This will probably be my last update in this thread before we move on to Treatment, Recovery, Oncology, and Ongoing Care. I have to say that I’m already amazed. I fully expected to be bringing home a dog who was nearly comatose and in abject misery, barely able to stand. It turns out I was quite wrong!

The day before she was to be released from the hospital, on Wednesday, 10/15, I went to visit her. I was extremely nervous. They told me by phone earlier that day that she had gone outside to use the restroom and that she was allowing them to hand feed her. I had some idea of what to expect, thanks to all I’d been reading on Tripawds, but I was very much on edge and doubting whether I was truly emotionally equipped to see my best friend post-surgery. 

They took me back to a patient room and went to get her. I braced myself. I kept remembering what you guys said — that I should initially pay no attention to the incision or the missing limb and instead just look into her eyes and tell her what a sweet, beautiful girl she is. 

The door opened and to my surprise she was walking in relatively unaided with the vet tech at her side. Her eyes lit up when she saw me and she instantly crossed the room to where I was kneeling. That huge cone around her neck suddenly went over my head and she began excitedly licking my face. My parents were with me and only as she turned to greet them did I get a look at the surgical site and at the empty space where her left leg had been. I felt a tremendous wave of sadness but it didn’t last long. Sasha had no time for sadness; she’d said hello to my parents and had come back to me for some more love and affection. 

Yes, she leaned heavily against us and against the wall at one point, but it was so much better than I expected it to be. The burst of excitement was a lot for her though (this was only 24 hours after surgery, after all!) and she soon laid down and fell to sleep pretty quickly. 

We left with plans to pick her up after work the next day. I was worried about all the unknowns to come but I was encouraged. 

A co-worker told my mom about a veterinary pain management and rehabilitation place very close to my house. I called over there for some information. It’s pretty expensive (fortunately, some friends of mine are looking into fundraising for us ) but I’m hoping we may be able to have some sessions after Sasha’s healed up. The guy I spoke with told me about a Tripawd who goes there named Barney B who I’ve seen mentioned on this site. I’d love to get in touch with Barney B ’s owner to discuss their regimen and their experience with this rehab place. Dr. Richard Wall is the veterinarian at the rehab clinic. 

Something pretty surreal happened that night that I feel I ought to share. I’d made the rounds to Petsmart and Petco, stocking up for every eventuality, and I was back at home packing up Sasha’s things and my own suitcase for the convalescence at my paren’t house. I recalled reading somewhere that the shaved surgical area can sometimes get a little cold and someone suggested having a small blanket just in case. I thought this might be especially true in Sasha’s case since she has such a thick coat that I doubt she has ever even felt air on her bare skin. So, I set out for WalMart at 12:15AM and found a nice faux-fur throw. I used the self-check-out and turned down the front aisle to leave. Directly in front of me was an elderly woman, grey-haired, wearing shorts and with NO LEFT LEG! Instead, she had a bright metallic prosthetic which ended in a white sneaker and she was HAULING toward customer service. Some would say God works in mysterious ways; some might say it was quite a coincidence. I don’t know whether it was divine intervention or what but  on the eve of picking her up the chances of my running into an amputee missing the same limb as Sasha at 12:30AM on a Wednesday night at WalMart certainly boggles my mind. I could hardly believe it. 

Anyway, the next day after work I drove to the clinic to pick her up. The back of the SUV was thick with blankets and padding. When I got there, they took me into a patient room, went over the discharge instructions and answered my questions (she had already had a bowel movement the night after surgery, for instance), then they brought her out. 

She was happy to see us again and was hopping along without much trouble. I paid the bill (YIKES!) and the vet tech helped us load her into the back of the SUV. We took “the back way” home — the slower route, to avoid as many bumps in the road as possible. She stood up several times to look out the window and pretty much ignored my panicked requests that she lay down. 

When we got to my parent’s house, my younger brother was waiting to help me lift her down from the car (she’s 88.88 lbs, according to her medical records, and I was so worried about hurting her). We put her on the ground and she eagerly “walked” to the front door without any problem. I used the sling I’d made out of a canvas grocery bag to help her up the one step into the foyer, and although it helped — and I’m still using it, just to keep as much stress off of her as possible — she didn’t really need it. As soon as she was inside, she wanted to go out in the backyard like she always does when we visit my parents, but of course this wasn’t allowed. Time to rest!

She made it down the hall and to our old bedroom (where we both grew up!), checked out her bed that I’d brought from home, took a sniff of her food container nearby, and then whirled around and semi-ran (more of a bounce, I’d say) back toward the door, then back to her bed, happy to be home, bowling over my mom and my brother with the cone around her head in the process. 

It looks like I’m going to have the opposite problem than what I expected: keeping her still and calm. Now I’m worried about her developing a seroma , which they told me could be caused by too much physical activity. 

I have to admit: she was restless last night. She woke up around 1AM and didn’t sleep much afterward. I could tell she was having trouble getting comfortable. She whined a little, but all things considered she is doing far better than I expected. She is drinking plenty of filtered water and has quite the appetite. She goes out on a leash in the backyard and has had another bowel movement since she has been home. She’s still getting the hang of squatting and a couple of times I’ve taken her out she has simply laid down in the ground-cover and looked at me, but she has no problems getting back up after we’ve rested a few minutes. 

Here’s the regimen she’s on right now: 

7:15AM: Breakfast!

8:00AM: 2 Cephalexin (antibiotic), 3 Tramadol, 1 Rimadyl

8:30AM: Cold Pack for 15 minutes (to reduce swelling and prevent seroma )

1:00PM: Cold Pack for 15 minutes

3:30PM: Snack! 

4:00PM: 3 Tramadol

4:30 PM: Cold Pack for 15 minutes

7:15PM: Dinner!

8:00PM: 2 Cephalexin, 1 Rimadyl

8:30PM: Cold Pack for 15 minutes 

12:00AM: 3 Tramadol

Thanks again to everyone for their encouragement and kind words! Sasha and I are both so happy she’s home!