Baby Moka *UPDATE*

[javasmom]

We spoke to the orthopedic surgeon. He will be doing the surgery on Moka today, not sure exactly what time though. He will call me when it's done. Moka is/was still under heavy sedation when I spoke to him because she is trying to move and get up and in alot of pain.
She broke both bones (tibia and fibula) in her lower leg, it's a spiral break, not a clean break, but luckily none of the sharp edges of bone came through her skin, otherwise we would probably be looking at amputation because of infection.
So, the surgeon is going to insert steel pins into her bones to hold them together then he will need to affix steel external fixtures to the outside of her leg to keep it completely immobilized. A cast would not work, it would still allow some shifting of the bones and with this kind of break even a little shift is too much. It will be covered with soft bandages that we will have to have changed once a week. Recovery time is about 5 weeks or so. She will need to have x-rays every week to check on her healing progress. We will have to have the first set of x-rays next week because they also need to check for trauma to her growth plates (keep fingers crossed that those are ok!). Once she is completely healed she will need to go back in for a mini-surgery to have the metal fixtures removed. So, her activity is going to be severely restricted for at least 4 weeks. The leg should be a bit more stable in about 3 weeks, until then it will be very tense. She'll be on pain meds for awhile too.

BUT-the surgeon said she should make a full recovery and have no after-effects, other than a little favoring of that leg when it is very cold out or after alot of exercise. He said puppies heal very well and that this type of surgery as opposed to just a cast offers her the very best chance to be a bouncy, normal puppy.
Hopefully, Moka will possibly be able to come home tomorrow night or Wednesday, depending on her pain level and how she is tolerating pain meds and the fixtures. If she is trying to move too much or be too active they will keep her so they can keep her quiet and pain free.
So now it's a waiting game.......
Thank you everyone for all of your good thoughts and prayers for my baby.
What a painful lesson to learn, for both Moka and I.

[Retriever Mama]

OMG how traumatic for you and baby Moka. Hope the surgery goes well and she is on the road to recovery soon. Keep us posted...

[justine]

Sending lots and lots of good thoughts and prayers your way. It's difficult, but unfortunately it happens quite often.

PS - If they keep her because she is trying to move, they will probably just crate her. I would probably just take her home and crate her.. give her lots of Kongs and things to do, only leashed walks, etc. Make sure to cover the bandage with a plastic bag when you go outside so it doesn't get nasty.

[bbbbmom]

Thank you for the update. This really breaks my heart but knowing she'll recover quickly and fully is the best news! Give her lots of hugs and kisses from all of us!

[Clanceycanuck]

Thank you for the update continued good thoughts and prayers for Moka

[BauersMom]

Glad that she is being taken care of, and will have a quick recovery. I will keep you and her in my thoughts.

[jzgrlduff]

Thanks for the update. I saw your other post about how much it will cost. Again, we've rallied before for JLers in need, so I hope I'm not the only one willing to help out. Where should I send a check? Are they going to allow you to make payments, or do you have to pay in full?

Poor baby girl, I feel so bad for her.

[RangerMom]

Sending lots of good thoughts for you and Moka. I hope she heals quickly and completely.

[Emma the Lab]

Continued good thoughts for your precious baby. Thinking of you.

[Neska74]

What a poor baby... Hope it all goes well. Many many good thoughts for a speedy recovery.