the (never-ending) tulo saga

...Or so it seems.

Sit with me a minute as I let out one giant, heavy sigh.

This has been quite the month with our window-jumper. Part of the reason I took a break from writing is because I was so exhausted I could barely lift my head at the end of the day. I'm still exhausted but we are managing.

Since Tulo's accident, he continues to earn his title of "Most High-Maintenance Dog EVER" award on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Four days after the accident Tulo decided that it was time for his drain to come out. It just up and disappeared. We were unsure if he ate it (EEEWWWW!) or if it retracted and was inside of his leg. We were hoping for the former (though major EEEWWW!) because we knew that if it was inside of his leg that soon enough, and infection would develop and the vet would need to do some exploring.

Two weeks ago his drain site was nearly healed over and our fingers were still crossed that there was no drain in his leg (which, by the way, is a very thin, elastic-type of material). We had seen the vet for a dressings change under his cast which was looking awesome. She kept the stitches in for another week or so to ensure maximum healing and bid us ado.

The next night we peeked over at Tulo in his little caged area and his drain site was leaking this watery-looking blood. That was at 8pm in the evening. For two hours B and I took turns keeping pressure on the site, doing warm compresses above the area and keeping his grubby little tongue away from it. Thank goodness Logan was sleeping or it would have been even more stressful.

I finally decided at 10:30 that it was time to call the e-vets and see what they say. The leaking would only let up for a few minutes and if Tulo moved his leg it started all over again. It was not a "gusher" or anything like that. It was just a slow leak that clearly was not all blood.

The e-vets advised us to bring him in, free of charge, just to check it out. One of my least favorite things to do is to change out of my pjs so late in the evening, but that I did. For a dog. B stayed home and thankfully the clinic was not too busy. His surgeon came out and could not believe how well his incision site was healing. She took pics on her phone. The tech had been sitting with his for a few minutes prior and was concerned that there was some kind of infection going on. She was urging me to let the vet "take him back" and do more damage to our bank account. When the vet came out, she simply said it could wait until the morning. No biggie. I love her!

The next morning I made an appointment for Tulo and since I had been taking him to all his appointments and B was home, he took him and I got a break to hang out with Logan. B returned with antibiotics and a clear "Yes, he has an infection and oh-by-the-way it could be the drain but let's wait and see". Awesome.

For five days Tulo was on some super strong antibiotics which were not doing much in the way of helping the site heal so we got another seven days. Cultures came back positive for infection so we all kept crossing those fingers (and toes!) that the drain was not the big, fat, ugly white elephant in the room causing this chaos.

A few days ago, the drain site healed over and the scab fell off. We rejoiced! But not so fast. There was a very odd spot not half an inch from the drain site that was all red and puffy. Tulo had been doing an awesome job of not messing with his leg (we know-we watched him like a hawk and if he was alone he wore a muzzle). So what gives?

On Thursday we had an appointment set to *hopefully* get the cast off that was protecting and healing his severed tendon. Not five minutes into the appointment our incredible vet voiced what we'd been cringing to hear: "I think the drain is up in there somewhere. He needs to stay for the day." Our hearts sank. But oddly enough, we knew it was coming. I insisted on an xray before doing "exploratory surgery" with the doubt that the material of the drain is so fine it may not show up on an xray. We left Tulo with the nurses and I waited for the phone call confirming what we all knew to be true.

Clear as day, that drain was in his leg not an inch above the drain sit. It had created a pocket, aka abscess, which caused the infection. It's amazing, really, how our bodies, human and animals alike, try to let us know something is not quite right. For three weeks Tulo's body was trying to expel the drain. We waited, though, because the trauma to his leg could have caused an infection regardless if the drain was in his leg or not. In fact, the vet would have been surprised had he walked (err, limped) away without one. He has been on antibiotics since the day of his accident to prevent this from even happening. I don't believe that we or his vet did anything wrong in waiting out what we inevitably knew could happen.

After the xray the vet gave Tulo a sedative, not general anesthesia, and some local to numb the area. She created a new incision, cleaned out the area, fished out the drain, and gave some pain meds. She sent the drain and a swab of the area off to pathology to ensure Tulo is on the right antibiotics.

Since then, Tulo has been resting. He wants so badly to play with Butte and lick Logan's face. He sneaks some in when he can, but for the most part we keep him confined.

Now....we need prayers that this is the LAST optical we will have to face with Tulo's injury. He did get his cast off and now  just has a sturdy bandage on his leg which will hopefully come off completely this coming Thursday. Other than that, we might do one session of physical therapy to learn what we need to do and hope that his  leg will heal normally.

Tulo's Home

In many ways, Tulo is home. I am still surprised we were able to take him home the night of his accident and I am certain now that he knew this is exactly where he needed to be to heal and rest. Tulo has always been a creature of comfort, always trying to get up on the couch or the bed. His boney body has always sought out the most comfortable spot in the house be it in his kennel or in the living room. I knew his coming home meant that he would want to be out in the living room with us which is where we spend 95% of our time (not sleeping). We have a play yard gate from when Logan was younger that we use when we're somewhere with stairs. This has worked out perfectly as Tulo's secluded and safe yet right-there spot near us and he's resting so comfortably.



I have been washing towels twice a day to ensure that whatever he's laying on is nice and clean to help prevent any risk of infection. Those towels are spread out over his comfy bed, the one which he knows the smell of and is most happy with. I have a few other towels laid out to minimize any bloody drips on the carpet. He still has a drain in his leg until Friday and while it is not constantly dripping blood it is draining as it should, especially when he stands and gravity takes place.

Tulo has been eating and drinking so well! He takes all his meds (3 of them) with the help of a tasty pill pocket. Tonight we let him wander around the house for his sanity. He was SO HAPPY! He could not stop wagging his tail and giving kisses. Butte was so happy her brother was out of his area. She has no idea what to think about what is going on with Tulo but when we're outside she can smell his drain, blood and can see the fact he is not himself.

Only a few more days until the drain comes out and his dressings are changed again. I cannot wait until the staples come out of his leg. It's hard to look at and you can tell it's starting to itch. Should be next week sometime. Again, thank you for all the love and prayers you've been sending us! I have been so exhausted I'm sick again! AHH! Oh well...here's to health all around!

The One in Which Tulo Jumps Through a Window

**Warning: there is one graphic image posted below of Tulo post-surgery.**

Our day started out just like any other working Sunday. My alarm went off three hours too early as the last few nights we've had a lovely house guest who has been taking me back to my late night college days. I readied myself. Logan was stirring in his room but was perfectly happy, allowing me time to fix my hair, brush my teeth and let the dogs outside to pee. B was also waking up and as soon as I was ready he hopped in the shower. I brought Logan his milk, changed his diaper and washed dishes.

I was already running late and after kisses and hugs I was out the door. Clocked in at 0659, logged on, turned Adele on Pandora and waited. And waited and waited and waited for SOMEONE to come into the hospital. Three mamas in labor and a few clinicals later I glance up and there's B motioning for me to step out of my office. His face is drained of color, his shoulders are hunched forward and I instantly get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Logan. I ask him what's wrong and he says, "Tulo had an accident". While relief flooded over me that my dear Logan was safe and sound I was instantly confused. "What kind of accident?"

And then B explained. We had a close friend Amy babysitting (and my friend C from out of town still sleeping) at our home. She was in the living room on the floor playing with Logan. Tulo was nearby and suddenly bolted down the hallway and out the window. No joke. Honestly, we don't even know if that was the real reason he jumped through a solid-panned window. Something may have scared him, although Amy says there was nothing strange going on outside. We'll never know the real reason.

Amy quickly went into fight or flight mode, handing Logan off to C while she loaded Tulo into her car and dashed him to the emergency vet. B met her there. They've both said how calm Tulo was acting. He wasn't crying, rather he was giving kisses and wagging his tail, a sign of shock and adrenalin heavily running through his system.

The staff at the emergency vet quickly went into action, taking Tulo into the back and giving him some pain meds as they began to clean him up. At first look the most sever injury was to his right hind hip, a laceration nearly 9 inches long from his hip down to his knee and nearly 4 inches deep into the muscle. Upon further investigation once he was under general anesthesia the surgeon discovered Tulo had also severed his tendon. Only as I've read through what kind of injury this is today have I learned that healing a tendon is a very long, painful process. Thankfully it was a very clean cut and they were able to repair it. This means Tulo has to wear a cast, as if the tendon is a broken bone. The length of time is unknown but at least 6 weeks with 2-4 dressing changes in that time frame. Once the cast is off he will have to do some physical therapy. I have no idea if it will be therapy we can do at home of if we'll have to see a professional.

Tulo coming out of anesthesia, very drunk looking here.

Made it home! Resting in a comfy area we made for him. He also sustained lacerations on his left paw and lower leg which is seen wrapped in this photo.

The laceration covered with lidocaine patches and cast covering the severed tendon. On his front leg seen here is another patch covering a laceration and his nurses drew hearts on the tape. LOVE THEM!

But as I sit here and listen to Tulo whine I am full of thanks. Thanks that it was not worse. He could have lost his leg or even died. Had Amy been totally alone it would have taken twice as long for Tulo to get to the vet so I'm thankful for our friend C for being there to watch Logan, which was a spontaneous, unplanned visit to begin with. I am thankful that Tulo was strong enough to come home with us tonight and that his doctor trusted us to take care of him as his pain comes and goes. I am so thankful for all our family and friends who instantly began to pray, send happy thoughts, and condolences to us via facebook, text, and voice mails. I love you all. You've held us up as our spirits sank. I'll update in a few days.