Update on my dog
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Moderators: k9car363, the bear, DerekL, alicefoeller | Reply |
2013-03-08 8:03 AM |
Pro 5011 Twin Cities | Subject: Update on my dog For those who care :-) (Sorry to waste bandwidth :p) So, Sampson was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on Wednesday; we chose to have his leg amputated yesterday. He is an akita cross (dad=akita, mom=GSD/Dobie--and they actually both died of osteosarcoma), almost 13 years old, and my baby <3 Thank you to all the tripod-doggie supporters and other peeps who have offered well wishes :-) |
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2013-03-08 8:20 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Subject: RE: Update on my dog He is a lucky dog to have such caring and thoughtful owners. Thanks for the update. I was wondering about him on my run this morning. |
2013-03-08 8:27 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Regular 1023 Madrid | Subject: RE: Update on my dog I was thinking the same thing (except for the run part). I have a champ pictured to the left that may be in a similar situation soon. So dutifully taking notes here. Thanks for the update and please let me know if you one day you consider taking in humans. |
2013-03-08 8:29 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Master 1696 Surprise, Arizona | Subject: RE: Update on my dog So glad to hear that the surgery went well, and he'll be home soon. His recovery will be challenging, but you will all get through it together and get additional quality time when he gets used to his new normal. I totally understand what you mean about the morphine crazies. I witnessed that with Barkley a few years ago, and it was disturbing to see her that way. It was temporary, and after her recovery, we had an additional 3+ years together. He'll be more like himself the next time you see him. Best wishes for a successful recovery. Positve healing thoughs coming to Sampson, and supportive thoughts to you and your husband! |
2013-03-08 8:40 AM in reply to: #4651513 |
Pro 5011 Twin Cities | Subject: RE: Update on my dog gr33n - 2013-03-08 8:27 AM I was thinking the same thing (except for the run part). I have a champ pictured to the left that may be in a similar situation soon. So dutifully taking notes here. Thanks for the update and please let me know if you one day you consider taking in humans. Well, we seem to take in every animal that wanders by, so a random person probably wouldn't get noticed much. :p Your poor pup--what happened to him? ACL? Or cancer? Car accident? I will say, for us, the decision to amputate was not a hard one at all. Animals are VERY resilient creatures. SAM doesn't care that he only has three legs. Life is what it is for him. There's pain, and it's a bad day (I want to sleep leave me alone I hurt and nothing is fun). And then, there's no pain, and it's a good one (LIFE IS GOOD! LET'S EAT POOP! YAY!) Animals are remarkably adaptable b/c they don't give two sh1tz about regret or how other people see them or what they CAN'T do anymore. He had no (apparent) lung mets, and although he is older, he was otherwise happy and healthy. Taking the leg off gives him a few more pain-free months. Maybe it's two, maybe it's six. Maybe we'll REALLY beat the odds and get 12. Had he had mets, it would have been a harder decision...but in this case, it was a relatively inexpensive thing to do for him, and it took away his pain. |
2013-03-08 8:42 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Glad to hear the good news about Sampson and I hope by now his morphine madness is a non-memory! |
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2013-03-08 3:45 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Veteran 930 Morgan Hill, California | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Glad it worked out as well as possible. He has good people to take care of him! |
2013-03-08 3:56 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Master 2538 Albuquerque | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Glad he's on the mend and hope for the best for him. |
2013-03-08 4:05 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Pro 4838 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Thats great news. I have a tri-pod black lab. She gets around perfect and is 14 years old now. |
2013-03-08 5:04 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Veteran 458 , Wisconsin | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Great to hear! Lots of dogs act a little dysphoric with injectable narcotics and some (especially some nordic breeds) sure howl like crazy. They all fare better when transitioned to oral analgesics. And as mentioned, often these OSA dogs are painful and already favoring the affected limb - so the transition to walking on three legs after an amputation usually isn't a big deal to them. Best to you both! PS - My 13 year-old tri pod pit bull has been a tri pod for 13 years (since he was 3 months old!)...still going strong |
2013-03-08 9:08 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Master 4452 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Yay! Well, except for the crazies. I find the northern breeds worst for that--even without morphine they often sing on recovery... Glad to hear you have the house all ready for him to come home. He (and all your fur-kids) are very lucky to have you as his pet-parents! |
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2013-03-09 9:59 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Elite 2729 Puyallup, WA | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Hope to hear an update soon! I don't always appreciate the mischievousness of our furries...but don't know life without them now! Our thoughts are with you all! Edited by lkct01234 2013-03-09 9:59 AM |
2013-03-09 10:56 AM in reply to: #4653041 |
Pro 5011 Twin Cities | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Again: Thank you for all the vibes! I know they help :-) So, here's the rundown so far: Here is a picture from when he was sleeping last night (see, I TOLD you he is bald! He only has some of those coarse guard hairs left. But he is still pretty on the inside ;-))
Edited by mmrocker13 2013-03-09 11:21 AM |
2013-03-09 2:04 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Elite 4547 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog leg or no log, look at that face! Beautiful dog. Nice to hear the good news. |
2013-03-09 3:47 PM in reply to: #4651454 |
Pro 4174 Keller, Texas | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Beautiful. Both you and the pup |
2013-03-10 11:07 PM in reply to: #4653071 |
Master 4452 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog mmrocker13 - 2013-03-09 8:56 AM Again: Thank you for all the vibes! I know they help :-) So, here's the rundown so far: Here is a picture from when he was sleeping last night (see, I TOLD you he is bald! He only has some of those coarse guard hairs left. But he is still pretty on the inside ;-))
He's very handsome. And he has an awfully comfy looking bed . Hope today went better and you are both able to sleep. Hang in there! |
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2013-03-11 9:08 AM in reply to: #4651454 |
Pro 5011 Twin Cities | Subject: RE: Update on my dog Updates: Saturday night (03.09; 48 hours post-op), we did our first lap around the back yard (well, except we stayed out of the woods/underbrush) The snow/ice is bad on the deck and steps, but in the yard, it actually makes a nice side support No slippage on the hills...and a soft landing when we accidentally faceplant. Er, I mean...look underneath the top of the snow for small woodland creatures. The yard's about an acre, and filled with wet, 12-18-inch deep snow, so it wasn't an easy hop...but Sam seemed to enjoy "patrolling" his territory, despite it being a slow and tiring trip (and chilly, for us humans ). And, true to form, he got stubborn on me when I decided it was time to go back in (he was shivering and panting pretty hard). We got in, though. And actually made it up the deck steps w/out taking a digger. Yesterday's minor victory: last night, Sam got up and walked into the front hall and got a toy out of the toy box. First time he's initiated any sort of activity on his own. It WAS kind of funny/sad to watch him try and chew up his cardboard (yes, I know, fabulous toy...cardboard ) with only one paw instead of two (he normally holds it between his paws). You could see him pushing down with his right leg, and his little stump was moving like he was using his left leg to push it down, too... and then he'd get this look on his face like, "Huh. WTF. This left leg is TOTALLY not doing anything..." Since today I had to go to work, and he obviously will not stand for baby gates when left unattended...we had to come up with something to trap him on the main level (of course, this also means that they ALL are trapped here, the four cats and teh other dog...but they'll figure it out. And if the cats weren't so lazy, they'd figure out how to get over the barricade.). Here was our engineering project this AM: I KNEW buying lots of bikes would pay off eventually. Bike boxes make great barricades. We'll see if it works. Last update: I made a nice bed for him on the floor (since I've been sleeping on the floor, I KNOW how hard it is :D)...and Momo (our CRF cat) and Sadie (the beyotch of a girl dog) use most of it. Sam prefers to use it as a pillow, as he is too much of a gentleman to tell them to move. :p |
2013-03-11 11:43 AM in reply to: #4654681 |
Master 4452 | Subject: RE: Update on my dog mmrocker13 - 2013-03-11 7:08 AM Updates: Saturday night (03.09; 48 hours post-op), we did our first lap around the back yard (well, except we stayed out of the woods/underbrush) The snow/ice is bad on the deck and steps, but in the yard, it actually makes a nice side support No slippage on the hills...and a soft landing when we accidentally faceplant. Er, I mean...look underneath the top of the snow for small woodland creatures. The yard's about an acre, and filled with wet, 12-18-inch deep snow, so it wasn't an easy hop...but Sam seemed to enjoy "patrolling" his territory, despite it being a slow and tiring trip (and chilly, for us humans ). And, true to form, he got stubborn on me when I decided it was time to go back in (he was shivering and panting pretty hard). We got in, though. And actually made it up the deck steps w/out taking a digger. Yesterday's minor victory: last night, Sam got up and walked into the front hall and got a toy out of the toy box. First time he's initiated any sort of activity on his own. It WAS kind of funny/sad to watch him try and chew up his cardboard (yes, I know, fabulous toy...cardboard ) with only one paw instead of two (he normally holds it between his paws). You could see him pushing down with his right leg, and his little stump was moving like he was using his left leg to push it down, too... and then he'd get this look on his face like, "Huh. WTF. This left leg is TOTALLY not doing anything..." Since today I had to go to work, and he obviously will not stand for baby gates when left unattended...we had to come up with something to trap him on the main level (of course, this also means that they ALL are trapped here, the four cats and teh other dog...but they'll figure it out. And if the cats weren't so lazy, they'd figure out how to get over the barricade.). Here was our engineering project this AM: I KNEW buying lots of bikes would pay off eventually. Bike boxes make great barricades. We'll see if it works. Last update: I made a nice bed for him on the floor (since I've been sleeping on the floor, I KNOW how hard it is :D)...and Momo (our CRF cat) and Sadie (the beyotch of a girl dog) use most of it. Sam prefers to use it as a pillow, as he is too much of a gentleman to tell them to move. :p Heh. One of the vets that I work with has a dog whose favorite toy is cardboard as well. If they are going to ruin it anyway... Sounds like Sam is not going to let missing a leg hold him back, that's great |