My beautiful boy is getting better.  He decided that this was the morning he wanted to go back to his routine patrol of the back yard.  While he cannot use the doggy door, he lets me know that he wants out.  

I am beyond grateful.  Difficult as this journey was, it was so much easier than many.  Medically I was better equipped to manage this surgery than most, yet emotionally I was unprepared, shocked and bewildered.

I want to thank you all for your help and support.  Not sure Max and I would have made it without you all. 

I know there is still ways to go, and I still have the diagnosis to deal with.  I spoke with the vet yesterday and the lab did not yet have the results.  We were supposed to go in for a check up yesterday, but I will not take my dog back there.  The vet was very nice.  Renewed my scripts for pain meds per my request.  I had been administering more that prescribed but she agreed with my reasoning and gave me no difficulty increasing the dosage.  She offered me tramadol for him but I declined.  We are doing well with Novox and gabapentin.

In the meantime, here are some pics of Max surveying his domain.

I love you all.  Thank you from the bottom of my tiny black heart.

Max on POD 7