The really bad news

So it turns out that the worst case scenario has come true. Lenny has torn his anterior cruciate ligament ("ACL") completely in two. This cannot heal on its own and he will have to have surgery to repair it. Apparently it is pretty rare for small dogs like him to have this kind of injury; it much more frequently occurs in large-breed, overweight, older dogs (and NFL players). One of his other tendons is also slightly torn.

The good news about this is that one of the doctors at Bloomington Veterinary Hospital does this type of surgery regularly and can do it right there at BVH. This is going to be much more convenient and significantly less expensive than the other option, which is to bring him to a veterinary orthopedic specialist at Purdue University. Lenny will go in on Tuesday for the operation, and he will have to stay there three days to recover from the anesthesia and surgery.

And I thought he was just being a drama queen!

Lenny actually has been very tough. He doesn't wimper or whine (but he SQUEALS and bites if you try to move his leg in the wrong direction) and he still has lots of energy. Chuck said that he was happily jumping all over the vet tech (on three legs). Chuck couldn't get him out of the car when he brought him home, though. Lenny was lying down in the back seat and wouldn't let Chuck try and pick him up to get him out, and wouldn't get out himself. Chuck actually bribed him with PEOPLE FOOD to get him to come inside. He gladly sat up and let Chuck get him out once a granola bar was involved. Not just little bites of granola bar, though - Lenny held out for a whole granola bar.

I'm thinking about putting a little jar on my desk with Lenny's picture on it, so people can leave their spare change and donate toward his operation fund! It's a good thing that today is payday.