I'm so glad that Griffin is providing hope and inspiration for others through his progress and recovery - I certainly found both of those in spades when I joined the Tripawds family just a few weeks ago!

On Griffin's 13th day post-op, we reached a milestone of him walking under his own power to our favorite park.  I'd been hauling him there in the wagon because it is about 0.4 miles from our house, but this morning he decided that was where he wanted to go, and so we went!  And 8 hours later, he decided that he needed to show off that he could make the trek twice in one day!  So that means Griffin logged 1.6 miles today, not including playing around once at the park and hopping around the house.  He is one tired boy right now!

You are absolutely right, Jerry, about the fitness level of each dog needing to influence their activity post-surgery.  Griffin was in great shape prior to his surgery and I'd often get comments about him looking/acting like a dog much younger than 10.  I'd also like to note that I have emailed Griffin's surgeon every day with updates, videos, and photos, asking permission for Griffin to engage in certain activities to ensure that I am not pushing him or letting him push himself too hard. I am extra appreciative that Griffin is making remarkable progress because I know that his journey is not the norm for most tripawds.

Today marks Griffin's 2 week surgerversary!  Tomorrow will be a big day with first appointments for both rehab and oncology.  It is still a bit disconcerting that I need to hand Griffin off at the door of the Animal Medical Center and conference with doctors over the phone instead of meeting them face to face, but I remain grateful that Griffin is progressing in his recovery with the support of such an amazing place!

As I've mentioned before, I email Griffin's surgeon daily with updates and videos.  Last night he pronounced Griffin's incision healed (his stitches were internal) and laughingly stated that Griffin could return to regular activities, knowing full well that Griffin hadn't really been waiting for Dr. Spector's permission!

Today's videos find Griffin climbing stairs and really stretching his legs for a game of fetch with his best buddy (and mini goldendoodle), Murphy.  The camera work on the fetch video is a bit off because Griffin was moving so fast that I lost track of him for a second!  Enjoy!

Griffin returned to the Animal Medical Center today for oncology and rehab appointments.  I realized that I haven’t been in the car since I picked him up from his surgery 2 weeks ago – it felt strange to be on the road again during these strange times.  And of course, Griffin demonstrated that he can easily hop into my SUV and climb onto the back seat.  Getting out wasn’t much of a problem for him, but I did use the handle on his Ruffwear Web Master harness to guide him and lighten the impact.  One thing I realized is that the seat belt I use for Griffin is not long enough to comfortably reach the tether on the back of his Web Master harness .  I have always used front clip harnesses for Griffin which were closer to where the seat belt connected to the latch, so I’ll have to look into buying a longer belt!

The physical therapy vet, Dr. Barry Cherno, said that Griffin is in fantastic shape and adapting very well to life as a tripawd.  He recommended at home exercises and said that he didn’t think Griffin needed formal rehab.  I told Dr. Cherno that as long as my insurance was picking up the tab, I was interested in aqua-therapy (Griffin loves swimming!) and acupuncture, so we will likely schedule those sessions weekly for 6-8 weeks and then monthly/as needed after that.  Griffin and I will begin our exercises tomorrow and I’ll be sure to post videos soon.  😊

The oncologist, Dr. Maria Camps, thoroughly explained the purpose of chemotherapy and what the process would look like.  In addition to routine blood work, Dr. Camps wanted an ultrasound of Griffin’s abdomen (results were normal) before administering the chemotherapy drugs.  She chose Carboplatin for his first round of chemo while awaiting further details on an echocardiogram that was conducted in February (for a separate issue) before deciding if she will use Doxorubicin for future rounds.  Griffin also received an injection of Cerenia (anti-nausea medication) today.  We were sent home with tablets of Cerenia and Metronidazole (anti-diarrhea medication) for use as needed.  Griffin will return to AMC for blood work on April 24th and May 1st, and if all goes well, he’ll receive his second round of chemo on May 15th.

Today was a long day for Griffin and he spent 6 hours with his friends at AMC (I snuck in a trip to Trader Joe's where I waited on a physically distant line outside the store for 50 minutes as they limited the number of shoppers inside).  His surgeon, Dr. Spector, was excited to see Griffin in person and reported that Griffin appeared happy to see him as well.  When we arrived back home, Griffin was in good spirits and content to eat, drink, and sleep.  He has been resting comfortably all evening.  Hopefully he will experience little or no side effects of the chemo, but I know to be on the lookout in the coming days.  As Griffin is mostly poodle, I’m also reconciling myself to the fact that he will likely lose his hair (he doesn’t have fur).  At this point, he looks a bit like a patchwork quilt with a newly shaved patch on his belly from the ultrasound today, stubble growing in around the incision site, and shaved patches on each of his 3 legs from various IVs, so maybe we just need to start over with growing new hair!

No new videos to share today, so enjoy a photo of Griffin sleeping soundly tonight!