Third Update

So hey, the doctor's office returned my call (from last week!) today. She is one week out from surgery so I suspect it was a courtesy call anyway. They asked about the indoor pooping and suggested if she goes back on the Acepro to take it down to a quarter pill (from a half). Not much going on digestively right now, but since we finished the canned food, she's been miffed to be back on dry, so there might not be much in there to move on. They approved of the fabric collar (though she is figuring out how to get around it). They were surprised though not stunned to hear that the incision was so healed; the doctor who did the surgery is pretty particular, apparently, which I'd believe from the brief consultation we had. (Her wound is so healed, I was absent-mindedly patting her last night, and couldn't figure out what was spiky...and it was the stitches! She was letting me pet her on the stitches.)

Tonight will be her last of the second antibiotic (amoxicillin). The first can have a binding quality so we'll see if things pick up in that department again now that all the gi affecting drugs are being eliminated. And--cue the angels! I can either change the Tramadol doses from three a day (at 10, 6, and 2am, which is killing me) to two a day, or move them back to 8, 4, and midnight if she gets agitated with fewer drugs. This is great news.

The other great news is that given everything, they said walking her to the end of the block and back would be fine--also good as that is routinely where she does her thing; it's like she needs the little perambulation to get things moving.

They recommended doggie massage for her (flexing and bending the joints on the affected leg) and warm compresses, which I think she'll actually enjoy. And alas, since it's not a fur growing season, she'll probably have the naked leg all winter, poor girl.

All things considered, they were pleased with how much she seems to be using the leg (not a ton, but because we won't let her), that she's mostly crated or otherwise still, and that we're not letting her up and down stairs. That's getting old, though. Still, I'm trying hard to avoid being in the 40% of dog owners whose dog need the other knee TPLOed after the first one, so I'm trying to keep her in some kind of good shape.