Dylan: The Bionic Dog!

Dylan has a new hip! On May 21st he had his surgery at the University of Tennessee vet school. This second trip seems to have been the charm. On Memorial Day (May 25th), Roger brought him home. Dylan was pretty weak when he arrived and not at all happy to find a big crate waiting for him in the basement. However, he doesn't seem to have any pain! Our instructions are that he is to be crated any time he is not being walked, on a leash, with a sling supporting him. . . . for TWELVE weeks!

We didn't think about it when we built our patio, but it has turned out to be a big help during this time. You can see the sling in these pictures -- Dylan is spending alot of quality time laying out on the patio. I suppose this isn't technically "in his crate"- but he just lays around and we help him up and down - and frankly, I know he is happier and we certainly are (because we don't have to listen to him bark!). The hard part is that we can't leave him alone on the patio so we have to coordinate everyone's movements in and out as a group!

As you can see, Lou is very stressed out by all this. Tomorrow, the girls and I will drive Dylan back to UT for a week or two of physical therapy. Hopefully when he comes home, he will be stable enough to go up and down our front steps (with the sling) so we can move his crate to the first floor and out of the basement. That way, we can be in the kitchen, playroom or den and he can be nearby. I think the hardest part of all this has been (for Dylan) being separated from everyone. At night he barks and barks for us -- but we have just discovered the magic of Benadryl! A sleeping dog is a quiet one . . . .