Rainy day visit

On Wednesday, I took both Riley and Sabrina to see Dr. Doolittle. The rain was brutal. Because I was driving south, I was driving right into the storm. As I gripped the stearing wheel with white knuckles, I could see Riley's head up in the back, his eyes on me the entire way. I think he was nervous for me. Our little dear Sabrina slept the entire car ride. When we finally arrived, my arms were shaking and my legs could barely hold me as I lifted Riley out of the car. But we had made it, and we were only 6 minutes late.
Dr. Doolittle was pleased to see that Riley is recovering well from his TPLO. Her initial advice to us was not to go with surgery. Her opinion was probably greatly influenced by the fact that she recently knew a client who lost their German Shepard to complications related to an ACL surgery. But there is risk in everything we do, right? Nothing is a guarantee. Surgery seemed like the best option for us and we can only hope for the best. Unfortunately, the narcotics used for anesthetising him and then the NSAID prescribed for post-op care did a number on his organs. I have heard that Metacam (what Riley was given) can cause liver problems, even though it is thought to be "safer" than Rimadyl. Never-the-less, Riley's body had undergone a trauma and needed some help. She prescribed several natural supplements including toxin removes, digestive aids, and anti-inflammatories. Sabrina got to have her little visit too. She was so squirmy it took the Vet and an assistance to hold her while I distracted her with a treat for the evaluation. We go back in 6-8 weeks for follow-up.
I hope it won't be raining.

Regarding his recovery, he seems to be doing very well. We were supposed to have an appointment with Sterling Impression Animal Rebahabilition Center on Tuesday but I decided not to go with them. They were originally recommended to us by Dr. Doolittle. However, I really do not see how I am going to be able to get him to Walpole for his appointments on a regular basis. Recently, it's been hard enough just to get home in time to get a good run in for Sabrina. So I found someone closer in Natick: Paws In Motion. Suzanne Starr is a veterinarian there and her rehab facility has been open since April of 2004. She hasn't been around as long as Sterling, but I don't doubt she could still be good. We have an initial consult with her next Sat. I am beginning to rethink this whole rehab idea though. Many people on the OrthoDogs list have rehabilitated their dogs without formal therapy. Dogs *can* recuperate without hydrotherapy, massage and accupressure. But formal rehab certainly may increase the likelihood that Riley recuperates faster. That's the trade off: money for a faster recuperated Riley, maybe in time to enjoy some of the snow?