Bucket's progress continues to amaze us. Needless to say there are still some bumps in the road but we're all staying positive!
We went to another PT appointment yesterday and from this point on Bucket will receive just laser therapy and hydrotherapy. Bucket was able to walk for 12 minutes this time but by the end he was definitely tired. Several treats later we finished up with the laser therapy. Today he is sore and very tired so we're all taking it a bit easy. My one complaint about Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital's PT department is that you never see the same person. We keep hoping to see someone from before to get a good gauge on how is progress is going. We have had three appointments and each time it's with new people. We try to figure out if we should be doing more with him, restricting him, etc. and it's really hard to know when you get different answers. The first week we were told he wouldn't need many appointments based on his status at that time. The 2nd week we were told that we could increase activity and do 6 laser / hydrotherapy sessions. Now this week the person we saw has informed us to keep using the strap on his back legs due to the ice and snow. Keep him in his playpen as long as possible and then asked us if we had a follow up planned with the surgeon (who told us that PT takes over from here). I really feel that there should be more guidance and planning then what we are getting.
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This weekend was pretty much like all of the rest. A physical therapy appointment for Bucket, me running errands, and all of us staying home. I did get to venture out a little more thanks to my sisters b-day. I didn't get to go out and celebrate with her but I did bring her some presents and best wishes.
Here's how the weekend went (in photos): Yesterday was a great day! We went back to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital and met with Dr. Troxel for Bucket's staple removal. This was easy going for Bucket but I had to step out because I couldn't bear to watch anything else happen to my baby.
After that appointment we headed to the Physical Therapy Department and met Amie Hesbach. Bucket was able to walk around the PT room without his leg strap, lay down, play with some toys and eat lots of treats. It was so amazing to see him walk around (still wobbly and almost fell once but mostly good). Next he received laser therapy to reduce inflammation and help with the healing process. Then came the big hurdle. Bucket headed in for some water therapy (a treadmill that fills with water for some resistance. Bucket hates water - hates baths, hates hoses, hates pools, and hates the ocean. Surprisingly he did terrific thanks to Sheryl. A little afraid of the water at first but walked and walked for the promise of treats. Sheryl then attempted to dry Bucket off and at this point his adrenaline was flowing and the excitement was mounting. Next thing we knew Bucket took off at a run to the other side of the PT area. We ran to catch up to him and settle him down. Finally we received our PT homework for him and checked out. Needless to say Bucket slept the whole way home. I'm hoping to have some new pics of him walking around this week and some from his next PT appointment. Here is to hoping for a great week for Bucket!
The end of last week was a little difficult. We found that one area of his incision / staples was red and puffy. We also found a little bit of blood on his pillow. Our initial reaction was that it could be an infection. We contacted the Neurology department and unfortunately they were having a very busy day. It took more than 5 hours to hear back from them. From their guidance we thought it best to watch it for another day - the bleeding stopped, there wasn't any pus, and there was no heat being radiated from the spot. Luckily the site didn't get any worse and Bucket was still improving each day. It seems silly but it's the little things Bucket does that makes us so happy to see he's improving. The first new improvement was on Friday. Bucket was able to stretch his back legs while sleeping. Up until yesterday he hadn't been able to itch his face either (yes we would do it for him). Yesterday and this morning he was able to use his right hind leg (the weaker leg) to itch his face. This week Bucket will be able to get his staples removed and he'll have his first physical therapy appointment. We just hope they don't try to get him in a pool - boy does he hate water lol!!! |
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