Head Tremors or Head Bobbing in Bulldogs

Buster had another quiet day.  On his afternoon walk, he started to jump and run.  So he is definitely getting extra sedative now.  He has 6 more weeks of restricted activity!

His suture check is tomorrow (today's picture shows his incision and staples and yes, a bit of drainage).  Hopefully the stitches will be absorbed enough that we can remove the cone of shame.   It is okay to remove the surgical cone 5 to 7 days after the surgery but we played it safe and kept it on him until the surgeons say his sutures are safe.  We'll update you tomorrow.

We've mentioned previously that we give Buster a little plain yogurt every day.  About 6 months after Buster's first surgery, he got up one morning and walked to the kitchen, where we were eating breakfast.  We looked over at him and saw that his head was shaking and lashes blinking involuntarily.  It was like a seizure localized in his head.  We asked for help on Twitter and a friend of ours, @That1EBD, referred us to a blog post about head tremors in bulldogs.

It's a fascinating and largely unexplained phenomenon.  Although the tremors could be caused by epilepsy or even diabetes, one bulldog owner and breeder extensively researched case literature and worked with a vet to find that bulldogs commonly have tremors in pregnancy (okay, Buster is a boy so we can rule that out) and after surgery.  It is unclear why this happens but it seems that it may be low calcium levels.  Please follow the link above for an in-depth discussion of the topic.  It is possible that a seizure could be indicative of epilepsy or diabetes so talk with your vet if this happens with your bully.

Suffice it to say that Buster had head tremors one time.  We have consistently given him a little yogurt with each meal and periodically let him have a small amount of frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream.  I stress--small amount of frozen yogurt or ice cream.  FWIW, Buster recommends Yogurtopia.  We haven't seen any head tremors yet but they typically don't occur until 6 months post-op and they may not occur at all.

A Big Drink

Last night Buster would not go to sleep.  We went to bed and a short while later, he started barking to us.  I got up and checked that he was okay and gave him a sedative.  I held him and petted him and returned to bed. A few minutes later, he barked.  I had to lie down and hold him until he fell asleep.

Monday is a busy day in our house.  Buster spent part of the day alone, resting.  I came home and took him out briefly.  He trotted further today and I had to carry him home because he refused to come back.  Let the record show that I can carry a 70 pound dog half the length of a football field.  So, Buster is a fitness motivation for me...I have to keep up with my dog!

Today was the first day that Buster drank a lot.  We keep a bowl of water in his confinement area but he does not touch it, presumably due to the big Comfycone.  Sometimes he refuses a drink when we offer it.  Tonight I mixed a little liquid from garbanzo beans with a little chicken broth and a bit of pumpkin and diluted it all with water.  We think Buster drank a quart!  We added diluted broth to his breakfast and he still gets about a tablespoon of yogurt.  We'll need to devote a post to why Buster gets yogurt every day.

Today was the first day that Buster eliminated twice.  I mention this only because people who are nursing dogs after a surgery need to know that surgery can slow digestion down for a while.  It's been 10 days since Buster's surgery and related effects are still present.

Buster alternates between touching down, weight bearing, and carrying.  When he does bear weight, it is very light.  Nevertheless, he continues to improve.

Today's picture shows Bup just before bedtime, on his cushion, under a big grey towel, and in his Comfycone.  His big head is all that shows.

Quiet Sunday

Buster rested a lot today because we gave him a sedative.  He's really hating the restriction and having to stay home to rest.  So he stands up and talks and wags his tail.  He will not settle unless he has narcotics.

He also refuses plain water so we're continuing to mix a little pumpkin with a small amount of chicken broth (made by boiling a skinless breast without salt) into his water.  He drinks that better.  We add a little of the broth to his dry food and give him some yogurt each day and some fruit.

We roasted another pumpkin and started freezing it in cubes.  If you are local, decorated with small pumpkins for Halloween or Thanksgiving and you plan to throw them out, we will take them.  If they are in good shape, that is!  If you have a dog, put the pumpkins into the oven whole (without cutting them open or removing the stem), roast for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Let the pumpkin cool and slice it in half with a knife.  It should be easy to cut.  Scoop out the seeds and peel off the shell by hand.  You'll have an instant healthy treat for your dog.

Buster is bearing weight lightly.  We saw him doing it last night at dinner.  Today he has mainly rested but we've noticed a slight regression because he's carrying more and touching down less.  It is normal for a dog to show progress and then to plateau or even fall back a little.  We remain encouraged that he is doing so well.

Some of the neighborhood kids who adore Buster stopped by to ask if they could walk him.  I had to explain that he had surgery and cannot take any walks.  For the record, we'd never let inexperienced people walk Buster nor would we let neighborhood kids walk him unsupervised (we don't even let our own teens walk Buster).  American bulldogs are powerful, require strong, patient leaders, and knowledgeable handling when they get stubborn.

There is now a video of Buster singing.  The video is rather bad; Buster is hardly in frame because if he knows I am paying attention, he stops.  It is not his best song.  I just played it back, which made him worried and now he is whining at me.  I believe Buster prefers that we keep that video for our own private use only.  Sorry--the song of the bulldog remains a family tune.

Day 2 Regular Breakfast but Leaking Stitch?

Buster ate his regular breakfast this morning--one cup of food, glucosamine, a teaspoon of yogurt and an eighth teaspoon of ground flax seed. He also had his Rimadyl. He didn't drink yet so later I'll boil some meat without salt or fat to create a broth. I'll offer the broth to him by itself and if he does not drink, I'll put it on his dinner.

We are concerned that Buster is leaking. He's certainly losing blood from one spot. We called the center last night but they told us that it is normal and to wait until Monday. We covered the floor with his blankets to protect the carpet. Jay cleaned Buster this morning with a warm towel and chlorine-free baby wipes but he is bloody again. If this is still happening tomorrow morning, I will call first thing to speak with the surgeon.

One nice difference between the two surgeries is that our new surgeon uses internal sutures by default. Internal sutures do not require removal and their scar is less noticeable. We paid extra for internal sutures for Buster's first TPLO. It just seems to me that when you're paying thousands of dollars that they surgery centers should throw in some extras like internal sutures and follow up visits.

Swelling and fluid around the ankle is normal after a TPLO. Basically gravity draws it down from the knee. We noticed a little last night so we've been sure to massage Buster's ankle a few times daily.

He is still whining a bit when we are not on the floor with him. However, we do not want to encourage that kind of dependency or expectation that whining brings mom or dad running so we're ignoring him.