Day 1 – Our first impressions of Enzo were a mixture teddy bear and male lion. He was all head, ruff and shoulders with a narrow body small hips and of course a very curly tail. He was pleased to meet us and our own pug Bella. She gave him the once over, and having checked him out, a prod turned into a lick. A little nudge became a game and before long they were doing zoomies round the garden.
First thoughts – He is such a little dear, finding a home for him will be no problem. Sort out his neutering, get his vaccinations up to date. No problem, he’ll soon find his forever home. How wrong could I be!
We went for a walk, perfect. He even made Bella behave well on the lead. As I’m going along behind them, I notice his back left leg has a strange action, going round in a circle rather than straight forward. Made mental note must ask vet to check.
Back home, food and then garden. More play and I see he is on three legs. Games had to stop and he was on the lead.
Day 2 – The following day the vet investigated his leg and said his kneecap was moving side to side not staying in place. There are grades of instability, his was a 3 or 4 and required surgery. The vet sent a report to Dee who was able to get agreement for the charity to fund his operation. The following week we met Jamie the vet at the animal hospital. He confirmed the diagnosis, went through the options and explained what was to happen. As well as the knee surgery, Jamie agreed to carry out Enzo’s castration at the same time. Poor little dog, he was going to need lots of TLC after this lot.
We collected him at midday. He was a bit bewildered but was already using the leg which apparently is a good sign. We were given an A4 page of discharge instructions. Buster collar for 10 days or until the wounds have healed. Painkiller for 14 days. Rest and confine, ideally in crate or failing that small room with no furniture. No jumping or climbing, 4-5 short toilet breaks on a lead. After 2 weeks 10-minute lead walks, after 4 weeks 20-minute lead walks.
We also had post-surgery re-habilitation exercises. Gentle massage – much enjoyed because the harness came off for a while. Cold compressing to help reduce swelling and relieve pain. He was not sure about this cold ice wrap, quizzical look? For the most part just lay back and closed his eyes.
The night after surgery, the crate was interesting. I do have one photo of him sitting in his crate – I think he was probably still under the influence of the anaesthetic at the time. Later that night he would not settle in the crate – I think the buster collar was the final insult. He became very distressed. Back on the lead, I spent the night in the chair with him in a bed beside me. In the next days we did some crate training. The Lickimat was useful, kept him occupied and happy to be in the crate. With more time we could probably have got him used to the crate, but we didn’t have time, we had to deal with the immediate situation.
Room with no furniture, kitchen was the answer. We took it in turns. Ross would sit with them and read the newspaper, I would settle down to do my sewing and thus we camped in the kitchen. At least here he could be off the lead although he still wore his harness – something to grab if necessary.
Night times were a problem. I made myself a bed on the settee and slept there for 3 or 4 days. Ross and I were both getting tired and needed a better night’s rest. So, we all slept on the bed, Enzo in the middle wearing his harness. Lead attached with our arm through the handle, so we’d know if he moved. We got quite expert at leaving poo bags and keys strategically placed so we could make speedy exit into the garden “one armed” with Enzo under the other arm.
The 6 weeks stretched before us, but we broke it down into chunks. First target 10 day wound check. All fine, no longer needed Buster collar – hooray.
Day 14 – Start ten-minute walks. Enzo gets very excited before a walk and becomes very noisy – I’m sure the neighbours wondered what on earth was going on. These first walks were very slow walks, making sure he’s putting his weight evenly on both back legs.
We tackled the next two weeks a day at a time. It’s amazing how creative you can be working one handed with a dog on the lead in the other hand. Some tasks were impossible so were abandoned. (Catch up on the housework later.)
Day 28 – Extend to twenty-minute walks – more to explore. The weather didn’t help us here with temperatures of 30+ during the day. Quite enjoyed our 5am walks, good excuse to curl up on the settee in the afternoon for a nap.
For the last week of Enzo’s convalescence (week 6), we were on holiday. Dee arranged for Sharon to look after Enzo for 6 days. She did a wonderful job looking after him as well as her own pugs. He came back to us full of fun and vigour ready to go back to the vet for his re-check.
We are now on day 42, 6 weeks exactly from his operation. We took Enzo back to Jamie for his post operation check. X-rays showed that all was in place and had healed well. All that’s left is to get Enzo to use the leg so that the muscles can develop.
Back home, Enzo is off the lead, we are in the garden. He looks bewildered, not sure what to do. No harness, no lead, can he really just go where he wants? Well yes and no, I have got a long training lead on him just to prevent an attack of the zoomies with Bella.
We have exercises – sit,stand,sit,stand,sit,stand,sit. He’s become quite adept at doing this, we just have to make sure his back left leg is kept tucked under when he sits.
Holding him in standing position rocking him forward and back to flex his muscles.
Up and down the stairs with one hand on his collar to make sure he’s using all four legs and not the easier (more familiar) three-legged option.
Thirty-minute walks, weather dependent.
Sort out vaccinations and he’s ready for his for ever home. He is quite a character and will bring much joy and laughter to some lucky pug home. He will need to carry on with exercises to build up his strength.
We wish him all the best,
Hilary, Ross & Bella
