We are slowly getting routines to tackle our everyday struggle to keep little Brita immobilized after her surgery. Which is not easy for either of us. Sometimes I think Brita takes it much better than me. Maybe it´s time for me to learn something from her?
This is how our days look like. First thing in the morning I go out with Brita on leash ( the 5 minutes that are allowed ) trying to stop her from jumping and running ( yes, she can jump and run even on short leash!) Afterwards I put her in her cage and go out for longer walk with the rest of the pack. Then I feed them and try to cuddle Brita a while before I place her in the cage again. This schedule will be repeated, without feeding part, several times a day for nearest 8 weeks. Boring but necessary.
A humble flip of cartilage on the humerus bone is responsible for our mishap. I have a pic of it. It is just a size of a shirt button but causes such a long and tough recovery. It could have ruined her life as well if we did not detect the problem in time!
The flip has been successfully removed by arthroscopy. Thankfully Britas wound is very little and looks perfect. She has not even had so much pain afterwards which might have helped to keep her still. But she has been very, very patient since we started our new way of life. Never complaining. Accepting whatever I ask of her without struggle. I am both very proud of her and very sorry for her. If there is light in this tunnel somewhere I cannot see it yet. 8 weeks feels like an eternity!
But soon we are going to meet a rehabilitation therapist who will certainly know what more I can do to help her. There must be something we can do except short walks on leash. Maybe then life will become liveable again!
To make things more difficult we are having a real winter this year. Lots of snow and under - 15°C every night. Might be very beautiful on pictures but difficult for me. To pack the snow on our paths in the forest takes a lot of energy. Bending to put the shoes and all the clothes on is still painful after my surgery. The only positive thing is that Ruda and Prima, running in deep snow get a lot of exercise in shorter time.
The cats do not leave the house. They sleep through the days! To tackle the boredom they even started to play with each other which is very unusual.
Here are some pics from our walks before Britas surgery. I could let her off leash for short moments then.
No chances for weather change in the nearest 10 days according to the forecast. But we will survive, we always do. And spring is on its way, no doubt about it either! Right now I am happy time flies fast!