they know about the infection before they went in to take out the hardware or was that a surprise?


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## 1sttimeforgsd

Laos is a very handsome boy, I hope he has a speedy recovery!


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## WarrantsWifey

Oh wow, Laos is a stunner!! What a HANDSOME dog. I am in love with his looks!! I hope he recovers really fast and is back to his normal self!! <3 Loved the last picture btw!!


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## Lynn_P

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Poor guy, hope he's feeling better soon. Did they know about the infection before they went in to take out the hardware or was that a surprise?


Deb, they knew he was having sensitivity to the hardware and that there was a lot of inflammation/swelling even at the 12 week post op mark, so they knew it was most likely infection also though the cultures from fluid from 3 weeks ago came back negative.


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## trapper66

Good luck hope laos has a speedy recovery. Poor boy. He looks like he is getting plenty of tlc.


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## mel hunter

Lynn,
Thanks for the pictures and the update....I'm so glad the surgery is over and you guys can move forward now! He's a tough boy and I know he'll do well now that the
infection is out of there. Hang in there...you're an awesome mom and he's lucky to have you taking care of him 
hugs to you both, Melinda


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## Lynn_P

Melinda, you just keep in touch and give me Buddy progress reports... it gives me hope. Hugs my friend.


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## mel hunter

Hi Lynn,
Been thinking about you....how are you and Laos doing? Hope it's going smoothly. We are making slow progress...Buddy still limps most days so we''re slowly getting him back into his normal activity. We're mostly still on the leash with short times off leash when I think he won't be so crazy (like toward the end of his walk). We're having really warm temps this week so lots of melting snow but March and April are usually big snow months...we're ready for summertime 
hugs to you both, Melinda


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## Lynn_P

Hi Melinda...

Nice that we both are getting to those warmer temperatures. I'm glad Buddy is slowly but surely improving. You need to take a few pictures.

Laos is doing okay. He's one week post op and starting to get to the point that I can take him for very short walks (2 minutes). Remember those days with Buddy.. the beginning of leash walks. I had him back to the vets 3 times during this first week because I could not get him to leave the incision alone even with the elizabethan collar on (we went through 4 of them). He had to be staped up all three times. The cultures came back again negative so I guess that's a good thing as long as these results aren't a "false negative". He's walking well and has total weight bearing on that leg. They think the reason he would not leave the incision alone is because of the allergic reaction and probably how itchy everything is in there. If all goes well, next week they will remove the remaining staples and he'll be able to start some swimming as therapy.

Hugs to you and Buddy also. Thanks for checking up on us.


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## Lynn_P

Pictures from today:


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## Stosh

Nice to see Laos- he's one of the best looking dogs here! I always like seeing him, glad he's improving


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## mel hunter

Lynn,
He looks great...so handsome! It's good to see him out and about...and starting his walks again. I'll try to get some pictures of Buddy this weekend.
Melinda


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## mel hunter

just a few pictures of my crew this weekend...we did quite a bit over the weekend and Buddy did well...needing his rest today!
~Melinda


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## GregK

Lynn_P said:


> Well Laos is home, and happy to be here. He's doing a lot of whining, but I think that's more from the anesthesia than any thing else.
> 
> My regular vet and the surgeon said that they have never seen a joint so full of infection. Once they removed the plate/screws the surgeon had to literally scrap bone to remove infection. Where there should have been pink scare tissue there was grey. Overall the surgery went well and hopefully once we get this infection under control he'll be on the road to recovery.
> 
> I again thank everyone for their support and prayers.. I will keep everyone update with his progress.
> 
> This is a picture of the hardware they removed:


Wow, I didn't realize that much is used for this surgery...and to think, Zoey, my Rottie, has that in both knees!!


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## middleofnowhere

Lynn, Hope Laos continues to do well. Did they put in different hardware as well as removing the first set? The late Barker the Younger had two TTA's three years apart & I wince just thinking about the procedure. I know they were the right thing to do 'though it sounded so grusome.


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## Lynn_P

*Laos ~ Update*

Thanks everyone...


Okay, I now am totally done dealing with apparently incompetent vets. I need also to stop self-doubting my "gut" when dealing with Laos and the medical staff. 

Took him down to have the staples removed. Okay, should be a normal procedure. I told them that I'm still concerned about some of the swelling and the little bit of drainage that still is present. I'm told don't worry about it, it's just tissue inflammation, etc. That if it was infection the dog would be not feeling this good and he would experience discomfort. Okay, I'm not a medical professional so I believe them.

Laos had about 1/2 inch part of the incision that wasn't totally healed yet. Looks clean, but still this is healing from the inside out. Laos gets up, and I'm not exaggerating, and fluid (the drainage) and this time puss pours out of the incision. I'm standing there with my mouth wide open and not so nicely tell them "okay, tell me again that this isn't infection". I also told them "apparently you haven't been hearing me when I tell you about Laos and his threshold for pain". "You cannot tell me that with having such a serious infection at the time of this 2nd surgery that the infection just "disappears" without aggressive antibiotic therapy." I also told them you cannot also just rely on culture because of the tendency of "false" negatives.

I requested last week that they contact the surgeon to discuss this drainage and the fact that they stopped the antibiotics. I demanded that they contact the surgeon this morning. If they do not, I will. They put Laos back on the cephalexin 500 mgs three times a day. They still do not know what type of infection we are dealing with because of the negative cultures. 

I think what upsets me the most too is that if this drainage of fluid and puss did not happened at the vet's office yesterday, they would have just sent me home with a pat on my back saying everything looks GREAT. So things happen for a reason.

Sorry I needed to vent this morning. Laos' incision looks good this morning, even the 1/2 inch part that wasn't healed looks better. I'm taking it upon myself to do warm compresses as I believe that will help draw the remain infection out, I will clean the site three times a day, and use antibiotic cream. He is to start longer leash walks and I believe that activity will also help.


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## Lynn_P

p.s. I'm going to have one heck of a celebration when we get on the other side of all of this.


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## Lynn_P

Melinda.. love the pictures of your Buddy enjoy life. Almost a distant memory for you, no?


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## mel hunter

Lynn,
That is unbelievable...I am sorry that you are dealing with all this frustration. Thank goodness he has you on his side and you are so right in knowing that you have to go with YOUR gut feeling about things and be demanding at times. I would definitely want to deal directly with the surgeon as well, at least to keep him in the loop and get his opinion.

I understand some of your frustration...after we got Buddy's 12 week xray and they said all is well...off leash and back to normal activity-they called me 2 weeks later and said "the radiologist looked at the films and he should probably be on leash for another 10 days"....this is now 2 weeks after I've had him OFF LEASH! Needless to say I wasn't happy and luckily my husband and I both are very cautious and had only given him limited time off the leash because of our "gut" feeling that he wasnt quite ready.

He is gradually getting better but it is VERY slow...not quite a distant memory yet but we're getting there and you guys will too. I am of the belief that you have got to do what you think/know is best for your dog. Buddy is still taking Rimadyl and Tramadol although I've weaned a little bit. We are doing two 30-45 min walks/day along with letting him off leash on the trail on our property several times a day. He also gets in and out of the car for those walks and follows me up and down stairs quite a bit so definitely more activity and still a slight limp most of the time. But I do think we are improving, it just seems slow when you gauge it day by day.

Hang in there and give Laos hugs from his mountain friends!!
~Melinda


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## mel hunter

Just a few pics that I didn't get posted...the others didn't post where you could enlarge them. Hopefully it will work this time


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## Lynn_P

Thanks for the encouraging words melinda.. love the pictures.. you have such a gorgeous home and the scenery very peaceful. Hugs back to you!!


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## Vandal

Boy, do I ever feel your pain about Vets. If you find a good one, who is not more concerned with moeny than the dog, you are a lucky person. 
I have no less than four Vets that I use. One for just the basics. He can do x-rays, general stuff like simple surgeries and spays and is relatively inexpensive. I have gone there forever, so, they pretty much do what I ask them to do. If I have a really sick dog, I do NOT go to him.

The other Vet is a repro specialist and all of the Vets in the office are women. No offense to the men but I have found that many times women listen better. So, when you describe the problem and tell them about your dog, they seem more willing to believe you and use the information to make their diagnosis. That ability to listen to the person, ( whether the Vet is male or female), is, IMO, absolutely necessary. If I get dismissed by a Vet, I get up and leave. I am the voice for my dogs and if they aren't listening, they are not doing their job correctly.

I also go to another Vet who is actually a surgeon. I don't go there often but when I do, I have found this man to be exceptionally honest. He is not selling surgeries or cures for things that cannot be fixed. He will not blow air where there shouldn't be any and I appreciate that immensely.

You keep going in there with the "I know my dog better than you" attitude Lynn. Seems like if you are not screaming nowadays, no one listens. 

One more comment, if that infection doesn't keep getting better, you might want to pester them for a different antibiotic. 

I am hoping for the best for Laos.


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## Cassidy's Mom

Lynn_P said:


> p.s. I'm going to have one heck of a celebration when we get on the other side of all of this.


Wow, no kidding - what an ordeal! Hope you find a good vet soon.


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## Lynn_P

Okay, just a quick update ~ I believe we are starting to turn the corner with dealing with whatever infection Laos has. Anne you were right about the different antibiotic.. as soon as they added Baytril to the regime, Laos started very slowly improving. Yesterday I noticed that the fluid seemed to be decreasing which I thought might just be my "wishful" thinking, but this morning I believe it is in fact going down. The incision has finally closed and though I was happy about that, I didn't want the fluid from inflammation/infection not to have an outlet. So I guess you can say that I'm cautiously optimisitc at this point in time. Laos has a re-check tomorrow and hopefully if we continue to move forward, I'll be able to start swimming him in a week or two as he really needs to build up muscle mass. We have been doing about 3 or 4 fifteen minute walks a day.

Laos enjoying a marrow bone after one of our walks yesterday. Thank you all for the prayers and positive energy.


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## Witz

Went thru the same thing with my last male. Took some time but getting the plate and screws out was the the key. Only a small percent of dogs who have had a TPLO get a down the road reaction/infection. Great thing is that the plate is virtually worthless a year after the surgery, so outside of the surgical removal site, the issue is not structural, just wound care related. There are the cases of bone infections that get out of hand, but again if treated early, incidents are low and recovery is high.

Best of luck on the healing process.


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## Stosh

Like you didn't have enough to worry about??!! Glad to read that he's improving and best wishes continue for a full recovery.


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## Lynn_P

Breathing a very BIG sigh of relief. Just got back from Laos' re-check appointment and they are very pleased with the progress he's made this week. Incision is definitely healed and looking good, swelling is going down noticably, range of motion very good. I will continue with both antibiotics and the anti-inflammatory medication for at least four more weeks to make sure that nasty infection doesn't make a come back. Now that we have the infection under control this will give his ligaments/tissue a chance to heal. I am to increase leash walks for the next several days (we have been walking about 1/2 mile three times a day). If he does well with that increase in activity I will be able to start swimming him early next week. I'm still "cautiously" optimistic because through Laos' recovery he has made progress with set backs. So though I will project that positive energy, I'm taking this very slow and easy. I think I might just have to made a drinkie poo to celebrate. Thank you all!!!


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## Stosh

I'll join you!


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## Lynn_P

Stosh said:


> I'll join you!


Would love the company Stosh..


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## Vandal

Anymore, it seems Baytril is the only thing that really works and for sure should be used after surgery. Anytime my dogs have had major surgery , the Vets I consider to be the good ones, always prescibed Baytril afterwards. The "other" Vets prescribed Keflex and as a result, there were problems. 

Glad to hear he is improving.


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## mel hunter

So glad to hear he's improving...hopefully he has turned the corner and it's all GOOD from here on!! Loved the picture of him and his bone....doesn't take much to make them happy  You definitely deserve a drink after all you've been through...we'll continue to keep you and Laos in our thoughts and please keep us updated.

Buddy is doing well..am finally feeling like he's recovered. He did run through the deep snow after a fox that was outside our fence this morning and got back up the hill easily. Still a little limp here and there but we're definitely getting there! He obviously thinks he's completely well 

~Melinda


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## onyx'girl

Thankfully you were diligent in trusting your gut! I hope the worst is past and Laos swimming time will give him strength as he gets out his pent up energy.
:toasting: you deserve a house round or three!


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## Lynn_P

Vandal said:


> Anymore, it seems Baytril is the only thing that really works and for sure should be used after surgery. Anytime my dogs have had major surgery , the Vets I consider to be the good ones, always prescibed Baytril afterwards.
> Glad to hear he is improving.


I so agree with this.... and believe me any time I'm faced with a similiar situation I will demand that they prescribe the Baytril.. one week on that medication and the improvement begun almost immediately (after two days).


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## mel hunter

Hi Lynn,
How are you and Laos? Have been thinking about you. We are going in on Monday to re-check Buddy with an x-ray. He is doing well but still has a slight limp and it's been almost 6 months now. My vet said they are now recommending x-rays at 16 weeks and Buddy's last one was at 12 weeks. They said it does often take a little longer for bigger, heavier dogs to heal so I'll be anxious to see what the radiologist has to say (I don't think they will be up to read films for another week).
So thankful for some warmer temps and melting snow...will be so glad when we can start hiking on the trails 
Hope all is well ~Melinda


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## Toffifay

Aaaww poor sweet Laos...seeing him so sad, in the first picture, brings tears to my eyes.. 

I sincerely hope he recovers quickly and won't be in any pain. Hugs to you and Laos...you are a wonderful mother!


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## Lynn_P

Laos had a vet appointment on Wednesday.. they are pleased with his progress.. still a good amount of scar tissue right over the knee, but definitely no fluid in there. They believe some of this will break down, but he'll probably always have a little bit of swelling (for lack of a better word) because of all the trauma to this area. They believe that Laos is at a point that everything in the knee area (ligaments, bone, etc) is stable and that he could begin to resume "normal" activity. When I described what Laos' "normal" activity would consist of they stated "well maybe NOT yet". ;-) This week I started doing "hill" walks to intensify some of the muscle mass building and strength. My plans are to continue this for a week or so, add in one or two swim sessions this coming week and see where we are. Laos still has a limp, but I believe it's more from muscle/tissue soreness & weakness as the knee joint itself is stable. I will start in a week or so giving him some long-line on-leash freedom in one of the smaller dog yards (20 yard long line). This would allow him free access to the perimeter of that yard with me still having some control should he get a little over stimulated. We are continuing with both antibiotics and the anti-inflammatory for two more weeks. He'll probably remain on the anti-inflammatory for about another 30 days. So though I'm still going to proceed very slowly with his rehab and allowing any type of freedom, I'm optimistic that we are over the "critical" part of this. He has one more follow-up in 2 weeks.

Melinda, let me now how your appointment goes.. and yes, leash walks in the warmer weather sure beats the ones I use to take during the winter months...LOL. Hugs to you my friend. Give Buddy a hug from us here in Maryland.


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## mel hunter

Lynn,
Buddy's x-ray showed that the bone is completely healed. They also feel like all is stable and that he should be able to return to normal activity but he still has a slight limp. They said that they have had some large dogs that have taken as long as 10-13 months to be "sound" (tolerating normal activity with no lameness). We have decided to do a month of adequan injections to try and improve the condition of the joint because his was such a traumatic injury. Hopefully this will get him back to his normal activity without ANY lameness. The saga continues....

I hope you and Laos are doing well. Would love an update. We had a beautiful day today but more snow coming over the next 3-4 days with low temps in the teens  It has been a cold, cloudy and snowy April....so looking forward to summer!

Take care, Melinda


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## Lynn_P

Melinda, it's good to hear from you. Glad the bone is healed and everything is sound. Laos had a re-check I guess it was last week or two ago and they said he's going really well and that since everything is "stable" he could have some free time.. I'm very cautious about this though. Just this week I've been giving him about 5 minutes of free time in one of my fenced in yards.. while on the long line. He's doing a little bit of running and I'm always holding my breath. I've started swimming him during the past 2 weeks also. First swim session he was quite lame afterwards and I'm like "you got to be kidding me"... he worked it out and the past two sessions he's been fine. Laos still has a limp, but I believe he's always going to have an "off" gait just because of how much damage there was. He's off one of the antibiotics and has about seven more days of the 2nd one. I'm starting to decrease the derramaxx dosage as they want him to remain on the anti-inflammatory for a couple more weeks. He's been off the tramadol completely. Still doing lots of walks...and you are right.. what happened to that "distant memory".

It sounds like the larger dogs do take a lot longer than the smaller ones... wishing you continued improvement. Let me know about the injections as I was thinking about doing some research on the adequan. We've had LOTS of rain, but I'll take that over snow.


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## Lynn_P

Here's a video of Laos 1st swim session with his best friend (my sister's goldendoodle)... Wyatt.

]


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## Lynn_P

Melinda, here's a video of Laos tracking last weekend.


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## GregK

Nice vids, Lynn. Laos *really* liks that swimming, no?


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## mel hunter

Lynn,
I LOVED the videos!! Laos is a great swimmer  Wish Buddy could swim that well but he just likes to wade. I'm going to start the adequan injections tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes. We got another 20 inches of snow last night...I feel like this is the never-ending winter....will be so glad for sunshine and some of that green stuff Laos was tracking in on the video 
Take care and keep in touch...posting the videos and pics...I'll try to post some pics soon. ~Melinda


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## JeffM

Riggs was supposed to get a TPLO but knee was too severe, so now he's getting a full knee replacement. Speedy recovery to your puppy!


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## mel hunter

Buddy is doing well...I've gone to every other day Rimadyl and I've given 3 adequan injections so far...He's having some eye problems now...so back to the vet tomorrow  Hope Laos is doing well. We finally had a nice 60 degree day with sunshine...still sooo much snow to melt!
~Melinda

here's a picture from the weekend...


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## Lynn_P

Melinda.. what a gorgeous photo of you and the dogs, and the background is absolutely beautiful. Glad you are having some nice weather. I can't believe that you still have snow. I'm also glad to hear Buddy is doing well. I hope the issue with his eye isn't anything serious and that you get that cleared up quickly. 

Laos is doing pretty good.. I feel like maybe we will finally have this as that "distant memory" in a couple more months. Laos is finally off the antibiotics and so far, so good. He continues to be on the Deramaxx (like your rimadyl) but I have cut that dose in half. On those days like after a swim therapy session I give him the whole dose. They (the vets) wanted him to remain on the anti-inflammatory for 30 more days. I've been giving him about 5 minues of free time in the yard (with strict supervision) and some times he'll be a little sore after that, but he always works it out. We've been starting to take about a 3 mile hike every once in a while. All in all, I'm pleased and we seem to constantly move forward this time around.

Are you seeing any difference since the injections?


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## mel hunter

I'm not sure it's been long enough...only 3 injections but he has just the slightest limp now...it's probably not obvious to anyone but me and sometimes no limp at all! That "distant memory" is getting closer every day  He has some free time but most of his walks are still on leash and depending on how far we go 2+ miles he gets a little sore.

So glad Laos is making forward progress and doing so well...I'll let you know what they say about Buddy's eye...

~Melinda


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## mel hunter

So Buddy has a corneal abrasion...should clear up within a week...antibiotic drops so he doesn't get an infection...it already looks a lot better. It's always something with my crazy boy...but I love him 

~Melinda


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