Dr Wellborn lapband lifting restriction, how long?

I just rewatched the EMMI system from Dr Wellborn's office. It says that after surgery we can't lift more than a gallon of milk. Does anyone know HOW LONG we can't lift??? We're trying to figure out what we're going to with our aging dog who is totally used to sleeping with us, but can't get up in the bed or up on the sofa without being lifted. He's going to be freaking out on us ( he has doggie dementia and sadly is quite confused and a handful, but we LOVE HIM and are doing everything we can to keep him comfortable ). We've already decided to have him stay at the Doggie Spa for the weekend after our surgery. But, we'll have to have someone else pick him up and bring him home. He weighs 20 lbs, so it's not like he's a huge dog, but for sure heavier than a gallon of milk. I don't want us to risk tearing something with lifting him up and down. Thanks for any info! :) Missy

Two weeks I believe.. I got around it by bending knees and not at waist...  like a deep bend plea from ballet class... be sure to do it near a wall or hand hold... just incase your balance is off. Can you get maybe a little step so he could jump from there?? like a footstool, then up on the bed??  or both lift an end... then its only 10 pounds lifting per person? or a board with some scrap of carpet secured so Doggie can walk up?  I too am guilty of doing anything to keep my four pawed friend happy... that would explain the 400 paper wads I find everytime vaccuum... :) Susan

Thank you soooooo much, Susan! Our poor little baby has doggie dementia and really doesn't follow orders/instructions anymore. HOWEVER, tomorrow my hubby's going to try to put together a board with carpet to see if we can train him. This will be a challenge for a dog who's on his last leg, so to speak. :( There's no way he can jump up on anything like a footstall. We have a big, high bed so even when he was younger and healthy he couldn't jump up. But, I think the board may be our best solution. Thank you so much for your creative idea!!!! I'd hate to have to board him for two weeks because we can't take care of him! We want him home with us! We'll see what he thinks of the new board. Thank you!!! Hugs :) Missy

Hi Missy,  Dr. Wellborn did my surgery on March 29th and the rules he gave me included not lifting over 15 lbs. for 6 weeks. What you might do for your dog is to buy him one of those lightweight portable "pet steps" that they have a Wal-mart. They are made out of lightweight foam and should work just fine for your dog. Our oldest dog is 18 years old, so we also have to lift her onto the bed and the chair and my husband built her a ramp so that she doesn't have to try jumping up the steps anymore.

Hi, I'm using a different doctor, but his rule is not to lift more than 10 pounds for 6-8 weeks. I wish you the best of  luck finding a comfy situation for your pet. Amy

Many thanks to everyone for all the great ideas and suggestions. We have our consult with Dr Wellborn on Monday. We've talked with his office and they think we'll be ok if we both lift him as long as we bend from the knees. Our dog weighs 20 lbs, so we'd be spreading the weight with the two of us lifting him. We'll make sure Dr W. thinks this is ok.  We took our dog for a check-up at the vet and he said he honestly didn't think stairs or a ramp would work with our dog. He has doggie dementia and he's pretty much blind. He/we don't think he would be able to follow any instructions. Soooooo we're planning on boarding him for the first week we're home with a friend who takes care of him when we're out of town. Then, hopefully Dr W will OK us to both split the load by lifting him carefully.  Big hugs to all my fellow dog/pet lovers out there! :) Missy