Back from vacation!

Buster and I went on vacation the week of Labor Day (6 weeks after his leg was amputation). This was his first trip to the beach. He had an awesome time! He loved the ocean and laying in the sun and exploring! The house we rented was on stilts and he had no problem going up all the stairs several times a day. Every time we left the house, he was running to the door, ready to go.

I'm still so amazed at how well he's doing. He's so happy and runs around just like nothing ever happened. Several people we met at the beach asked what happened to his leg and after I explained, no one could believe it had only been 6 weeks!

Pics - incision & metal sutures (not cutesy pics)

I wanted to post some pictures just to give an idea of the size of the incision (without being too graphic - the area is not very pretty right now). Everyone (including me) has been surprised at the size of the incision. They remove the shoulder joint too so I guess that's part of the reason for the long incision. Also including some pics of metal sutures since I was totally shocked by their appearance.

This picture gives you an idea what the metal sutures look like. See the metal pieces sticking out? Each stitch has two metal ends sticking out. Oddly enough, they don't seem to bother him. They have scratched his neck some where they're rubbing when he curls up. He has about 6 inches (??) of these although the original incision was several inches longer.

He's standing on the "step" I made to help him on/off the couch. Apparently it seemed like a good place to eat :)

The 2 pics below give you an idea of how long the incision is. It goes from the top of his shoulder/back to up under where his leg used to be and down onto his chest. It's a lot longer than I had expected. The original incision is a few inches longer than the part that is now metal sutured (part of it had healed but most of it had to be reopened and metal sutured).


















Ignore the demon eyes :)

These are not flattering pictures at all but they give a good indication of the size of the incision and what the metal sutures are like.

He's such a little fighter!!

I'll be so glad when he's off all these meds!! And I know he will be too!

He started off on 5 meds some of which were 2-3 times a day. At first, it was fairly easy to give him the liquid meds (I eventually requested all liquids for this reason). Now he's down to 4 meds (2 of the original ones and 2 additional antibiotics)...so it's a pill and a liquid in the morning and then 3 liquids at night. He's fighting me like crazy now! It's amazing how much he can fight to be so tiny!!

Check up today - so far, so good

We went to the vet this afternoon for a check up. She said everything looks good. There's a little area that she wishes was a little different - there's some air under the skin - result of the empty space in there. She's not too surprised by it and isn't terribly concerned over...hopefully it will fix itself in time. Based on everything that's happened, she said she's happy with how it looks and how he's doing. She said we're not "out of the woods yet"...last time it took a week before we knew there was a problem with it healing and we're only at 4 days right now...but so far, so good! As long as it continues to look good, she doesn't need to see him again until Monday to take the sutures out.

He's acting so much more like his old self! I can't believe how good he's moving around. He's adjusting so well. He's finally back to eating his regular food too. He got up on the couch all by himself tonight. He even met me at the door over the weekend, wagging his tail!

Update

I picked Buster up from the vet yesterday after work. I wasn't prepared for what the metal sutures would look like. I assumed it would be similar to regular stitches (start at one end of the incision and then kinda sewn through to the other end)...but each of the metal stitches is tied off so there are metal ends sticking out from EACH stitch and the incision is pretty long so that's a lot of ends sticking out. Once I touched the metal ends, I felt a little better about it. They looked like they would be really stiff but they're softer than they appear. Still not what I expected though. And there's a small open area to encourage draining. I don't deal well with looking at regular stitches so this is taking some getting used to. They would prefer I don't put a shirt on him to allow the area to breathe, plus the shirt might get stuck to the metal pieces. The vet also put him on a additional antibiotic. He's now off the muscle relaxer (last dose was the morning of 7/30) and he seems to be doing well without that.

I'm very impressed with how he's doing walking! I think he made a lot of progress over the past week...it just wasn't apparent because he was so bandaged up that he didn't feel like walking. He is walking SO much better now! His appetite was the best last night that it's been since his surgery. And he was quite a fighter last night when it was medicine time - he seems to really be getting his energy back! He also got up on the couch this morning. That's the first time he's done that in a week and a half (and that time he was heavily medicated from the pain patch). He seems to have learned to use the little step I set up to help him up and down from the couch. I'm hoping he does well today while I'm at work. I'm worried about him messing with the area or the stitches. He seems to be doing ok for now though. I hate to put that e-collar on him if I don't need to.

Incision closed again and crossing our fingers!

I dropped Buster off at the vet at 7 this morning, then stopped to take care of something on the way to work. When I was pulling into the parking lot at work, the vet called me. She was already done! She said when she got in there ,there wasn’t much more dead tissue but she removed everything she saw and got down to some good healthy looking tissue. She also cleaned up the edges of the incision (to make a fresh edge). She felt comfortable with closing him up! YAY!! He doesn’t have a drain but they left a small opening at the bottom of the incision to encourage drainage (I’ll need to apply warm compresses to that to keep it open). She closed him up with metal sutures (apparently out of all the ways to close a wound, that’s the least likely for your body to have an adverse reaction to). She’s also going to put him on an additional antibiotic just to be on the safe side. She said for what it is, she’s very happy with how it looked. So now we’ve just got to wait and see what happens. It might heal up or they may need to open it again and go back in. Just hard to say at this point. From what I understand, this is somewhat rare. She consulted with one of the specialists at CVS about this yesterday also (actually the same doctor I saw when I went there prior to deciding to have his leg removed). She said the part that’s a little concerning as that due to all this, there’s a little bit of empty space in his body under the incision…so that may or may not cause a problem but there’s not really anything they can do about that. So I should get to pick him up after work today and assuming all goes well, he won’t need to go back till Monday.

so it's not really an infection.....

Infection = I've had that word in my head since this all started last Thursday. The tech at the emergency vet initially told me that was what it was. After talking to the vet again today, I'm clear on the fact that it's not an infection. The culture shows no signs of bacteria. It's something kind of rare that happens for no known reason where the tissue fails to thrive and dies off. My vet has researched and talked to her vet friends and no one has an answer as to why this happens. It just does sometimes. She's so upset that this has happened to Buster and that he's having to go through even more. I know she's doing everything she can to make him better and he gets such excellent care at the vet's.

He went in Monday and Tuesday for a bandage change and cleaning/irrigation of the area. Today, she said she was very pleased with how it's looking. She said for what's going on, it looks really good. She plans to sedate him and go in and cut away as much dead tissue as possible either tomorrow or Thursday. Once she can do that, she'll have a better idea of the status and what to do from here.

Stupid infection.........continued

Friday morning, I planned to call the vet as soon as they opened (7am) - but my vet called me at about 6:50am (the emerg vet had faxed their office the report). She couldn't believe all that had happened. She agreed with everything the emerg vet had recommended and told me to bring him on in and they'll do the first cleaning today and he can hang out there today. So I took him on to the vet and picked him up after work. They put him on a new/stronger antibiotic (Clavimox) and cleaned the area. She was really surprised the infected area was so large.

Saturday morning, I took him back for it to be cleaned again. When I picked him up, the tech said the vet said she felt ok with skipping Sunday (I would have had to take him to the emerg vet since my vet is closed). So I'll take him back on Monday morning and then pick him up after work. The tech said hopefully it will continue to do well and he might not need to go every day next week...maybe we can go to every other day.

Poor little guy! He still seems to be feeling pretty good. I think he's a little bothered by all the bandages.

It's so discouraging this infection happened. Tomorrow should have been the day that the staples would come out - that would have been big milestone on the road to recovery. Instead, he has a stupid infection and we're having to deal with an open wound. I just want him to get better and get past this. It's so sad when he looks at me with his sweet little baby face...he seems so confused by what's going on and why all this is happening to him. I feel so awful about the infection - like it's somehow my fault. Bless his little heart, he's been such a trooper through all this. He's so good at the vet's, even after all this. They always comment on how good he is and how sweet he is. Gidget's been wonderful too. She's usually quite hyper and very curious so I was concerned about how she'd do with him while he's recovering but she's been great...I guess she knows that her brother is a little sick so she's got to be careful around him.

Hoping for good news at the vet's this week!! Hopefully we'll get this thing closed up again this week and be back on the road to recovery!!

Back from the emergency vet

I got to pick up Buster and got home a little after midnight. The doctor said they had to pretty much open the entire incision. They cleaned it out and cut away the bad tissue and then "laced it up". I need to call my vet when they open and then take him in daily until they can close it. After it's closed, he'll need a drain to help it heal properly.

He was still coming out of anesthetia when I picked him up but he seems to be feeling ok this morning.

Gidget is not quite sure what to think of all this...

Nasty infection :(

This morning, I noticed a tiny wet spot on Buster's his shirt (he's been wearing shirts per the vet's suggestion)...it was about the size of a pencil eraser or maybe smaller. I peeked under his shirt and saw a little wet place next to his incision. I called the vet and she said it sounded fine, that some drainage is normal and to keep an eye on it and let her know if it changed.

I got home after work and when I walked in the door, he got up out of his bed to go potty (they use pee pads) and I noticed that half of his shirt was wet. So I freaked out and picked him up to see what was going on. I was having a hard time lifting his shirt up because it was wet and I was worried about the staples (the incision is LONG) but what I could see did not look good....so I just wrapped him up and we jumped in the car and headed to the emergency vet (regular vet's office was closed). I got to the vet and they took him back, cut the shirt off to examine him and finally I got to go back and talk to the vet. Bottom line is that he has a bad infection - apparently it's common for infections to appear suddenly like this (it had been there for a few days "brewing" but just suddenly became visible). She said in these cases, the infection grows underneath and then comes through very quickly where it finds a weak place (in his case, beside his incision where the staples were going into his skin). Of course I had no idea the names of all the meds he's on so I had to go home, get them, and go back. He's there right now and I should be able to get him about 11:00 tonight. They're going to sedate him, open the area, clean it as best they can, and remove the tissue that's bad/dead/dying. They can't really close the area because of the infection and they need to be sure the infection is gone before they close it back up so I'll have to take him in daily to have it assessed and re-bandaged. Hopefully after a few days, they'll be able to close it. The other concern is that there's not a lot of skin there and what is there is already pulled tight so if they have to cut away much because of the infection, that may lead to other problems.

Poor little guy! He's been through so much. He seemed to be feeling ok though which made me feel a little better. He was very alert and sat up in the car (propping himself up with his one front leg).

5 days after surgery & first day home alone

He is blowing my mind with his progress!

This morning (his first day home alone), I had his bed all ready on the floor - since he can't get up on the couch by himself. I put him in the bed and made a big deal out of it hoping he would like the bed since he's not used to it. I walked away for a second and came back and he had somehow gotten up on the couch and was on the top of the back cushions! I was in total shock and he just looked at me like "what mom?". I still can't believe he did all that by himself. The funny thing is that he does this stuff while I'm not looking :) So I just left him on the couch this morning when I went to work.

I came home at lunch because I was worried about him on his first day home alone. The pain patch only lasts 3 days so it "ran out" around 10:00 this morning...the vet had said there was a chance he might be in some pain once it got out of his system. So I took it off at lunch because it was looking loose and I didn't want Gidget to get tempted to play with it (it can be fatal if they lick it or eat it). He ate pretty good at lunch too (still just baby food).

When I got home after work, he seemed more energetic and ate a few bites of canned dog food (the first time he's done that). He doesn't seem to be in any pain....I'm not sure how long the meds from the pain patch stay in his system but so far, so good! He hasn't gotten up on the couch by himself anymore that I'm aware of. He seems to like his little bed though - he's hanging out in it right now! I've been taking him outside at night and he seems to like walking out there better than inside (I guess it's softer and better traction than my hardwood floors). And he went up the side steps all by himself tonight!

And he was super happy to get some mail today from Mama G and family!!

4 days after surgery

I took Buster to the vet this morning and picked him up after work today. They un-bandaged him and had him dressed in his cute little shirt when I got there to get him. Everyone kept saying how happy they were with how he was doing. And vet came me liquid antibiotics (yay - no more force feeding him pills)! She also snuck some special food in my bag that he really liked day...she said it's very nutritious if they aren't wanting to eat much (it was cute to see the vet look to see if anyone was looking and then stick the can in my bag real quick)!

When we got home, I put him down when he walked on the door because Gidget was quite excited and wanted to check him out. After she calmed down, he walked over to the pee pad and went potty! While I was telling him what a good boy he was, I started to put his meds (5) in the fridge and I turned around and he was gone! He had went over to his water bowl and was drinking water! Then I took him in the living room and put him on the couch. I ran into my bedroom to change into my bum clothes and hurried back to find him sitting on top of the back of the couch! A few minutes later, he was done with that and got down on the seat part of the couch....then a few minutes later, he was back on top again! Then back down again - all by himself (and of course when I wasn't looking). Such huge progress since yesterday!!!!!!!

And we don't have to go back to the vet until 7/28 (to have staples and stitches removed). I'm pretty happy about that - driving to Kville seven times in the past week has been a bit much especially with the gas prices!

Some pics from this evening:

Taking a rest break...

Wondering what the heck Gidget is doing.
Apparently she has decided to help mommy with the weeds in the yard.

Gidg loves rolling around in the grass. Buster is a bit prissy and insists on a blanket when outside!

Feeling a little better about things now

ok, I'm feeling a lot better now. Think I had a slight breakdown earlier....I've been trying to be strong and positive but this is really hard. I'm having a hard time getting him to eat and drink. The only thing I can get him to eat is baby food so I went to the grocery store and bought every kind of meat baby food they have. For some reason they gave me antibiotic pills...the other 4 meds are liquid and I'm able to give him those with a syringe but these pills are just impossible. Since he won't eat real food, I can't hide the antibiotics in food. I'm going to ask the vet for liquid antibiotics tomorrow. I forced him to drink some water earlier (with a syringe)...he's just not interested in water either?? That has me a little worried..he's got to drink.

I took him outside tonight once it cooled down and he walked around for a few minutes and pottied! I was so happy! And he started panting so I went and got his water bowl and he drank a good bit of water (the first time he's drank much since he got home). When he was done walking, he came over to where I was sitting on the steps and put his front paw up on the bottom step to be picked up :)

3 days after surgery

Today isn't going as well as yesterday. I feel awful and I'm just so upset. I think he's handling this better than I am. It's breaking my heart to look at his poor little face. I wish I could make him better. I'm having such a hard time getting him to eat and drink. I got him to take his meds last night (all liquids through a syringe) but today I'm supposed to give him his antibiotic twice (pill) and he won't take it. I don't know what to do. I knew there would be good days and bad days with his recovery and today's one of those bad days. I'm just sitting here crying and feeling like the worst mommy ever.

Shopping!

I found these shirts at Target this morning! Supercute!! I love that they have short sleeves and were only $4.99 and they are travel related. I couldn't resist the Eiffel Tower one even though it's pink :) Too bad Gidget won't wear clothes!
I found cute shirts at WalMart but they were all sleeveless so his incision area would still be a tad exposed.
These protect him nicely and they're just sooo cute!

He's home!

I picked him up at the vet today and he's doing so much better. His eyes are sparkling again and he seems to feel so much better. He walked at the vet's earlier and ate. The girls at the vet even commented on his improvement and how much better his eyes looked!

Once I got him home, he walked a little bit too :) He was looking antsy on the couch so I took him in the kitchen and put him down and he walked over to his pee pad and went potty. He's really improved a lot since yesterday. His mood seems better too. He seems happier and you can tell he's a lot more comfortable.

(blurry pic from my camera phone)

I get to bring him home today!

I'm excited and nervous! I can't wait to have him home. I'm worried about caring for him, h seems so delicate. I hope him and Gidget interact well. I'm sure it will all be fine though. One of my friends said that my maternal instincts will kick in and I'll know just what to do :) Let's hope that's true!

Surgery is over

Buster's surgery was Thursday morning. They called me when it was over and said it went great. He seemed to be resting comfortably. They called me later in the day to say he was doing well - just as they expected. He seemed be in some pain but not too bad. They tried to take him outside but he didn't want to stand or walk. His temperature is great - they're checking it every hour. When my friend went by to drop off his meds and the girl told him that they had been rubbing his head and if they stopped, he would wimper. Thursday night, the vet had someone check on him about 9pm and she called me to say he was doing well.

This morning she called me at 7 and said she was really happy with how he's doing. He still seems to be in some pain but not bad. She took him outside and he stood by himself but acted like he didn't want to and he wouldn't walk. She said sometimes it's harder with little dogs because the bandages are pretty overwhelming and the dogs feel kinda like they can't move because of all that (makes sense - just like with Gidget and how she won't walk if you put clothes on her). This afternoon they called and said he's not eating much though...they've had to force feed him a little. He still doesn't want to walk - they've been using a sling to support part of his weight and he's gone outside a few times and walked just a bit like that. She said sometimes little dogs are a little slower to recover because they're used to being babied...I think that could be very true in his case.

I went to visit after work. They were changing the bandage. I can't stand to look at staples or stitches so I tried not to look but what I saw looked like a lot bigger incision than I was expecting. He was really happy to see his mommy!! I was so glad to see him. I held him for about 30 minutes...he loves being held like a baby and resting his head on my shoulder so he got into his normal position pretty quick :) It was nice to hold him!! He seems to be feeling ok...he seems really alert and very calm. I brought some treats (they said to bring anything I thought he might eat) but he didn't want the treats. They did get him to eat some baby food earlier this afternoon. The tech said she left the little dish of baby food in his crate and then a little later found him sitting in it! He's had a few potty accidents in the crate. I was sad to leave him and he struggled I gave him back to the tech - he really didn't want his mommy to leave!! They were getting ready to close. She decided to give him another shot of morphine before she left just to be sure he was comfortable tonight.

I asked the vet if she thought I did the right thing about deciding to remove his leg and she said yes, she would have done the same thing. That really made me feel better.

Everyone at the vet's office kept saying how sweet he is. I can tell he's been getting a lot of lovin' and attention there. The crate he's in is in the middle of the area in the back between all the offices so he's definitely not all alone. They had the crate all fixed up - big fluffy bed, blankets, and a heating pad for him.

I'm nervous about bringing him home tomorrow. He seems so delicate and fragile! It's going to be really emotional and dogs can totally sense your feelings so I've got to be calm and relaxed about things. That's going to be hard!! I will be sooo glad to have him home!! And I know Gidget will be so happy for him to be back home. I hope he'll eat once he's back home. That part has me a little worried.

I think I had my expectations set a little too high about how he would recover. I thought he would be doing a little better than he is but the vet seems really pleased with how he's doing so that's good. I still can't believe all this is happening. Just doesn't seem right that my sweet little baby had cancer and lost his leg. It breaks my heart that he's having to go through all this.

This is my attempt at a family photo the morning of surgery: