Wow! I have not updated the Blog for Ellie the 80 lb MilkDud in a very long time. I had not planned on updating any longer but the volume of clicks on her site has just continued to be amazing. So, with that in mind, I thought I had better post some up to date info on the Mutt.
Ellie continues to do very well and it has now been 18 months since the surgery. Hard to believe it has been that long as it seems like just yesterday that she had that goofy shave job that made her look like Britney Spears had eaten too much sugar and went after her with a pair of clippers. No ill effects of that whack job haircut and it did not seem to change the natural part in her hair. The key is still getting Ellie plenty of walks and not necessarily plenty of mileage. As a matter of fact it seems to make her a bit more stoved up when she does more than about 3-4 miles and especially if there are lots of hills involved.
Ellie will be nine years old next month and seems to just naturally be a bit stiff after sleeping for long periods of time or if she does too much strenuous mileage. Hell, I have the same problems so it must be related to both of us advancing in age. The folks at West Hills Veterinary gave us a prescription for Deramaxx and we give Ellie half of a tablet prior to a long outing and then the other half when we return from the adventure. It certainly seems to help with the stiffness. Interestingly enough the stiffness is in the opposite rear leg (the one that was not operated on) so we definitely keep an eye on that. We still do not allow her to do big jumps and avoid slippery surfaces as much as possible. She moves just great and seems to have filled in most of the muscle lost on the repaired side.
We continue to keep an eye on her weight and she still fluctuates between 79-81 pounds. She is still on the RD dry food and still gets one Phycox supplement with each meal. Ellie is a happy dog and we have absolutely no regrets in having the procedure done. Without having done the procedure we are certainly convinced that she would not be enjoying life as much as she currently does. We are still so thankful to everyone at West Hills Animal Hospital. Ellie had a blood test done about six weeks ago and the results showed perfection even for a dog half her age. We all must be doing something right.
Feel free to email me with any questions you may have and to all of you considering the procedure, best of luck to you and your canine pal. You can do it.
Posted by Tam on November 5, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Hi there! I just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading your blog on Ellie. My dog, Kirin, had a TPLO earlier this year (March) and just thhis past week seems to have blown out the other knee so I fear I’m looking at another TPLO. She’s 8 years old and did well after the first surgery and since she’s a super active girl I feel I would be doing her wrong if I didn’t do this one for her as well. She’s not a fan of sitting still. Anyways, in my panic and all recently I came across your blog and it really cheered me up. You are a great writer and your humor just made me laugh and relax and realize that it seems horrible at first but it gets easier. I’ve been through it once so I know what to expect and have no issues with the rehab (I would give my leg for this dog). I’m a vet tech so bad things seep into my head unfortunately so it was a good wake up that things aren’t as bad and that this is fixable and she will be up and hiking again in no time. SO thank you for this wonderful blog and all the awesome updates on her progress. I feel stronger about Kirins situation and next week if she has the surgery I can focus on her rehabilitation which will this time include hydro therapy (I couldn’t afford it last surgery). I worried more about this one I think because her other leg doesn’t have all the muscle back yet and it gives out every so often but over the past few days she’s moving better on 3 legs. I freaked out because suddenly she had 2 bad back legs…then I remembered she has a good back leg, it’s just not as strong again. So after this one both legs will get thorough strengthening and rehab. Anyways, I really wanted to say thanks for your blog and all the awesome stories of Ellies return to fame….
Posted by elliemilstein on November 10, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Hi Tam,
Thanks for all the nice comments. I hope that the next procedure goes well for you and the pup. Sounds like you are well versed on the whole shebang. Ellie sends good wishes to the both of you. Please stay in touch and let me know how it all goes and if we can ever provide any info that can help. All the best-
Russ and Ellie