Hi everyone,

I thought I would post a quick update on Dotty and where we are at two months post surgery.

We never did get a definitive diagnosis from the pathologists so we are focussing on our most positive option, fibrosarcoma, hopefully dealt with by amputation as our vet doesn't usually recommend chemo for it. We may not have elected to go for chemo even if we had a definate diagnosis, for many reasons including the financial burden it would put on the family.

Dot is hopping around pretty well, she has started physio to help her deal with her new curved back and what looks like pre-existing spinal osteoarthritis. Her lumbar-sacral area is very tender and she hasn't liked to be picked up or turned over, she has seemed very stiff in my arms so I knew we needed some help. She had a really bad day when she had overdone it at the beach and she just lay about shaking all day (a Sunday, at the beach house, miles from a vet...). We whizzed her off to the nearest vet the next day and he said she should be on metacam for the rest of her life, in his opinion. She tolerates it well and she was up and about the next day once we started her on it. The regular vet has got her on metacam now as well as a great joint supplement called Mobilize, by Boma Zeal. She is also chugging down omega 3 in fish oil tablets. 

At physio she got a lovely massage, hamstring stretches, a buzzy pad thingy over her back and is allowed a warm wheatbag at bedtime. She is also wearing a sock with a little rubber footprint on the bottom on her remaining back leg which is really helping her on our polished floors, she is very happy to wear it thank goodness!

No noise from her lungs, no coughing and she seems very happy and healthy. YAY!

We haven't xrayed her since her surgery and I'm not going to unless she starts coughing, there's no point in looking for trouble when we are not doing chemo or anything like that. We are blue-sky thinking for all we're worth!

I'll sort out a photo in a minute, husband would like a go at the computer!

I have been telling everyone about Tripawds and how you all helped us so much in the tricky early days. 

Loving Dotty and making sure everyday is a happy/hoppy one.

Victoria and Dotty