After four long weeks on high alert, we thought we’d mastered the TPLO recovery situation. This is not to say we were enjoying it. The level of vigilance required for keeping our sweet but spirited Lily under “confinement” is something we haven’t experienced since the days of tending newborns – and for us that was a long, long time ago!
We were buoyed by the idea of being almost halfway through the initial 8-week Lily Lockdown, but to be honest, a little frazzled and worn down. So I was pretty excited when Daniel and Freddy came to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with us – this mom needed a break!
I made extra sure the gate to “Lily’s Pad” was latched this time as we headed out to Mother’s Day brunch.
Two blissful mimosa hours later, we returned home – to this:
WHAT?
HOW?
All that attention to the gate latch and then overlooking the fact that one of the six sofa cushions was not double-stacked to discourage Lily from leaping from her Lily pad…
You can only imagine our horror when we realized that the only way she could have escaped was to jump up onto the couch and then OVER the back of it so she could wait by the kitchen door for our return.
A leaping Lily meant a limping Lily and we grimly awaited an emergency vet appointment for Monday morning.
Good news and bad news: the TPLO hardware was intact (huge sigh of relief) but muscles and ligaments around the knee were sprained. The vet tech kindly consoled the CE, saying that they frequently see what she termed “catastrophic” post-TPLO events even with the most vigilant and dedicated pet owners. There is just no room for error with this recovery process. Human error, that is.
The vet sent the CE home with an extra-large prescription of Trazadone for Lily and the admonishment that we needed to double the dose we were giving her and keep her CALM! Yes, ma’am!
Next day, the CE’s friend Jeff, who is a devoted friend of Lily’s, arrived to help reconfigure her Pad to prevent access to the couches.
If I were starting this process over, I would invest in a crate. Lily hasn’t been in one since she was a puppy, but it would be the surest way to guarantee her safety when we have to be away from her for a few hours.
Meanwhile, we finished out the week without additional drama. Lily limps some of the time but not all of the time. Whether it is due to her sofa surfing or not we just don’t know. The Trazadone is definitely calming her, and she has The Countess snoozing by her side in solidarity.
The Countess, who, by the way, is wondering, why is all the attention on that ridiculous dog instead of me? Will you humans ever learn?
Polloplayer 
The recovery process is at least as stressful as we were warned it would be. My hope is that Lily’s spirit will not be affected long term by what is happening now. She is such a joyful creature and expresses that through vigorous use of her whole body. That is why we need the body to cooperate, so we do what is necessary, but its not easy.
So glad she was ok, and yes a sharp eye has to be given. I’ve been with her all day and so far only left to walk the neighborhood so she didn’t mind the short term in the living room pen. She much prefers to be in two outside pens and especially the one I call the “bunny pen”, since we do get some live “bunny presence “from time to time. 🐾❤️🙏🐱
So blessed to have you there with her ❤️