Tag: old dog

1 Year Ampuversary!

Hello Everyone!  It has been quite some time since we posted but we are happy to announce that it has now been a full year since Bailey’s RHQ amputation and he is doing better than ever!  It has been quite a year!  Bailey has mastered tile and hardwood floors on three legs, and also holds his own against Kona, his new best friend that we brought home to cheer him up Christmas 2010!  Kona still likes to act like a wrecking ball and knocks Bailey down at least once a day, but they both enjoy each other’s company and keep each other plenty busy.  We also added a child to the mix 7 weeks ago, so it has been great for them to have each other with the reduced amount of attention from mom and dad that comes with a new baby.

We actually just got back from the vet today for Bailey’s rabies shot and we also had to schedule another surgery…no leg this time, just a large skin tag on his belly that keeps breaking open from where the Rough Wear harness rubs against it.  We put it off several times and hate to put him back under the knife, but its a simple same day surgery with a quick recovery time.

Other than that, all is well and we just want to say another big thank you to the TriPawds community.  This site was such a help to us when we were wrestling with the decision of whether to have the surgery or not and the support we received was overwhelming.   For any newcomers to the site who may be faced with the impossible decision of removing your best buds limb, all we can say is that it was the hardest decision but also the best decision we ever made.  Bailey is now 13 1/2 years old and is completely healthy (minus the soon to be eliminated skin tag 🙂 and his quality of life is excellent!  Thanks again to everyone for their support and god bless all the TriPawds!

One Week Ampuversary!

Today is Bailey’s one week Ampuversary! Sorry I haven’t posted much this week, but I’m happy to report that everything has been going very well. Bailey saw the vet on Saturday morning to get his Fentanyl patch removed, and he has completely stopped the whimpering since. I know the patch was likely the best form of pain management for him, but I am also quite sure he was happy to have it removed. The past few nights he has become obviously uncomfortable around 7pm, which is exactly 24 hours since his previous dose of Deramax and Amantadine. He becomes restless, continually gets up and down to reposition and can’t seem to get comfortable anywhere, but the Deramax and Amantadine seem to settle him back down in about 30-45 minutes. We are keeping him on both drugs for about another week before we try and start to wean him off them. We want to move back to just a daily dose of canine aspirin asap.

Aside from that, he is doing fantastic. He has gone on 3 walks this week and has been figuring out his balance pretty well.  He moves much quicker than he used too, and I have read that this is due to his increased gait – its easier to balance when they move faster. I think I have actually dropped 3 pounds as a result. Who knew he would become my personal trainer as well as my best friend!

The bathroom breaks are coming along – still some difficulty balancing but he is getting better. He seems to have #1 down to a science.  #2 is still a bit of a challenge but he has found a way to get the job done every time. I keep telling him that practice makes perfect!

Hi incision is looking good too. The stitches are dis solvable, and his licking has eliminated about half of them, but everything is closed and healing nicely.

The Ruff Wear harness has been a blessing. He lets me completely pick him up with it and it makes it so easy to get up and down the stairs and in and out of the car. Regarding stairs, he is OK with the 2 steps up and down the porch, but we have yet to let him try the inside stairs yet. They are carpeted, but I think we’ll give it another week.  He does go up and down with my help, (going up seems easier for him than going down), but I still bear 90% of the weight with the harness.

So one week after surgery and everything seems great! He is eating well, is very eager to go outside for walks, and loves to spend his mornings sun bathing on the front porch as usual. Kona (our 6 month old pup) is doing his part to aid in his recovery too. There is something to be said for the ability of a pup to bring the life back to an older dog.  Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers! I’ll try and post a few recent photos later today as well.