Operation Angus

I found out yesterday that one of my friends, Angus, is going to have to have the same surgery I just had. Angus lives in Arizona and his ma and my ma are friends. Here's a photo of him with his little girl:

Good luck, Angus! I am thinking of you and I know you will be better in no time. (You will, however, have a funny haircut.)

Love,
Sadie

Doctor, Doctor - Give Me the News

Today marked six weeks ago that I had my little back surgery, so Dr. Shealy wanted me to come back for a checkup so he could see how well I was doing. He gave me a clean bill of health and told my Ma that she could progressively start working our way back to our old routine. Already, we've gone on 20-minute walks or so, and before too long, he said I would be back to my old routine of 45-minute to one-hour walks. Just in time for the Savannah summer!

In other good news, Dr. Shealy said that, in all his years doing this kind of back surgery, he's never had to do follow-up surgery on a basset hound (knock on wood). Dachshunds have the highest rate of recurring issues at 19 percent, so watch out, Spuddy!

Dr. Shealy is such a nice man. Can you tell how much I adore him? My Ma and Pa think he's pretty swell, too.

I Walk the Line

Today my ma came to watch me in action, as I work to get all my leg and back muscles strong again. Part of my exercises is walking in this tank on a treadmill that is submerged in water.

When I first started walking on this treadmill, the nice physical therapists started me off at three minutes. Now I am all the way up to 14 minutes.

If you'd like to see me in action, click on the video below. Normally I don't whine and cry when I am on the treadmill, but I was so excited to see my ma, I was ready to get out of the dunk tank and get back home in my sun puddle!



Because you're mine....I walk the line.

Home Sweet Home

The day finally arrived - my ma came and picked me up today and took me HOME!

First things first. I had to get in my comfy bed:

And then I had to enjoy the sun puddle:

All's right in my world, folks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go catch a few ZZZs before I head back to physical therapy in the a.m.

Get Well Wishes

Hi everyone, Sadie here. My home away from home - Veterinary Specialists of the Southeast - has wi-fi, so I'm able to update you on my condition myself.

I sure am glad my Ma brought me in here, because I was really hurting last Monday. Then I fell asleep for a really long time and when I woke up, I wasn't hurting as much. I did have a weird new haircut, however:

That being said, the folks up here are taking good care of me. My doctor is a nice man named Dr. Paul, and he is a specialist in these kinds of surgeries. You can read an article about him here. My new best friend is a lady named Taine and my physical therapist is a lady named Georgia. The other night we started therapy and she massaged my muscles with a device that had a low electrical current running through it. It felt so good! And once I get my stitches out, they'll put me on something called a treadmill that's submerged under water. I don't know how I'll feel about that, but my Ma said she would take a picture for you.

And speaking of my Ma (and my Pa), they have been to see me every day. Yesterday, they brought me a gift from my friends at the Spivey household - Clarece, Carl, Jack, Roger, Victor, Bloo, Minnie and Scarlett. An autographed get-well card:

I'm not sure why Spitfire and Bones didn't sign the card. However, there was also a doggy biscuit, wrapped in pink and white satin ribbons. I was impatient with my Ma as she tried to unwrap it - that Miss Shelley sure knows how to wrap up a biscuit! - but she finally got the ribbons, tape and Ziploc bag undone and I enjoyed a delicious treat.

So fear not, readers of Six Inches High and Rising. Super Sadie is on the mend.

Sadie on the Mend

Dear readers of Six Inches High and Rising,

Sadie is out of surgery! She did have a ruptured disk, right in the middle of her back, that had traumatized the nerve root and there was a lot of compression. The surgeon said he was surprised she was walking as normally as she was and the extent of the damage led him to believe she has been living with this for a while as it continued to build up.

That being said, she came through the surgery fine and is in recovery now. Her Pa and I can go see her tomorrow (the vet requests owners not come see the pet on the day of surgery, to give them time to recover a bit).

Thank you for all your good wishes and prayers for Sadie...she is a well-loved little girl!

Before too long, she'll be running and playing.

Nancy