Life as a Tri-pawd

[yoopermom]

Thinking of you all, and praying for your pup. All I can add is that no decision is permanent, and I'm sure, as a good dog mom, that you will pay careful attention to her, and make the best decision for her at each step of her surgery and recovery. Know that your dog will have her good and bad moments, and that all you can do is be there for her, and "hold her paw" so to speak.

We are all here for you.

Terri

 

[sara_s]

Just a couple of pics of her to share...from this past weekend:


And an oldie but my favorite:

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Hi all. Well, the day is almost here. Ciara’s bloodwork came back normal and my husband is driving her down tomorrow morning. I broke down again on Saturday feeling like we weren’t making the right decision. Ultimately I think we were given two crappy options and we opted to go with the less crappy one. I hope and pray she does well with the surgery, recovery, and eventual first round of chemo. But first let’s get her through the surgery.

I’ll post an update when the surgeon calls me tomorrow. Until then, appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers.

I've been thinking of you and was going to post tonight to let you know I'll be thinking of you all tomorrow. You're right that cancer really only gives you crappy options, but at least you've caught it while you still have options for treatment. It is so hard to be in the spot you're currently in during this journey, but I promise you in a month or so it will seem like more of a distant memory and you will have a new normal where your pup has adjusted to life as a tripawd! Big hugs to all of you tomorrow.

 

[monsterkitty]

Dug and I are sending you all tons of positive thoughts and hugs!

 

[mamamary]

 

[yoopermom]

I don't know how true it is, or if my vet at the time was just trying to be kind, but many years ago when we had a Peke cross, she got in a fight with the neighbor dog and had to have her eye removed. I was hysterical, thinking that now she was half blind and would mourn the loss of her sight. The vet told me that dogs live in the present, and while they learn from their actions, they don't "think" like a human, "Yesterday I could see with two eyes, today I can only see with one". Instead, they adapt quickly, and learn to live life as best they can. Here's to hoping that your dog can be kept as pain free as possible through the course of treatment, and someday soon will have a "new normal".

Great pictures, too, thanks for sharing.

Terri

 

[sara_s]

I don't know how true it is, or if my vet at the time was just trying to be kind, but many years ago when we had a Peke cross, she got in a fight with the neighbor dog and had to have her eye removed. I was hysterical, thinking that now she was half blind and would mourn the loss of her sight. The vet told me that dogs live in the present, and while they learn from their actions, they don't "think" like a human, "Yesterday I could see with two eyes, today I can only see with one". Instead, they adapt quickly, and learn to live life as best they can. Here's to hoping that your dog can be kept as pain free as possible through the course of treatment, and someday soon will have a "new normal".

Great pictures, too, thanks for sharing.

Terri

Yeah that's the great thing about dogs, they don't have the same psychological hangups as we do! So I know being upset is me projecting onto her. I will be so thrilled if she comes around as fast as she did with the bone biopsy, but I also want her to rest and be as quiet as she can. Thanks again! <3

 

[sara_s]

Hi everyone! The surgeon called me and said Ciara did GREAT and her blood work was perfect, she did well with the anesthesia, and is resting now. He said the first 24-48 hours are the toughest, but she’ll be taken care of around the clock until we pick her up on Thursday. The most important thing he said is that her post-op pain is considerably less than her pre-op pain, and the hardest part for us will be keeping her quiet for the 2 weeks of recovery.


Nurses will be calling us every 12 hours or so to let us know how she is. I think she’s in good hands.


Thanks so much for all your support through this – it's made it a lot easier on me. <3

 

[yoopermom]

A long recovery time for a large active dog like that can be quite challenging. I had a (former) good friend ask me to nurse her GSD back to health for two weeks after an ACL surgery, but didn't tell me that the dog had NEVER been crated, was an anxiety whiner, and had never had to go potty on a leash. By the end of the two weeks, the dog was much better socialized, as well as healed up, but our friendship never recovered. Sending you much patience and good vibes that Ciara is a good patient at home, especially once she starts to feel better!

Thursday will come soon, but I'm sure you're counting down the hours....

Terri

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Hi everyone! The surgeon called me and said Ciara did GREAT and her blood work was perfect, she did well with the anesthesia, and is resting now. He said the first 24-48 hours are the toughest, but she’ll be taken care of around the clock until we pick her up on Thursday. The most important thing he said is that her post-op pain is considerably less than her pre-op pain, and the hardest part for us will be keeping her quiet for the 2 weeks of recovery.


Nurses will be calling us every 12 hours or so to let us know how she is. I think she’s in good hands.


Thanks so much for all your support through this – it's made it a lot easier on me. <3

Just checking in to see if you had posted an update. So glad to hear it is all going as well as can be expected. Was thinking of you today!

Take it one day at a time as you move forward. You will be amazed at how resilient your pup. It's true about not having the psychological hangup with the amp as a human would. I really don't think Katy seems to realize she's missing her leg. The only time I have noticed anything is when she's seen a squirrel or something and goes tearing off after it as fast as she can. Her body moves so fast that her brain forgets that leg isn't there to catch her and she does a nice somersault. That's only happened a couple times and she wasn't hurt. The other time is when she sat down to chew on her bone. She didn't have the 2 paws to hold it and she just looked at it funny for a beat and then quickly figured out a way to hold it in place with one paw and was chewing away quickly. She will also look at you confused as what to do if you ask her to shake. she seems to realize she can't do it anymore and is baffled on how to fix that. My husband has done that a couple times before I get after him for being a jerk!

Please keep updating when you can!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just a couple of pics of her to share...from this past weekend:
View attachment 368261

And an oldie but my favorite:
View attachment 368262

Hi everyone! The surgeon called me and said Ciara did GREAT and her blood work was perfect, she did well with the anesthesia, and is resting now. He said the first 24-48 hours are the toughest, but she’ll be taken care of around the clock until we pick her up on Thursday. The most important thing he said is that her post-op pain is considerably less than her pre-op pain, and the hardest part for us will be keeping her quiet for the 2 weeks of recovery.


Nurses will be calling us every 12 hours or so to let us know how she is. I think she’s in good hands.


Thanks so much for all your support through this – it's made it a lot easier on me. <3

Aww, just tuning in here (after working several long shifts), and see that her surgery is over! Yay! So glad things went well!

Love the pictures! You can clearly see she was in pain the way she was holding her back leg. It reminds me of our pictures when you could see the lump on our dog's front leg and he was leaning so as not to put pressure on it.

I'm sure you did the right thing, and hope you are at peace with your decision now. Don't look back, just look forward. Get through the next several days and I'm betting that by next week at this time, the situation will seem so much better than it does right now as things settle.

Hang in there, it was a difficult situation and you did great by your beautiful girl!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Just to show how quickly things happen during recovery. The first picture is Katy about a week post amp (end of June). You can tell by her eyes she's still in some pain and a little loopy from meds.

One month post amp (end of July) fishing at the lake. She was swimming too but I don't have a great picture of that.

After her last chemo treatment on October 2nd.

She's now handling the snow and ice like a pro too. Chased my son around the yard to play in the snow like she's always done!


ETA: Sorry the pictures are so huge. I don't know how to downsize them here! In the fishing photo, Katy is wearing her Alaska t-shirt. She had a spot on her incision that was being stubborn about closing fully so she had the t-shirt to protect it.

 

[sara_s]

A long recovery time for a large active dog like that can be quite challenging. I had a (former) good friend ask me to nurse her GSD back to health for two weeks after an ACL surgery, but didn't tell me that the dog had NEVER been crated, was an anxiety whiner, and had never had to go potty on a leash. By the end of the two weeks, the dog was much better socialized, as well as healed up, but our friendship never recovered. Sending you much patience and good vibes that Ciara is a good patient at home, especially once she starts to feel better!

Thursday will come soon, but I'm sure you're counting down the hours....

Terri

Thanks Terri! Ciara can be lazy but she does love her walkies. She also loves jumping in the couch, so I expect those two things to be the tough part. Sounds like your friend is very lucky to have you!

Just checking in to see if you had posted an update. So glad to hear it is all going as well as can be expected. Was thinking of you today!

Take it one day at a time as you move forward. You will be amazed at how resilient your pup. It's true about not having the psychological hangup with the amp as a human would. I really don't think Katy seems to realize she's missing her leg. The only time I have noticed anything is when she's seen a squirrel or something and goes tearing off after it as fast as she can. Her body moves so fast that her brain forgets that leg isn't there to catch her and she does a nice somersault. That's only happened a couple times and she wasn't hurt. The other time is when she sat down to chew on her bone. She didn't have the 2 paws to hold it and she just looked at it funny for a beat and then quickly figured out a way to hold it in place with one paw and was chewing away quickly. She will also look at you confused as what to do if you ask her to shake. she seems to realize she can't do it anymore and is baffled on how to fix that. My husband has done that a couple times before I get after him for being a jerk!

Please keep updating when you can!

Yes I keep trying to tell myself she may have tough days and may stumble or fall but it’s all part of the process and I need to not freak out over it. My husband will definitely find a way to mess with her I think, so I’ll have to smack him.

Aww, just tuning in here (after working several long shifts), and see that her surgery is over! Yay! So glad things went well!

Love the pictures! You can clearly see she was in pain the way she was holding her back leg. It reminds me of our pictures when you could see the lump on our dog's front leg and he was leaning so as not to put pressure on it.

I'm sure you did the right thing, and hope you are at peace with your decision now. Don't look back, just look forward. Get through the next several days and I'm betting that by next week at this time, the situation will seem so much better than it does right now as things settle.

Hang in there, it was a difficult situation and you did great by your beautiful girl!

I know, there’s so much in retrospect that makes me cringe. When we met with the surgeon and he explained that there could be micro fractures happening, it broke my heart. How could I not know?

I truly feel like we made the right call and I was happy to hear from the nurse tonight. She said our little lady ate her food and went outside multiple times already. They said she’s doing very well. Just trying to think positive!

 

[sara_s]

Just to show how quickly things happen during recovery. The first picture is Katy about a week post amp (end of June). You can tell by her eyes she's still in some pain and a little loopy from meds.

One month post amp (end of July) fishing at the lake. She was swimming too but I don't have a great picture of that.

After her last chemo treatment on October 2nd.

She's now handling the snow and ice like a pro too. Chased my son around the yard to play in the snow like she's always done!


ETA: Sorry the pictures are so huge. I don't know how to downsize them here! In the fishing photo, Katy is wearing her Alaska t-shirt. She had a spot on her incision that was being stubborn about closing fully so she had the t-shirt to protect it.

Sweet girl! I love the pictures, I’ll post some of Ciara’s progress as well.

 

[sara_s]

Pupdate: She’s still doing well and eating. They had to cone her eventually but we knew that was coming. We’re going to pick her up tomorrow afternoon. I admit I’m getting a little nervous but I miss her so much so I want her home!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Pupdate: She’s still doing well and eating. They had to cone her eventually but we knew that was coming. We’re going to pick her up tomorrow afternoon. I admit I’m getting a little nervous but I miss her so much so I want her home!

Good news! We didn't need to deal with a cone for this, have had to several times in the past though. For the front leg, a t-shirt worked well, it would be different with a back leg though. Good luck tomorrow! It'll be hard to see her that first time but focus on her happy face. She will be so happy to see you!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Good news! We didn't need to deal with a cone for this, have had to several times in the past though. For the front leg, a t-shirt worked well, it would be different with a back leg though. Good luck tomorrow! It'll be hard to see her that first time but focus on her happy face. She will be so happy to see you!

I like that.

And also remember that if she is in pain at all, it will be short lived since the main cancer is now gone!

 

[sara_s]

We are home! She came barreling out of the vet's office and wanted to jump in the car.

Only mishap we had was they had just taken out the catheter in her leg and she was leaking so I tried a tissue but then it soaked right through so we had to go back and get some gauze.

I'm so amazed at how well she's walking around - like nothing ever happened. The nurse commented that on day one she was up and walking so she is a very determined pup. When we got her home, she went to her bed like normal. She used to favor lying down on the right leg so that seems to be where she has to learn the most. She kind of kept circling but eventually settles down slowly and leans on the left side. She is currently snoring on her bed.

The area itself looks pretty bruised but overall wasn't as jarring as I had thought. She's got a funny haircut too.

The only thing we have to tackle is going potty. She has not pooped yet but they did not seem overly concerned because her regular dog food is high in fiber. They even said she doesn't need a sling, just needs to take her time.

To say I'm relieved to have her home and to have her doing this well is an understatement. We go back on the 17th for a combined staple removal and 1st chemo. At least we only have to make one trip.

Feeling grateful for all of you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We are home! She came barreling out of the vet's office and wanted to jump in the car.

Only mishap we had was they had just taken out the catheter in her leg and she was leaking so I tried a tissue but then it soaked right through so we had to go back and get some gauze.

I'm so amazed at how well she's walking around - like nothing ever happened. The nurse commented that on day one she was up and walking so she is a very determined pup. When we got her home, she went to her bed like normal. She used to favor lying down on the right leg so that seems to be where she has to learn the most. She kind of kept circling but eventually settles down slowly and leans on the left side. She is currently snoring on her bed.

The area itself looks pretty bruised but overall wasn't as jarring as I had thought. She's got a funny haircut too.

The only thing we have to tackle is going potty. She has not pooped yet but they did not seem overly concerned because her regular dog food is high in fiber. They even said she doesn't need a sling, just needs to take her time.

To say I'm relieved to have her home and to have her doing this well is an understatement. We go back on the 17th for a combined staple removal and 1st chemo. At least we only have to make one trip.

Feeling grateful for all of you.
View attachment 368703

View attachment 368704

Aww, she looks GREAT! And must be so happy to be HOME!!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Thanks for updating! Isn't just amazing how easy they adapt to losing a leg. Shows how much of a hangup we humans have psychologically with this type of thing!

Sounds like she's doing better than Katy was when she came home! How old is your pup again? I'm thinking younger? Katy will be 11 next month.

You might try adding a scoop of pumpkin to her food which might help make her stools a little softer which might make pooping easier. I'm sure having the back leg amp makes those jobs a little tougher learning to balance and all. I put a tablespoon scoop of pumpkin on my dogs' food every morning. Just the plain pumpkin from the can that doesn't have all the pie spices in it.