Week Three: Early this week, Skippy developed a small hard lump on his incision that wasn’t red or hot, and didn’t appear to be causing him any pain. It was clearly irritating him though, and he was licking at it a lot. We headed to the surgeon to have it looked at, and learned that it was a suture knot. We were told that Skippy had received internal sutures, in addition to his external staples, and this lump was caused by one of the suture knots showing through his skin. Because they’re dissolvable sutures, the lump would resolve on its own and wasn’t anything to worry about. We had to do a little extra redirection to keep the licking down, but otherwise it was all good.
By the end of the third week, Skippy’s incision looks great and he is leaving it alone. Physically he seems to be feeling really well, and we’ve stepped his Gabapentin down to 12.5 mg twice a day. He does the occasional weight bearing, but our wood floors are making it far too easy for him to keep scooting and avoid walking. We start laser therapy later this week, which will hopefully help get his circulation going and help him start using that leg more.
Stay tuned for updates on Skippy the tripawd, as he recovers from remaining leg FHO surgery. He starts physical therapy at four weeks post-op, and will also begin some homeopathic treatments (chiropractic care and acupuncture) at ten weeks post-op. Those dates were simply subject to veterinarian availability, and not necessarily on any prescribed timeline…
