Look at that sexy leg!



Sophie's big, ugly, green bandage came off
a couple of days ago
and it's been mayhem ever since.

From her perspective, I've ceased to dress her in this ridiculously
movement inhibiting outfit so LET'S GO OUT!






But the cone. Damn the cone!





I think it rolls over in Sophie's brain like this:
Tis the season ... I've lost my mind and I'm making her wear a halo.

(please download and colour)



From a medical standpoint, and according to the
surgical technician, her incision looks great.


To me, it just looks like she's stapled together.
For the queasy amongst you, you may
wish to not view the following photo,
although in the age of popular forensic science,
is such a warning even necessary?




This pic is actually pretty tame in comparison to prime time TV.
The only difference is, this is REAL!!

Sophie is doing very well today.
Our stand off over the litter box has ended
and she has succumbed to relieving herself
in this unspeakable place.

Sorry, no photos to prove she's doing her business.
(pause briefly to allow for resounding groans of disappointment.)
You'll just have to take my word for it.

Yes, it's been a good day for Sophie.
Two of her favourite aunties came over to visit.
She was so excited to see them that she almost
wiggled her big, ugly green bandage off.
It could not have been too soon for me
since that thing is getting a bit stinky.

It comes off bright and early Monday morning,
which is sure to be the first and best
birthday present of the day for me.
The next batch of photos should be of her lovely pink leg.
I'll spare you all the incision since I'm not too keen on seeing it myself.

And a side note: Hi Bosco and Jodene! It's great to hear from you. Of course Sophie would remember you. How could she forget a dog who waves and a person who took her for fabulous off leash walks? I hope Bosco doesn't have to go through the surgery, but if he does, it's not all that bad. It's very boring for Sophie and expensive for me, but I don't think she's in much pain at all. She just isn't very happy lazing about and doing nothing all day. We live in a second floor condo, but it's on a park and she's used to two big runs each day. Of course, that's how she tore her ACL. Fortunately, she's in great shape otherwise and that should help her recovery. Give Bosco a big hug from me and keep me posted on how he's doing.

Since arriving home from the hospital,
Sophie has been eating like a trooper.

Unfortunately, she hasn't been pooping like one.

Here she is investigating her outdoor litter box (pre-surgery)
... the realities of living on a second floor.
She can't use the stairs for two months so she has no choice.

The good news is, after two days, she finally pooped.
It was late last night and she immediately tried to bury it.
I think she was mortified by the whole experience.
I'm putting my condo on the market in January.

TPLO

This is the name of the surgery Sophie just had to repair a torn ACL,
which is more or less, the ligament in her knee.

It stands for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy and if you are interested in exploring further, there is a complete explanation and a lot of non-gross photos on this website: http://vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm

The really important thing to know is that
Sophie will now beep if she goes through airport security.


She had the surgery on Tuesday, December 12 and came home from
the doggie hospital this afternoon. She seems good, happy to be home,
but definitely not happy about the cone.

Today, she starts the first of 60 long days of complete inactivity.
It's anyone's guess which one of us loses our mind first.
I'm betting on me.

So much has happened since Sophie last blogged ..... and she's on her way back to tell you all about it. Here she was enroute to share some of her adventures when she got just a little bit sidetracked by Cha Cha.
Damn that Cha Cha!

So much has happened that Sophie has even come to love Cha Cha just a little.


Stay tuned for more furry fun .... Beginning next week, Sophie invites you to join her on one of her biggest adventures yet. She won't win a million dollars, but you might!