2 Weeks Post Op and We’ve Been Around the Block

Sparky has been doing great, and tomorrow he gets his sutures removed. Yay !  And two days ago we went for what I thought was going to be a short walk.  He was persistent to not turn back so we ended up going all the way around the block (probably a good 1/3 mile).  He had to take many short breaks as we were coming full circle but he didn’t seem to be uncomfortable.

He’s still not eating as much as he used to, so I’m not sure what’s going on there.  I did remove his cervical collar (much nicer than a cone of shame) and was wondering if maybe that has made it hard to swallow.  Time will tell.  He does seem to be wanting to get back to his routines.

I’m really impressed with how he hops up the back step and will post a short video in the next day or so.

Onward!

 

1 Week Post Op – Doing Pretty Well

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Sparky’s healing is going pretty well. Just today he was able to hop up the back step to come into the house. He didn’t want to wait for me to put the sling under his chest. In terms of going outside, he wants to jump down the step but I’m not ready for him to do that yet; seems like it would be way too jarring. On the down side, he’s not eating much so I’ve stopped giving him the Carprofen -75mg as it says to stop administering if he’s not eating. Still on the antibiotic though.

Mobility Challenges

My home has front steps and a back step and I’ve been using a blanket folded into a sling to help Sparky navigate the back steps. It’s working pretty well but it’s hard to feel confident that I won’t have it slip. I’ve ordered one from Drs Foster & Smith that has yet to arrive. Photo from their website…
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As I’ve mentioned earlier, Lorie and I live about 70 miles apart so I travel weekly w/Sparky and am concerned about how he’ll manage in the back seat of my car. I’m thinking of getting a back seat dog hammock that will prevent him from falling off the bench seat and getting stuck while I’m barreling down the freeway. Has anyone used one of those and can recommend a style or brand?

Sparky’s First Blog Post – What the hell just happened?

We had to have Sparky’s front right leg amputated due to a bone tumor.  He’d been limping since mid Nov and I thought it was because he slipped going up the stairs.  I took him to one vet and we got some pain meds but then after 2+ weeks I noticed more swelling and he was favoring his right leg more and more.  On Thurs I took him to an animal hospital in Ypsi that specializes in orthopedics (and others).  They took some X-rays and confirmed that he had a tumor that had eaten away a huge section of bone just below the shoulder joint.  So we made the decision then, to amputate, and we just got him home today.
He seems in pretty good spirits considering, and is still pretty groggy.  He’s ambulating way more than I thought possible (although the vet did say he’d pick it up within a few days).
And he definitely doesn’t seem to be in as much pain and that was the main goal.
So 2016 begins with a triumphant move and hope and love and family 🙂