Finnigan's Story~

 I'm a little late with Finnigan's story.  With both of us recovering from surgery, Butch has his hands full.  There's little I can do to help which is not my usual MO.

On the 15th of May, both Butch & I noticed that Finn was favoring his left hind leg.  He would do a little hop as he walked & when he was just standing, he wasn't putting any weight on that leg.

5-16 Finnigan~

We called his vet, Dr. Darnell right away & Butch took Finn in that day.  Dr. Darnell prescribed some dog aspirin & told us to wait a week & see if the limp went away.  It didn't...  The next step was to be referred to Siris Veterinary Orthopedic Center in Omaha.  Their first opening was June 1st.  Butch & Finn met with Dr. Karlin who gave Finn a thorough examination.  The news wasn't good.  He had managed to tear his CCL.  This injury would leave him lame for life, with a high probability of arthritis as he gets older, unless TPLO surgery was performed.

Diagram~

The "V" in the above drawing is the section of bone that was to be removed.  It's a very expensive surgery, the estimated cost was twice what Dr. Darnell had expected, but neither of us hesitated.  After his heroic escapade to find me after my bike accident on the trail, he's proven himself the most loyal of companions. Everyone who knows Finnigan, knows what a special dog he is.  We don't know his exact age, but he should still have many good years left.

6-2, Finn, post-op~

It was heartbreaking for us both, Butch had to drop him off & I had to sit at home & worry.  The staff at Siris were super in keeping us informed on how & Finn was doing.  The surgery was scheduled for later in the day & it was late in the evening when we received the above photo.  To see his bright little eyes & that expression meant the world to us.  It meant that our boy had survived & was staying strong.

The next day, Butch brought him home!  He had a bag full of goodies!  His own Finn sized ice packs, a lick sleeve, a collar, lots of drugs & a folder with pages & pages of directions & information on how to care for him.  This included exercise routines, massage therapy, etc.  I told Butch, Finn had more thorough post op directions than I had!  

He was so happy to be home & the two of us started our new routine, sitting together on the recliner.  He was kept under a low dose of sedation, to make it easier to keep him from doing something he shouldn't.  

6-8 A very unhappy Finnigan~

The two of us are limping around the house together now.  Finn easily keeps pace with my walker & will stop to wait for me if necessary.  He loves being pampered & looks forward to his walks around the yard with Butch.  

Tomorrow is the two-week mark, when we send in photos & a video to Siris.  If they approve, Finn can ditch the collar of shame & the lick sleeve too!  It will be six more weeks before he can return to his usual lifestyle.  That said, I'm going to do everything I can to slow him down a little.  He loves to run, to jump, slide across the floor after Hedgehog & do his sit up tricks.  All of those things are very hard on the rear legs.  As hard as it will be for us, if he can take things a little easier, it should help him from injuring himself again.  He is back to playing with Hedgehog (no sliding!) & doing his easier tricks!