It has been exactly one week since Solo had surgery. Things are going pretty well, she is healing nicely, appetite is good and pooping regularily! She is definitely a bit glum at times though. Maybe it’s the Tramadol ( pain killer) or maybe she is just a bit sad – it is hard to know. We went for a walk today – suprisingly she wanted to go quite far! The sun was shining and all of the snow has melted. It is a beautiful warm day – we walked almost a kilometer! We took a few small breaks along the way but really enjoyed being outside in the fresh air. A couple of people stopped to give her a bit of a scrub on the head which was nice.
I am still home with Solo- we haven’t left her alone since surgery. I put on her soft collar (the one the vet gave us) and did some odd jobs around the house but when I went to check on her I found that got at her incision and had been licking it! Somehow she managed to reach it with the collar still intact. I wasn’t very happy about it but thankfully no damage to the incision had been done. I will have to find something better to cover up the area – perhaps an old t-shirt modified some way to cover it up. Could be a challenge as I am definitely NOT a sewer!
Still no word on our biospy results… could be a bit delayed as we just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Hopefully we will have our news early next week. For now we are just going to enjoy the warm weather of the weekend and the company of our Golden.
- So many of my friends brought me presents – It sure helps cheer a girl up!
What a beautiful girl!! So glad to hear that she seems to be pulling through the amputation well. Sounds like she is doing GREAT!! Welcome to Tripawds and please always keep us posted on how Solo is doing.
Shilo & Mom
Happy 1 week ampuversary Solo!!! Look at all the wonderful presents you got…
Hope you continue to do well with your recovery… but STOP licking at your boo-boo! It will take much longer to heal!!! Maybe you need a hard (instead of soft) E-collar to wear when your mom and dad aren’t able to watch you… You won’t like it, but it should keep you from licking where you’re not supposed to.
Hopefully some other rear leg Tripawds can give you some good advice on what else you can do or wear to keep your boo-boo safe from that tongue of yours.
Luv,
Jake
Hi beautiful Solo – Thank you for sharing your story, it helps Finnigan and I out as we get used to this new way of being. Lord Finnigan had his front, right leg removed 5 days ago, he too was diagnosed with some form of bone cancer.
He is laying to the left of me right now, resting and watching. He is a cross between great pyrenesse and sheperd so he loves to watch. He regular routine is to spend most of his time sitting on the deck watching the farm, which we hope that he will soon feel well enough to do again.
Yesterday he spent much of the day in an unrestful state, panting and shivering and did and still does not want to eat (he ate well the first 3 days of post op). I think his unrest stems from the sharp pains he feels now and then as he moves, the vet said the pain is likely from the severed nerves contracting as they heal. He has had some training with an e-collar and I suspect that the sharp pains feel like the stimulation of the e-collar which confuses him and causes stress. Hopefully these healing pains will pass as he actually is quite willing to go for walks.
We will go visit the creek later, it is his favorite place. It is here, along the creeks edge, that he surveys his world and drinks of the healing waters. Loving pats to your soft white head Solo and thanks again to your care keepers for sharing your story.
I would sent a pic but I am new to this so have not figured out how to do so yet.
Cyn and Fin
Hi Cyn and Fin,
Hopefully Fin is eating and getting stronger each day. The first week is the roughest, the second week is better. Solo used to sit up suddenly, with a jolt and look at her leg. That stopped toward the middle of the 2nd week. The worst part about week 2 is the licking – she can completely reach the incision while wearing the soft collar. I had to sew her a little suit out of an old t- shirt and some fabric. I sewed up the bum and left room for her tail and leg. I cut it down the middle and added velcro so I could fasten it around her body even though she doesn’t like it she tolerates it and it has certainly worked. She licks the shirt but can’t get to her incision. Tomorrow she gets her sutures removed so after that we don’t have to worry about the incision as much – she shouldn’t have to wear the suit any more.
If Fin isn’t eating – try something good in his food. Solo loves canned pumpkin and it is low in calories, high in fiber. We just mix it with some water and then add her food.
I will have to update my blog with new pictures but I haven’t had a chance this week now that I am back at work. We take her to the park every night and she runs – yes runs. Last night she ran for 20 minutes, was happy as could be! Hard to believe it is only week 2! She is better now that she is off all of her pain killers – they were really affecting her mood.
All the best,
Christina and Solo
Welcome Solo
I wonder what it is with the fall and Canadian tripawds?!? We were few in number when I joined in July, but many or even most of the new pups seem to live north of the border (you, Fin, Oslo, Sully). From the Rocky Mnt pics, I am guessing your surgery was in Calgary, which is where we were when my pup was diagnosed with bone cancer this summer. Now we are back in Winnipeg.
That sounds like quite the outfit you made to stop Solo from licking.
It sounds like you and Solo are adjusting well. It is amazing she is running at the park already. All the best!
Tazzie 2 & Susan
Hey Tazzie and Susan,
The outfit worked like a charm! As goofy as it looked – it certainly did the job! The stitches are out and the wound is pretty much healed. We threw out the “zoot suit” as we so lovingly called it – Solo was certainly glad to be rid of it! But it worked a lot better than the soft collar we bought.
We just love to get out to the mountains and hike in the summer. Most of the pictures were taken up in Jumbo Pass, Jumbo Glacier – it is just up a forestry road about 1/2 hour from Panorama, BC on a narrow logging road. We often go there in the summer but we do live in Alberta. I wish we could make it back up there but it is steep, rocky and a difficult hike so I know it would be way too much for Solo. It takes about 2.5 hours at a steady pace to get to the top, usually there is some snow even in July. It is like being on top of the world as you can see all the way down the valley – breath taking indeed. Definitely one of our favorite places to go.
Solo and Christina