Cooper, the Super Dog!

Saturday (2-25) update

2006-02-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Time again for a bandage change. The vet says the leg is looking very good, and Jay and Suzy are doing a great job of keeping the bandage dry. Cooper was so good! His next appointment is next Saturday.

Monday (2-20) update

2006-02-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Jay and Suzy took Cooper in for his bandage change today. He got his staples out, also. Everything looks good and Cooper was a good boy! Next appointment for another bandage change is on Saturday.

Saturday (2-18) update

2006-02-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, due to the ice and sleet we got overnight, Cooper could not go get his bandage changed. We now have a Monday appointment. Hopefully by then it will be warmer and the streets will be driveable!

Friday (2-17) update

2006-02-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

This week has gone by so fast! Cooper is still not loving his new found 'captivity,' but he is doing as well as can be expected. We are supposed to go and get his bandage changed tomorrow, but the weather forecast is for freezing rain. It remains to be seen if we will be able to get him into the vet.

Sunday (2-12) update

2006-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

After an early morning trip to the emergency vet (there was a question about the fit of his bandage and whether his toes were swelling), things are going well. There are alot of adjustments to be made while Cooper is healing. He has to have several weeks of crate rest, and he really is not thrilled about not being allowed to do the normal things he loves to do. He also has to wear a lovely e-collar so he can't get to the bandages or staples. His foster mom wants to know what channels he gets on his new satelite dish!

2006-02-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

Cooper at the University of Missouri Saturday morning (you can see the 'naked' area on his hip that they shaved in case they needed some bone from there for his joint fusion).

2006-02-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

Cooper as a Mizzou tiger!

2006-02-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Rebekah and Cooper at the University of Missouri Saturday morning

2006-02-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

Suzy and Cooper at the University of Missouri Saturday morning

2006-02-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Jay and Cooper at the University of Missouri Saturday morning

Cooper is home! (Saturday 2-11 update)

2006-02-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

Jay and Suzy had a wonderful surprise when they went to visit Cooper this morning at the University of Missouri. Cooper was doing well enough to be discharged! Instead of just getting to visit him for a couple of days, they got to bring him home! There is a sheet of instructions a mile long (just kidding), but Cooper is home! It was Jay's birthday, so he got a nice birthday surprise.

Friday (2-10) update

2006-02-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to say Cooper is doing fine. He is having visitors this weekend because his foster parents, Jay and Suzy, are driving to Columbia for a visit. They couldn't stand being away from Cooper for so long! Even though the Memphis area was getting a rare snow storm, that didn't stop them from leaving to go see Cooper.

Thursday (2-09) update

2006-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Our daily report from Rebekah says all is well with Mr. Cooper. They had to change his bandage today since during the night he managed to knock his water over and get it wet.

Wednesday (2-08) morning update

2006-02-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to let us know that they were able to move Cooper out of ICU this morning and into the general ward area. She also says he was wagging his tail and ate some breakfast. Sounds like he is almost back to his old self. As with the first surgery, he has a long ways to go in getting that leg rehabilitated but he is on the way!

Tues (2-07) update - post surgery

2006-02-08T09:57:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to let us know that Cooper is out of surgery and doing well. I believe she said the surgery was about 3 hours long. They grafted some bone out of his shoulder to use for the joint fusion, but they did not have to get any from his hip. They had prepped that area in case they needed to use it, so he will have to grow some more hair to cover there, also. That's all right, at least he is back on the road to recovery (again). He is in ICU again because of the IV pain medicine, but that is normal at this stage.

Monday (2-06) update

2006-02-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dr. Cook called and we discussed the options for surgery tomorrow. We have decided that it is in Cooper's best interests to go ahead and fuse the joint. We just don't want to put him through an additional surgery if the attempt to 'fix' the elbow implant was not successful. Since we got him into rescue (Dec. '04), he has walked with an extremely stiff gait. After fusion he should walk about the same, only with no pain since the arthritic elbow is gone and there is no movement in that joint to cause pain. We gave it our best shot, but we want to be realistic, too. Cooper is in good hands and he will be better after all is said and done.

Reminiscing . . .

2006-02-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

I was sitting here looking through some old digital pictures of Cooper. I fostered him at my home for over 9 months before Jay and Suzy took over. We had some GOOD times, Cooper and I. I still remember celebrating the day Cooper killed his first woobie (aka dog toy). He was so proud of himself. These pictures were both dated April 12, 2005. Notice he still had a very limited amount of hair. I remember thinking he would NEVER grow his hair back. I wish I knew who shaved him; I would like to have a serious talk with them!

Kim

Sunday (2-05) evening update

2006-02-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called and said Cooper was doing fine. He was happy that the Steelers won the Super Bowl 'cause that was the team he was rooting for! Just kidding, but Cooper seems to be happy all the time; that's just him!

Friday (2-03) & Saturday (2-04) update

2006-02-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called and let us know Cooper is doing well (at least as well as can be expected). He is still as sweet as ever and always in a good mood.

Thursday (2-02) noon update

2006-02-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

Jay talked to Rebekah around noon, and she said Cooper is doing well. He seems to feel pretty good and even wants to jump up and play. She said he doesn't want her to leave, and we know she is taking excellent care of him. We are going to send him a 'care package,' especially since he will be there longer because of the complications and second surgery. We love you Coop . . .

New picture of Cooper

2006-02-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Picture of Cooper yesterday. Even with complications of the surgery, he still has that great attitude toward life!

Not the call we wanted to get . . .

2006-02-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately Dr. Cook called yesterday with some bad news. Everything was looking great the day before (Tuesday) but something was wrong when he checked on Cooper yesterday. He did some x-rays and was very upset to learn that the implant had subluxated (partially dislocated). The reason at this time is not known, but we are now faced with two options. The first is to go in surgically and determine (if possible) what went wrong with the implant and correct it. The second option is to go in, remove the implant, and perform arthrodesis surgery (fuse the joint). Whichever surgery we go with will be done next Tuesday. He reports that Cooper is still eating well and in good spirits.

We also got an update from Rebekah last night. She said that Cooper is doing fine, and they have re-bandaged the leg for support. They have discontinued the physical therapy at this time and will continue to manage his pain.

We are obviously disappointed and sad with this turn of events. With any surgery there is a chance of complications and we went into this with our eyes open. Whichever way we go, we know that Dr. Cook and the University of Missouri will take great care of Cooper. He is still our Super Cooper boy!

Tuesday (1-31) evening update

2006-01-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to report that Cooper is still doing great. They started some range of motion exercises yesterday and he did as good as can be expected. He did even better with the exercises today. She said he seemed to be more at ease with the routine of hospital life and has been very cooperative with them. He is wearing an e-collar to prevent him from being able to get to his incision. They do take it off when he gets to go out for potty breaks!

We also got an email update from Dr. Cook. He also reports that Cooper is doing well and let us know that Cooper is even more famous! This is from Dr. Cook:

We projected the website and Cooper’s story on the big screen in rounds today, so everyone could see it – all were impressed . . .

Isn't that so cool?

Monday (1-30) evening update

2006-01-31T20:21:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to report that Cooper is doing great! His incision today was clean and dry. He is bearing some weight on the leg, but as expected is limping some. Otherwise he is happy and playing with his toys.

Sunday (1-29) evening update

2006-01-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to report that they took the bandages off of Cooper today. There was a little discharge from the incision, so they placed him on antibiotics as a precaution. She also says he is wagging his tail more and more and his appetite is great. He is using his leg a little more, and they will start physical therapy with him tomorrow. All in all they told us they are pleased with his progress! When Dr. Cook checked in on him, he said Cooper was snuggling with his purple duck!

Saturday (1-28) evening update

2006-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

Rebekah reports that Cooper is doing well. The only issue they had was that he had not started urinating on his own. She said that was not uncommon after a surgery and lots of pain medication. They did caterize him once, but later in the day he was able to go 'pee' on his own. Yeah for Cooper! She also said he was wagging his tail and giving kisses! It sounds like he is feeling better and more like himself. Such a good boy . . .

Late Friday (1-27) update

2006-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

Rebekah called to report that Cooper had eaten some food and he was resting comfortably. He is being quite the good patient! We just hope and pray he continues to do so well!

2006-01-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Cooper's before and after lateral view x-rays.

2006-01-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

Cooper zonked out from his pain medicine and getting lots of petting from Jay, Suzy, and me.

2006-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Cooper making a few steps the day after surgery with the help of Rebekah.

2006-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here is Lacey hanging out at the motel waiting for word of Cooper's sugery. She was sympathic since she herself went to the University of Tennessee veterinary teaching hospital over 3 years ago and had 8 teeth removed and part of her lower front jaw because of cancer (oral squamous cell carcinoma).

2006-01-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is Clydesdale Hall - the building on the University of Missouri campus that houses the small animal veterinary teaching hosptial.

Cooper surgery update!

2006-01-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not being able to post an update yesterday! It was so frustrating; the internet access at the motel was just not working properly. I was never able to log in to blogspot to post an update.

We got the call yesterday afternoon after Cooper got out of surgery. The news was good! The surgery went well and Dr. Cook was very pleased with the results! The surgery itself took 3 1/2 hours. We were not able to go see him at all yesterday after the surgery due to the fact that Cooper needed to stay as still as possible. Part of the implant involves bone cement, so keeping him still and quiet was very important to the success of the surgery. He was in ICU due to getting his pain medication through an IV. We did some shopping and bought Cooper a couple of stuffed University of Missouri items. Even though we couldn't visit him, we took the items by the vet hospital and they were going to place those in with Cooper. We made sure they had some of our scent (Jay, Suzy, and myself).

We were happy to learn that he was moved out of ICU early this morning. We went to see him about 8 a.m. and we able to stay over an hour talking and visiting with him. It was so good to see him! I'm not sure how much he was aware we were there due to him being fairly groggy. He had just had some morphine about an hour before our visit. After our visit we had to get on the road back to home. Cooper will stay there at the University of Missouri for almost two weeks. They will be giving us daily updates on his condition. All in all we are happy the surgery is over and he is recovering as well as can be expected at this time.

2006-01-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

Cooper posing with his surgeon Dr. Cook

2006-01-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

Cooper getting checked out by Rebekah, the vet student assigned to his case

2006-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Jay and Suzy pose with Cooper outside the University of Missouri vet school

2006-01-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

Cooper at our 1st rest stop - sometime in the 5 am hour!

Our appointment with the vet hospital

2006-01-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

We got up very, very early this morning and got on the road by a little after 4 am. We arrived in Columbia, Missouri about 11:30 am. The drive went smoothly with stops along the way to stretch our legs and let Cooper and Lacey take care of their business. We had time to check into the motel and get Lacey settled in the room before our 1 p.m. appointment. After a little scenic detour, we found the University of Missouri campus and the vet hospital. We first met Rebekah, the vet student assigned to our case. She did a very thorough exam on Cooper and spoke to us in depth regarding his health issues. Then we met Dr. Cook who is the orthopedic surgeon that will be preforming the total elbow replacement. He was very honest and discussed all the pros and cons of the surgery. He encouraged us to talk it over and make a final decision based on all the information. We went out to my Envoy and had a heartfelt discussion on what we felt was realistic and in the best interests of Cooper. We came to the conclusion that we would proceed with the surgery! We had to leave Cooper in their care since they needed to do more tests in preparation for the surgery in the morning. They did let us leave his food he was eating, his bed, and most importantly - his purple duck! The surgery could take as long as 3 to 5 hours total, so we might not find out anything until early or mid afternoon. They did promise to call us as soon as it was over. Leaving him was hard on all of us, but especially his foster mom. Tears were shed . . .

It's almost TIME!

2006-01-24T17:43:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this blog and don't know the story behind "Cooper the Super Dog," click here. This blog was created mainly to update the 'Cooper fan club' of the details of his total elbow replacement surgery. So many wonderful Sheltie and dog loving people from all over the country have donated to make this possible.

Cooper's surgery will be on Thursday the 26th, but we have a 1 pm appointment at the vet school tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. That means leaving in the morning at 4 a.m.! Cooper's foster parents, Jay and Suzy, love Cooper so much they are making the trip, also. It's about a 6 1/2 hour drive from the Memphis area to Columbia, Missouri, but we are allowing time for lots of stops and doggy bathroom breaks. My blue merle Sheltie Lacey is also making the trip. She is my traveling companion and is such a well mannered girl when she travels.

Feel free to leave comments. This is only my 3rd blog, but I think leaving a comment is relatively easy. The motel we are staying at has wireless internet, so hopefully I can update the blog easily via my laptop. I won't be able to update the regular website until we get back late Friday evening. So until then, the blog will be the way to go to find out the latest. Here we go . . .