Cooper's TPLO surgery recovery - 8 weeks in, finally turning a corner

Ok i need to talk about this because we have been living in TPLO recovery mode since February and i feel like i have been holding my breath for two months. Cooper tore his CCL (basically a dog ACL) in early February, had surgery Feb 14 - yes Valentine's Day, very romantic - and we are finally at the point where i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

For anyone who hasnt been through this: it is a lot. The first 6 weeks are strict crate rest with very short leash walks only. Like 5 minutes, three times a day. For a 6-year-old lab who is used to an hour of fetch every morning. Cooper was depressed, i was depressed, my husband was depressed. We took turns sitting next to his crate just so he didnt feel alone. At week 3 i cried in the car after his recheck because the vet said we needed to go even slower on activity because his swelling wasnt going down as fast as they hoped. That was a rough week.

But week 7 the PT exercises started and something shifted. He is walking almost normally now. Yesterday he did a little excited trot when i picked up his leash and i literally teared up because i hadnt seen him move like that since before the injury. The vet says if all goes well we are cleared for normal activity around week 16.

If anyone is just starting this process and is in the dark pit of weeks 2-4 - i see you. it does get better. The surgery cost $5,200 and i would do it again without hesitation.