9am, taking Oregon for his vaccine and getting Glamis
weighed. We are celebrating!!! Glamis is now just 2lbs away from his goal
weight. Nine months ago, G weighed 109
lbs. Today he was 82.3. On the way home from the vet, we get the call
from the surgeon that Arri can come home.
We arrange pick up for 12:30.
When I arrive, they put me in the comfort room. We go over the surgery, medication,
restrictions and post surgical care.
Arri will get Tramadol and Deramaxx for pain. He has no stapes or sutures. I am to watch for swelling and
discharge. There is some bruising. I am to use a hot pack (dry heat) on the
incision about every 6 hours. Considering the significance of the surgery,
there is very little I need to do but let him rest and heal. In
answer to my question about the lymph node, it was sent for biopsy as a
precaution. That is a load of worry off
my shoulders. Time to bring Arri in.
I hear his toenails on the tile and it makes me
smile. When he enters the room, there is
no excitement to see me, no tail wags.
The boy is stoned. Unaware I am
in the room. He lays on the carpet and I
get a look at the wound. I can't explain what I was picturing but reality is different from what I thought. Not nearly the bruising she prepared me
for. I thought it would be worse. There was also less leg than I expected. I pictured a good portion of the thigh remaining. Maybe when the fur grows back it will look
more like I thought. Speaking of fur, he
has an interesting hair cut. We just
sit for a bit absorbing the change. Doing
all the research and preparing myself for the moment has helped
tremendously. When I see him it is more
like seeing someone with long hair chop it off into a pixie. It is different and will take some getting
used to.
Next is the hard part; getting him to the car. I don’t know how to use the sling yet. Yes it is basic but how much pressure is too
much. He is not excited for the
walk. He could care less if we ever make
it to the car. I can’t be in front of
him luring him while holding the sling in a good place. So we hop once or twice and sit. Hop and sit.
We get to the van and I just stare at the opening. This is going to be interesting. I can lift him but he does not like that,
never has. If I put his front legs in,
his back is really too weak to hop. At
this point I am not sure how I did it but either way, he was in.
The trip home was quiet.
No crying, panting, coughing. It
was nice not to be stressed the whole trip home. We stopped one time and I pulled Arri out of
the van. I pulled his front legs to the
edge and let him slide forward. Now, you have to understand that I drag my
dogs from the time they are little puppies.
They will lay on the floor and I will grab two legs and spin them
around. This usually happens during toe
nail trimming. If I am taking photos and
I want them in a certain place, I will drag them there. It is easier than trying to get him to move 4
inches. They trust me in doing this and
never fight it. While he was sliding I
lifted on the sling and handled the back end.
It wasn’t graceful but it did the trick.
A couple of hops with help to the grass and I dropped the sling. He sat, then stood and took 3 hops and
peed. I was so excited. A little rest and back into the van.
When we arrived home, I parked right at the edge of the
grass so Arri would have a soft spot to land.
His confidence is shaky so we do a lot of stop and start. He moved around a bit and peed again. Since it was dog dinner time, we tried to
encourage him into the house. He just
stood. I let him take it at his
pace. Next thing I know, he is hopping
away from the house. He goes about 15
feet and squats to poop. That about
knocked my socks off. He did it with no
assistance. Ok, I know it isn’t a
miracle. It is just that most literature
talks about constipation and concerns about toileting. In going through all this, I should know that
Arri plays by his own rules.
We introduce the other dogs one at a time. Tim had laid out the carpet remnant on the
kitchen tile for traction. Arri is just
laying there. First up is Glamis. He comes pouncing out in happiness, gives
Arri and sniff and moves on. Next up is
Summer. Her reaction is fairly similar. Finally it is Oregon. He pounces on Arri’s head and starts licking
his face. Then he works his way back to
the incision and gets a little too nosey.
Arri does not complain but I make him back off. That went well.
Dinner is a special treat of canned food. The doctors said this was not necessary but I
could if I wanted. I wanted, so I
did. I put the food between his feet and
let him eat laying down. By next week,
he will be at the elevated food bowl again.
I can tell he wants to move but is unsure of
himself. At the same time, he doesn’t
like the sling too much. He is doing a
bit of grunting like there is discomfort.
I just need to wait him out. He will
relax when he is ready. He moves himself
in front of the door to watch out the window.
Summer and Oregon go outside but he does not want to. When Summer comes back in the house, she
steps right on Arri’s incision. I about
died. She found herself 5 feet away from
Arri and wasn’t sure how she got there.
I know how but I’m not telling.
Arri was finally motivated to go out. It is a bit of a walk from the front door to
the grass so he toileted as soon as he reached the grass. While he rested up, Summer and Oregon
wrestled in the yard. Getting in and out
of the doorway is difficult. We will
figure it out with more practice.
At this point I think we are in for the night. I leave Arri to rest in the living room and
go into the office to play on the computer.
About 4 minutes later, I hear him.
He is working his way down the hall (need to buy a temporary
runner). He loses his footing ¾ of the
way to me. I let him lay for a few minutes but I know he can’t get up. The floor is wood and too slippery to get his
back leg up. I grab his front legs and
drag him to the carpet. He gets his legs
under him and finishes up the walk to where he wants to plant himself for a
while.
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