Dogleg

I published today's A-to-Z post a little late because I've had a lot going on this week, between the Apollo Chorus benefit tomorrow, rehearsals, and taking care of Parker.

Yesterday Parker got his sutures out. The vet said he's healing very well, no signs of infection or re-injury, and good progress on using the injured leg. He can go without the Cone of Shame while someone is observing him, and on Friday, he can have it off permanently. Both he and I really, really, really want that to happen.

They also gave me art. Here are his X-rays from two weeks ago, showing his right leg before and after surgery. Before:

After:

The after photo looks painful, but the vet and the dog both assure me it's better than the before image.

Another improvement: he can now go on 10-minute walks, increasing by 5 minutes a week until mid-May when he can go as long as he wants. We're still walking slowly so that he has to put weight on the leg. But today, when he gets his first trip around the block in almost 3 weeks, I'm sure he'll be happier.

I'm glad to hear that Parker is making a good recovery and that he will be free of the Cone of Shame from today. Was his surgery done using keyhole techniques? I'm curious about this because that's the technique that was used when a friend's Maine Coon cat needed a similar kind of orthopaedic surgery.