Oakbea's Surgery and Recovery

*If you are interested in helping us cover the thousands of dollars in debt we are incurring to save Oakbea’s quality of life, please consider donating to our GoFundMe campaign.

As you may know, on June 30th, Oakbea, our service dog in training, was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans. This condition affects the cartilage and joints, leading to limb lameness and ultimately, osteoarthritis. Without prompt surgery, Oakbea would not be able to walk since it is effecting his front shoulders. This surgery, we have learned, has over a 90% success rate. We pray that Oakbea lands in that majority of success stories.

Over the weekend, my husband built a ramp to cover our back steps so that Oakbea can access the yard for pottying. After 4 hours, 2 trips to the hardware store, and $200 of materials, the ramp was born!

Oak was dropped off early Tuesday morning for surgery. The wait was rough and everyone was anxious, patiently awaiting to hear how our sweet Oakbea did. At almost 5pm, we got the call last night that let us know that surgery was successful. Oakbea did great!

He stayed overnight for observation, and will return home today! He’s eating well and feeling good. Unfortunately, the lesion was bigger than they expected and he will begin his now 4-week crate stay, extending his healing time. This will be quite frustrating for him, our other dog, and our children. During week 5, he can begin to be out in a small contained area through week 8. Sometime during this time, the surgeon will decide whether Oakbea requires physical therapy. At week 6, we will re-evaluate and make more decisions. Ultimately, we were told to expect a minimum of two months for recovery, up to maybe several months for a full recovery.

The good news is that he is already bearing weight on his shoulders without issue. The other good news is that when they opened up his right shoulder yesterday to have a look, it was completely normal and healthy. So, we got a little bit of bad news and a lot of good news. However, the journey is far from over - in many ways it has just begun; but we are so thrilled that he will be alright.

The hardest thing about this surgery other than getting Oak through it, is my inability to properly support his healing for now. I myself am going through a period of illness where I am battling chronic fatigue and weakness. To be honest, mentally it’s been a very challenging time. The frustration I feel for not being able to achieve what I normally do is overwhelming. I often find myself angry or upset at the prospect that it may take weeks or months to improve. Since Oakbea needed surgery as soon as possible, we didn’t have the time to wait for me to improve. This is putting a lot of undue stress on my husband and children. As a mother, especially a mother who is used to doing everything and being the glue of our family, this predicament has been particularly difficult.

For now, our plan is to take it all one day at a time. Oakbea and I will be continuing to heal together.

Please continue to pray for our family, send good vibes, and consider donating to our sharing our GoFundMe to your social media pages. Together, we all make a difference.