Tonight was a pretty big night. We watched her walk for the very first time and, even though the hospital staff said that this AM she almost wanted to run and go in a big hurry anywhere, the PM walk was definitely more challenging.
It doesn’t matter though, a walk is a walk and so, as we watched with a mix between admiration and despair, we are looking forward to her coming home tomorrow. Big thanks to all the tips about carpet runners etc.: last night we spent almost the whole evening dog-proofing the house and looking at what potential pitfalls there can be around the house (open stairwells to the basement, pointy objects in case she falls, stuff that can fall on her if she bumps into etc.) and tonight we purchased from the Home Depot a leftover 9’x12′ piece of carpet for $25 so, when she gets home, this will be her first “home area” so she won’t slide all over the tiled fooor.
The photo you see above can be a little deceiving: she may seem happy, and actually she was not as sad as yesterday, but more than anything she is exhausted from a 25/30 yard walk on 3 legs, being supported by the handles by the hospital staff. We’ll try to post the video but it might not fit on this site so we’ll see what we can do.
In the meantime, I can’t help but think of being at the gym yesterday and hearing the instructor say “ok c’mon, you’re on your last leg now, don’t slow down….” and all of a sudden I started thinking how that would sound to someone that just went through an amputation…..
Anywhoo………it’s better to hop (imperfectly and clumsily) on 3 legs rather than being dead on 4…….
Well, she may be a bit exhausted in the photo, but all in all, I think she looks pretty darn good after such a major surgery! Her endurance will build up as she (and you) gets used to life on three legs! Thanks for the update, glad to hear your girl is doing well!
That’s great news, try not to despair at the difference, they have to get used to how to move around and are on a lot of drugs. My Kess may have walked out of the hospital, but she wasn’t really able to move around much for the first 3 days w/o fairly major help and it took her a couple of weeks just to figure out how to balance right on 3 legs (oh I felt for her while she tried to figure out how to go potty). Now it’s old hat.
welcome home Cookie!
Tnx Tante Von. We”re slowly getting accustomed to life on three legs……
Have a good weekend!!
M. + V. + 3LC
Cookie, hang in there. The first couple weeks are tough but then you get used to it and your “new normal” is not so bad. You’ll get a whole lot more attention! Everything else is pretty much the same.
And be patient with your humans. This is a big change for them.
Your friend, Cemil
Tnx Cemil and sorry for the “invisible” comment. We’re just now figuring out that apparently there are a lot of spammers and the Tripawds web-site is really good about this, but inadvertently sent you in the spam-box, so we had to fish you out of there.
I’m 130 lbs but you seem even bigger, how did you handle all the weight on the front leg and the abrasions/bruises on the back legs?
Hi Cookie! The new normal will come soon. For now, just sleep and heal. The drugs help, but really make you stoned.
Make sure you are requesting lots of belly rubs, too!
Nancy & Butchey
Tnx guys!! We appreciate the encouragement. Do you still get to go swimming as a Tripawd now or do you need a flotation thingy to help out?
Also, how long after amputation did your lung nodules come out?