let me tell you about Cora. Cora is a 7 month old puppy. She is blind, has some brain damage and her front leg was deformed. In January her front leg was amputated leaving a stump. I got her just after the surgery. She still had staples in. She could barely walk, was confused and reactive and even had troubles with basic things like eating because of her vision and messed up brain.

She often seemed unhappy and reactive and I didn't really know why. She saw a orthopedist who told me to euthanize her. She saw my vet who was very concerned about her neurology and thought it was probably something that would get worse over time and greatly shorten her life. She saw a neurologist who thought there was hope and the brain damage was not degenerative. He was worried about her behavior though. That was about the time she started biting me, so he had a valid concern. She then saw a veterinary animal behaviorist who was hopeful, put her on prozac and gave me some good advice. We talked about the possibility that pain was influencing her behavior. At that time she had just gone on predisone because of an allergic skin reaction so we decided to hold off on pain meds.

Not long after that, about a month ago, Cora fell on her stump. I didn't see it but I heard it. I heard the thump and new immediately it was very bad and I heard her scream. She spent the next couple weeks in a lot of pain as the wound on her stump got progressively worse. What I learned, from multiple vets, is that you don't usually leave a stump on a front leg. It can easily get injured or develop pressure sores. There isn't enough padding on the end of the stump so it's incredibly sensitive. As things progressed I felt constantly sick to my stomach and like I was a horrible person. I was trying to raise money for her surgery and give her time to fight off the infection.

16 days ago Cora had her stump removed. I doubted myself a lot. She was just 7 months and already going through her 2nd amputation. She is also blind and she has the neurological issues. She was miserable in a big way the first few days after the surgery. She would cry and cry. I kept wondering "what am I doing to her". But in spite of everything, Cora has always been a fighter and has overcome a lot of her neurological issues. Last night I  had tears of happiness, because Cora is now a happy dog, getting around and full of curiosity and spunk. For the first time in months, she is pain free. She is adapting so well and I am so so glad I stuck it out. 

The pain from the surgery passes and then their source of pain is gone. I know every dog is different, but when I read stories like yours I think, if Cora can do it, I bet Zoey can too.

I'm in chat fairly often and you can also PM me.  Over the past month I've made my frantic posts and gone to chat totally upset, so it's my turn to pay that back. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or just vent.