Sam's new knee

I mentioned in my last post that Sam underwent a TPLO operation on his knee. Our vet had previously determined that he had torn the cruciate ligaments in both his right and left knees, but it seemed that the right one was in worse condition. And so it was that on Feb 13th we had him booked in for an operation by a specialist in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. That's a two-hour drive for us to get there from our home in Wollongong. I took time out from school that weekend and flew home after classes the day before.

Sam was left overnight at the surgery, and later in the evening we received a call letting us know that he made it through with no problems whatsoever and that we could go pick him up the next morning.

The nurse was kind enough to show us the x-rays taken after the metal plate and screws were put in place.

He seemed to have gotten over the anaesthetic when we arrived to pick him up, and was keen to get home as quickly as he could. So we bundled him into the back of the car and off we went.

Rosie semeed quite happy to see him, I think she was fretting overnight while Sam was away having his operation done. She followed us all over the house and wouldn't let us out of her sight the entire time. Still, the reunion was to be rather short-lived.

Our instructions were to keep Sam quiet as much as possible in the first couple of days, and then his bandages were to be removed. Having Rosie around meant that she would try to get him to play with her and she might try to lick the wound/stitches on his leg. Really could not afford to have Sam over-exert himself or get his wound infected from having it licked.

So Rosie's been bundled off to a friend's place (thanks, Ann-Marie!!) where she's staying for the next 3 weeks or so. That's the time Sam's stitches come off and the risk of infection from licking goes away. Ann-Marie's got a lovely home with a beautiful backyard and a pool; and most importantly another lab called Willow to keep Rosie company. Here's a pic taken the last time Sam and Rosie went to visit. Willow's on the left in the foreground.

Meanwhile, Sam's at home with a HUGE bucket on his head to stop him from licking his stitches.