Day 8

Today has been a little bitter sweet. Our temperatures skyrocketed from 32* and snowing a few days ago, to nearly 70* today! Blue, sunny skies and warm temperatures would normally be a day to be celebrated and taken advantage of by engaging in any outdoor activity, however, with a dog recovering from ACL surgery, it means you get to sit out in the sun with a good book in one hand and a leash in the other. Sampson is a fairly relaxed dog, at least in comparison to his energy level of two years ago when he had his first surgery. He loves sleeping in the sun with his brothers, occasionally snapping at the bees that disturb his nap time.

The only down side of today was that with the sun and warm temperatures came lots of activity with kids on bikes going up and down the street and other neighbors walking with their dogs, and whenever anyone or anything passed down the street it would set off the choir of dogs in our area, and Sampson would of course want to jump up and see what all the commotion was about. Those lunging motions to get up quickly are the scariest thing I can think of him doing at this stage in his recovery and I knew I had to avoid this temptation. So we ditched the book and the sunshine and went inside with all three dogs and they were duly rewarded with frozen marrow bones. These bones have been a saving grace for me not only during this recovery, but on those rainy days or long road trips. They are a great distraction and are a "normal" activity for dogs.

Here are his two brothers waiting patiently for their bones. They have been great sports and don't seem to mind the rehab process as long as they get their treats too.

His incision is closing and healing nicely. His desire to lick it and the loss of the pink color in the skin mean it is healing as it should be.

We only have another two days of the anti-biotics and pain killers. I have been told I can use the pain killers beyond that, but it is my hope that he will not need them beyond the standard ten days, especially since he has figured out how to lick the peanut butter off of the pills and spit them out, but still eat the cookie that I attach them to. Giving him his anti-biotic last night was like feeding brussel sprouts to a five year old. I had to be impressed by his ability to make his way through my five attempts and several cookies later, until I finally just opened his mouth, and tipped his head up until I heard him gulp them down. He may be down, but he is still one clever canine.