Vesna's Progress Reports on Bonzo in 2001

 
Thursday,
4th
Jan 2001

Bonzo says "thank you and a Happy New Year to you all; here I am having my happy hour on Thursday".

 

Since his second surgery just three weeks ago, Bonzo has shown amazing progress. The dressing is changed weekly and the operated 'ankle' is healing much faster than his left leg did (the herbal and homoeopathic supplements are certainly helping). There's no sign of a pressure sore developing on his hock (the one he had on his left leg caused him great discomfort) and he's generally very happy and 'walking' surprisingly well, despite the heavily bandaged cast. Vesna's signature
Tuesday,
30
January		 I'm just on my way to see the boy, who's been doing really well, though his left leg is still bent inward. It's great to see him standing straight [he looks so much bigger now!] and 'walking' almost normally. The big test comes tomorrow, when he'll be taken to the veterinary hospital for X-rays and his cast will be removed for good ... will his legs be then ready for a 'test run'? Fingers crossed, eh?!   Vesna's signature
Wed, 7th February.
1 week
to go!
  Bonzo had the plaster removed and X-rays taken on 31st. The bones had fused well, but the muscles in his hind legs are quite weak, especially his right one. It really is quite incredible how 'tall' he is now. For a month or so, he will have to 'take it easy', with only 2-3 short walks [on the lead] per day. Knowing Bonzo, that will not go down too well with him, his new legs are eager for action! He is due to be released from quarantine in one week, so where is he to go from there?
Although I feel as if I'm betraying him, he is not an 'easy' dog, especially with other dogs, nor is he very trusting of people right now, which is not surprising. In recent weeks he has snapped at a few visitors, although this behaviour stems more from his insecurity than aggression. It seems as if he has to have people's hands in his sight at all times. For these, and other, reasons, an ideal home for Bonzo would be difficult to find.
He has to go back to the hospital in 8-10 weeks time, for further X-rays, the outcome will decide whether the metal plates will be removed from his ankles.
Although our home is not ideal for Bonzo, mainly because of our four dogs, we have been preparing for his arrival. The fact that I run the charity from home will help and having experience of living with disabled dogs and adapting our home to their needs, we feel we could cope with Bonzo. Of course
time will tell. Rest assured though, he will be well taken care of. Vesna's signature
Wed, 14th February
(Vesna's special Valentine) 		As I write, Bonzo is fast asleep on the settee, it seems the padded bed on the floor is not good enough, likely dreaming of his first few hours of freedom.
Our other dogs are also dozing peacefully, not that they accepted him with open paws. Sure, they behaved when I walked in with Bonzo but we had 'prepared' for the day well in advance.
We had knocked the front & back rooms together, with an arch between, against which there's a garden trellis, which serves as a partition, to give the dogs space and time to adapt to each other. Earlier I called them one by one to 'say hello' to Bonzo and let them 'sniff noses' just for a few seconds. Then I pulled the trellis across and made a bit of fuss of Patrick, talking to Bonzo at the same time on the other side of the trellis.
Then Gizmo, one of our cats came to check if Bonzo was a friend or foe. I was quite surprised as he is normally reserved. Purring away, he walked right under Bonzo, rubbing his chin against him. Poor Bonzo looked taken aback, but his tail was wagging, so all well and good. Our 17 year old Bargy didn't bat an eyelid either, but he's seen many dogs come and go, so he's quite used to it.
Now to decide who's going to be the 'top dog'. At the moment all is peaceful, but sooner or later Patrick will have his say and Bonzo won't bow to his demands. I hope we're around when that happens. However, I'm hoping that by introducing the dogs to each other very gradually we can avoid the 'jealous outbursts' . Having four male dogs and Babushka, we are bound to have a few problems; let us just hope they're minor ones.
More of a worry is Bonzo's left paw, which as you know is turned inward. That means that he walks on the side of his 'pad', which has caused a nasty sore to develop which will take a long time to toughen up. For the first month or so, he can only be taken out for a few minutes at a time, on a lead. His leg muscles are still very weak and his 'ankles' are also sore. It will be many more weeks before Bonzo can take his legs for a proper test-run.
But he's more contented now than he's been for a long time. Even just going for a short walk in the field behind our garden is heaven, every blade of grass of great interest to his inquisitive nose. He has much to adapt to, but hey, today is the first day of the rest of his life; may it be long and happy!
 
Our gallery of photos taken today. Click on the images for a better view.
First Walk Valentine Boy New Room Free at Last
 

Overall, today was a really good day, everything went quite smoothly, though we're not out of the woods yet. Still, to think that just a few months ago, Bonzo was so severely disabled, his future looked grim. In fact, there would have been no 'future' for him without the surgery. Vesna's signature
Saturday,
3rd March 		Thought you'd like to see how our boys are getting on. Sure, there's a bit of jealousy between Patrick and Bonzo, but boys will be boys ... no major upsets though. To see latest pictures of the family click here. Vesna's signature
Monday,
26th March		 Bonzo is having lots of fun as you can see below, though on the picture which shows him sleeping on the bed, the small 'wound' on his left paw is clearly visible. I had begun to think that the antibiotics the vet prescribed were not working, but at long last there's definite improvement; in fact the wound is now almost completely healed up. It certainly hasn't stopped Bonzo wanting to go out for a walk although the 'bend' in his left ankle causes him to swing his hips from side to side. At least he is walking,. something which I still see as a small miracle. Roll on the summer ......... what fun we will have!
 
Another gallery. Click on the images for a better view
Hi There
Clowning Around
Playtime
Sore Paw on Bed
Thursday, 26th April Bonzo was seen by the orthopaedic vet at Wanstead yesterday, but I’m pleased to say he wasn’t kept in. The vet examined Bonzo’s legs thoroughly and felt it wasn’t necessary to remove the metal plates. The reason for Bonzo’s left ankle being bent is that one of the bones is slightly misaligned and the only way to ‘fix’ that would be by ‘breaking’ the bones again and re-doing the whole surgery [too drastic]. Even then there would be no guarantee that everything would go well.
Another problem with the left leg is a separate tendon to the one which was severed ... it’s one that ‘controls’ the paw movementsl. Anyway, the bottom line is, it's best to leave Bonzo as he is, but keep an eye on the areas where the ‘nuts & bolts’ are fixed [there are about 8-9 screws in each ankle and just as many nuts & bolts] ... if any of them become loose, or start protruding through the skin, then the plate[s] will have to be removed. I hate touching these
'lumpy' areas, but sometimes accidentally do when gently wiping his legs after walks. How I wish it would stop raining!! We would all have so much more fun.
Regular exercise is no doubt helping to strengthen Bonzo's muscles and all the ‘supplements’ he gets [including the homoeopathic remedies] of course also help. Whilst I am a bit concerned about his legs [the left one is quite stiff in the mornings and he hops on 3 legs till the muscles in that leg ‘loosen up’], I’m very relieved that he’s back home with us. He was quite upset during the check-up, growling angrily at the vet, but as soon as I led him out of the main door, he was wagging his tail.