Blitz postop 3 wks, one day; Well things did not come out as I expected with the acupuncture. I should have left well enough alone. Blitz had an awesome day yesterday UNTIL we did the acupuncture. The process itself went fine but it has actually set him back what seems like weeks. I thought I had done all the research, but if I google side effects I get information I did not have before; acupuncture side effects. They are rare but they can happen. Rather than ease pain it can actually exacerbate it, and for Blitz it has done just that. The rest of his day yesterday, last night and all day today Blitz is back to withdrawing and crying out. The side effects don't last and will usually be gone in 24-48 hours. Tomorrow morning will be 48 hours. I still can't get him comfortable today. I feel so badly. My vet is certified in acupuncture so I don't believe it was the technique. Typical for Blitz, nothing is going to be as you expect. He was doing so well. And everyone was so happy. Now everyone is mad at me for "pushing it just too far". I am devastated.

Blitz 4 weeks postop; What a rollercoaster. Good to bad to good to worse to good to bad to worse, and then back to good again. We are all exhausted!  But Blitz is back on track and that is the good news. Crying out, although still heart breaking when you hear it is down to a miniumum and we suspect, along with the vet, this will continue to decrease until it is gone. We believe it is a mix of some anxiety, and some phantom pain . We won't reconvene with the acupuncture, but we will be adding an herbal recommended by our wonderful vet Dr. Smullen. Blitz is also back on Cephalexin for a small open area (infection) over his incision site. Tiny but nip it in the bud! The remaining op site looks good. I asked about caring for the pads on his feet, and she recommended Muscher's Secret which I will be looking into. Gotta really protect those feet now. 

Next week we will be weaning him off the Carprofen in hopes he can be maintain on just the Gabapentin and Amantadine.

Yesterday was a great day, and maybe we have hit the point that we see more good days than bad. The sparkle in his eyes is back again. He is more alert and the ears are up, lol. Yesterday he grabbed his bone and began chewing away for the first time since surgery. Yesterday he got away from me and made it gracefully down to the lake. It is his favorite place to be. He patrols the shoreline minding the young fish swimming nearby. It was sooooo nice to see him soooooo happy. The joy was obvious in every ounce of his being.

Ironically he seems to enjoy riding in the car now, so we take a daily ride, 15 minutes or so. He thinks it is a joy ride but it is soooo much more. I have a big Ford Explorer and have opened the entire back for him. He can stand, sit or lay as he wants but the magic is he stands most of the time looking out the windows and the need to balance himself is providing some really nice core and leg strengthening without over taxing his remaining legs. I LOVE IT!!!

Thanks again for all you do and I will keep you posted.

Blitz- 4 weeks postop to the day. Thanks everyone, and you are right Dobemom, the rollercoaster does not end. Saturday night and all day Sunday we lost all the progress. Blitz once again crying out, moving from place to place, and just so unhappy. A relentless agonizing end to the weekend. I put him back on the Tramadol, and maybe it helps, hard to tell. When they hurt like this you just try everything. Never sure what actually did the trick. Not much sleep last night. Around 1am I gave him another dose of Tramadol and put the Thundershirt I bought on him. Not so sure it helped but after that he got some sleep. He is still resting without issue this morning, curled up in his recliner. I'm gonna wait to feed him and savor this peaceful moment for him. 

Dobemom howl long did your rollercoaster last? Was it throughout his remaining years? 

When we made this decision, I did a lot of research, or so I thought. But at the time I was looking for all the good having the amputation would do. I needed to hear he would recuperate and quality of life would prevail. Maybe I focused too much on the pros, and never listened to just how handicapped he would be. Good ole tunnel vision. We are exactly 4 weeks postop today, it feels like 4 months. I don't know that I would have made a different decision but I wish I had paid more attention to the reality, at least for this dog, amputation might not be the best choice. Maybe I was too quick to make my decision.

People who don't know need to understand that dogs will adjust to 3 legs, but that is not all of it. It is all baggage that comes with it. And then what? I know I have rejoiced his progress, but most days I am devastated by what I am putting him through. In reality, out of his 4 weeks of recovery, he has had only 2 days of happiness. And he paid dearly for both. His good day always follows with what seems like the worse. 2-3 bad days for 1 good. That is not quality. That is a heartbreaking, devastating way to live. I try to convince myself the alternative would have been at the very least, the same, but he would have his leg. Maybe if I had not taken his leg he would have had a better summer, a longer period of normalcy in his 4-5 month prognosis. 

The cost to all of this has been far more than we anticipated. We are nearing retirement years and it pains me to even give money any weight when it comes to my dog. The surgery, meds, multiple vets, many vet visits, acupuncture. All without relief. Now I should be looking at a professional in pain management and maybe rehab. In addition, he is with someone just about all the time, and that is taking a toll on the family. We take shifts so the other can get out in the yard without worrying about Blitz, or take off to run some errands.  Thank heaven I work from home. Can't imagine those that have gone through this and have to leave them.

I am so sorry to be such a yo-yo. I rejoice one day and tear it all into depression the next. Devastated once again. My facebook page looks like we are finally on the mend. I never share these heartbreaking, fearful, ugly, traumatized days with Facebook. Not all people, I am certain, will agree with our decision to amputate, especially when they hear the heartbreaking side. And I don't blame them. I may have even been one of them at one time. I would rather keep my woes to those who have been there.

I wonder if there is anyone out there, who regardless of amputation, had to make that fretful decision far sooner than they anticipated. I can't even imagine life without him, but I will never let him bare a heavy burden for my needs. Never.