Two week check up

First let me say that I have been looking forward to this day with nervous anticipation for the last week. It's at this stage where the vet performs a couple of different tests, checking to make sure the surgery has taken and that the technique he used has remained secure. I felt like I was taking a pass/fail exam that would determine the next six weeks of our lives. I knew the responsibility was mine and it would not be Sampsons fault if something happened that would send us back to surgery. Any actions he has taken since surgery are that of him just being a dog but it was my job to watch him closely and deter that normal behavior

that got us in this situation.

Our appointment was mid afternoon and we were again hitting near record temperatures for this time of year. Sampson surely sensed my anxiousness because he was also breathing hard even with AC on. Again, at five miles away as we made our turn to the vets office he began getting excited like he does when we head to the dog park or his favorite trail. We were greeted like family and shown to our waiting room.

First came the vet tech who has known Sampson since his first surgery two years ago. He took to her again immediately, rolling over waiting for her to pat his belly. He was weighed and had gained about 1/4 lb. I was expecting at least that with all the extra peanut butter in his diet to mask the taste of his pills. Then came our vet. He is truly one of the most sincere and genuine human beings I have ever met. Maybe it is his southern way, but he never makes you feel foolish or overly sensitive when it comes to your pet.

We chatted briefly and then he got down to it, performing the "drawer pull" test.

It involves using two hands and placing the thumb at a particular point on the knee. If the ACL is secure there should not be any movement. If the ACL has torn, there will be up to an inch of movement in what is similar to pulling out a drawer. This was my nail biter moment. With a smile on his face the vet looked up at me and said "it feels really good". I was elated. We discussed his exercise schedule and my big question was whether or not we had the green light to get in the lake and he replied with an "absolutely"! Swimming is one of the best forms of rehab for dogs that have had this surgery. We discussed a few more things and I was told to check back in a month or sooner if something needed to be addressed.

We headed home with thoughts of the lake on our mind and since the temperature was topping out at the high for the day we geared up with the other dogs and paddle board and made our way to the water. Our neighbor dog followed so I had two dogs on each hand. It happened to be a bit of a rush hour with boats putting in and getting out.

Normally this lake is very quiet, but with the nice

weather everyone was taking advantage of it.

I walked into the water with the dogs and they all took off swimming which is what I expected. What took me by surprise was their desire to climb on the paddle board when we launched it. The white and orange dog Olie is a "wader" of sorts. He doesn't need to jump around and get his head wet, but this time he quickly swam out to the board and got on during the paddle. Sampson swam alongside and soon little Olu [the small black dog] was also on board. I paddled from my knees, because I wasn't sure what the other eight legs were wanting to do.

The shallow part of the lake felt nice and refreshing but since the ice only melted off two weeks ago I wasn't quite ready for a family tip-over. We paddled and swam, taking turns on the board for about 40 minutes until I decided to end play time injury free and save some energy for tomorrow.

It was a fantastic day and I look forward to the days ahead and easing Sampson back into swimming and longer walks.

Here is a short clip of the whole gang!