I’m so overdue for a Rucca update!  I can hardly believe that we will be hitting TWELVE WEEKS tomorrow. 

Before the update, quick answers to the questions on my long ago last update. Of course, Rucca would be delighted to share any of her adventures on the Tripawds reel. I’ve been trying to get more video of her but she bounces around so much that it is impossible to get anything other than blur and Sheltie noise.  

Second, we think Adequan is a miracle drug. She’s been using it for over a year, every eight weeks since the until build up was complete. The increase in her mobility was amazing.  Our regular vet is a certified rehab vet and his rehab specialist is doing Ru’s Adequan injections now so she can keep an eye on her and alert us to any problems. We are doing some home exercises but everyone who has looked at her thinks that she is currently in no need of a formal rehab program right now. Her years of frisbee and tricks gave her abs of steel and she’s a superstar at shifting her weight where it needs to be. 

As for how she is doing - in a word?  Fantastic. She really had the easiest, smoothest recovery that we could have asked for. We had a tiny complication at about Week Six when the stubble started to itch and she realized she could reach the very bottom of the incision. She did some chewing and got a very small infection. A round of antibiotics and a bit more time in her T-shirts got us through that with no further problems. 

She’s been off all pain killers except a Galliprant a few times a week since Week Four. She’s got mild to moderate arthritis in the remaining front leg and the regular dose keeps her flying high. 

She is totally back to herself. Actually herself of about 3-5 years ago, she doesn’t act anywhere close to a nearly 11 year old dog. It’s become pretty clear that she was in a lot more pain than we realized before her surgery, probably more from the severe arthritis in that leg than the tumor. But with the pain gone, she is racing around, barking at the world, carrying her frisbee everywhere she goes, and being an ambassador for fun. She’s still going to dog school once or twice a week, although we do limit how much time she spends on the heeling type activities (much to her dismay).  She’s just Rucca. And that’s exactly what she should be. 

I’ll close with some photos from the last few weeks, including our second choice Halloween costume. We’re saving her real costume for the big day!