Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

I had expected an exuberant reaction from Maya when we picked her up from the vet on Saturday after being away from her for three weeks. What I didn't expect was her lapse in recognition. How easily they forget!

After meeting with us and going over how Maya was doing—very well thanks to the wonderful care and attention she received, including another surgery that closed up the open wound over the metal plate in her leg—the surgeon vet went and got Maya. She basically pulled right past the little examining room we were waiting in, hell-bent on getting outside for a bit and the vet had to pull her back. We went to her and she didn't recognize us. She shied away and cowered a bit before approaching me apprehensively. Then, boom, she was jumping all over me and Meche and whining and quivering. Poor thing, she must have thought she would never see us again.

Bionic extremity

 The vet showed us her xray, which is pretty impressive. I can imagine why she isn't too comfortable using that rear leg. The metal brace inside her skin is huge, with big screws clamping it to her bone. Dios mio, I can imagine I'd be favoring my leg and limping like crazy if I had a plate like that under my skin! Apparently the screws extend into the other side of hard bone, though it isn't that hard to see in the picture. Otherwise, according to vet, they might wiggle loose.

Four-footed cat huntin' in basement daycare.

So she came home with meds and a physical therapy routine that includes making her walk uphill so she pushes off with the leg and walking in a circle clockwise, which makes her use the leg, especially if I give her lazy butt a nudge now and then. When she's excited or wanting to play she totally forgets the leg and has it firmly planted on the ground, such as in the picture above in which she nearly snagged the cat. (Note extended, wagging tail, a clear indication of desire to engage. Translation: cat at 2-o'clock!)

The first couple of days home she was pretty much a wimp about the leg but the last couple of days she's been keeping it down a lot more, and tonight I took her out for an evening stroll and she was planting it firming on the pavement the whole way up our hill—about a good 10-minute walk. Back down again was another story but she was tired by then. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic. She can use it with certain vigor when she wants. I suspect she will tend to favor it for a long time, if not forever, but I'm no longer worried that she'll just let it atrophy. I'm now hoping we'll be back out on the trails by September. Maybe not off leash but that will come.

Good girl, Maya.