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May 13, 2015

Puppy Surgery Recovery: Week One

It seems a bit unfair, but my veterinarian gave me pages of study material for Penny’s recovery yet didn’t ask Penny to read a thing. This was okay, at first.  The vet wanted Penny to keep still, and with plenty of meds in Penny’s system, my pup was
It seems a bit unfair, but my veterinarian gave me pages of study material for Penny’s recovery yet didn’t ask Penny to read a thing. This was okay, at first. Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

The vet wanted Penny to keep still, and with plenty of meds in Penny’s system, my pup was happy to oblige

Things got a bit dicey when I failed to have Penny collared at all times and Penny failed to see the need for her stitches.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

While I probably deserved staples in my head, the vet put a couple in Penny’s incision instead. I kept Penny entertained with a comedy routine, which she loved. But maybe that had something to do with the high dose pain medication

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

Over the weekend Penny recovered her strength via solar charging

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

And plenty of well-earned cuddle time

As anticipated, Penny’s recovery has presented us with a bit of an issue. The good news is that Penny has her energy back. The bad news is that Penny has her energy back. I followed Penny’s transformation post-surgery by looking at her eyes. They went from medicated-eyes, to exhausted-eyes, to groggy-eyes, to rested-eyes, to alert-eyes, and finally to something I call “Penny-eyes.”

“Penny-eyes” is a phenomenon which occurs when her batteries are overcharged and she needs to romp at full speed.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

“Penny-eyes” are sharp, mischievous and often paired with an energetic ear wiggle

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

Even other dogs recognize “Penny-eyes.” That’s why Penny’s pal Tripp is giving her the “Hey Penny, why don’t we talk about this” look in this old photo

I’m giving Penny plenty of walks, but it’s kind of like telling a NASCAR driver they can only drive up and down your driveway. Sure they can do it, but they won’t be happy about it.

To split the difference, today I started to give Penny some off-leash time on my back patio. I now have to act as the zoomie-police and quickly step in when she tries to rev up and sprint.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, chicago, marking our territory

Supercharged and ready to romp

One week in, and I’m happy to report Penny is back at full-steam. Unfortunately, she’s not allowed to go full steam ahead for another seven days. Week Two could get interesting!

Comments for Puppy Surgery Recovery: Week One

  1. Oodles of luck keeping that girl in check. Sam and I are rooting for all of ya to make it through unscathed!

  2. Emmadog says:

    Good luck. Mom says Katie and Bailie were both her worst nightmare a few days after surgery. Since I was a couple years old, and am a drama queen, it was no problem keeping me down as I didn’t want to move at all. Time will be over before you know it and Penny will forget all about how boring the two weeks were. Eko should perhaps wear a crash helmet the day you let Penny loose, though.

  3. Marcela says:

    Lol. Your posts are always so entertaining and fun.

  4. Good luck!! Get well soon Penny ^_^

  5. I cross my paws that the rest-time is over soon. That are hard days nights, even the Beatles knew that :o) I remember Easy’s broken toe (think Eko had the same bad adventure, once, right?) we had a baby gate on the stairs to avoid wild up&downs… and Easy jumped over the gate…the vet was as speechless as me…

  6. Victoria says:

    Hang in there Penny – Eko, Emily and Will can’t wait until they can take you out to run at full speed!

  7. Jeff says:

    Not sure who I should feel bad for. Penny for not being allowed to go full romp and spend energy or everybody else who has to deal with Penny-eyes!

  8. my heart goes out to you, that CANNOT be easy!!

  9. raisingdaisy says:

    It’s great to see Penny looking like herself again and I’m glad her recovery is going so well, even if it does make things a bit difficult zoomie-wise. 🙂

  10. Cupcake says:

    Good luck holding the other end of a leash attached to a racing car. What could possibly go wrong….?

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake

  11. coastingnz says:

    oh good luck my friend. When Ziggy had a mysterious leg/hip injury the vet said leash time will be ok but no free running – what, really! I grew great arm muscles and he turned into a sumo wrestler from pulling me – oh joy oh joy what fun we had! lol

  12. Connie Taylor says:

    Will the vet allow Penny to go “full” charge running after her two weeks or will they want her to ease back into it since she had to have some staples added? Whatever the outcome be sure to video her first “run” for all of us to watch. Maybe you can have Eko help you out by keeping Penny away from the other doggies at the beach. Good Luck!

  13. Oh boy! Good luck with your super charged Penny rocket!

  14. Kismet says:

    Penny needs pain meds for your comedy impressions. Just sayin…… 🙂

  15. Dottie and Tuffy-Cat says:

    What a way to start your married life off. At least Emily won’t be bored on her days off, nor will she be able to get much rest. But, things should get back to “normal” in the next two or three weeks. Good luck with that. How much longer do we have to wait for the wedding pictures?
    Dottie and Tuffy-Cat

  16. All I can say is after another week of keeping her from full-speed-ahead, Week #3 ought to be INSANE! HAHAHA

    Pam

  17. Glad she’s on the mend but good luck with week two!

  18. week two is the worst, you can do it!

  19. PigLove says:

    Snorts. See the problem is us anipals don’t know those words “Slow Down”. What exactly do they mean? We don’t have that speed – just fast, faster and zoom of light fast. I admit it – I have them myself. A pig has to fly… a dog has to zoom. What can I say except here’s to a speedy recovery Penny! Maybe you can come over and camp out in my big bed with me in my room. We can watch Netflix together 🙂 XOXO – Bacon

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