It seems surreal that I am blogging about my dog, Rosie, becoming a new member of the Tripawd community. But, here we are! All because of this awful lump on her leg. I had it removed twice. Even though my vet said it was not malignant, it kept coming back and continuing to grow ever larger. It is called a fibro adnexal hamartoma. With Rosie chewing on it all the time and the constant threat of infection, the oncologist said it was time to make a decision to remove the leg or do surgery with chemo. He said there was a chance that even with the surgery and chemo, the lump would return and I might have to have the leg amputated in the long run anyway.
It was the hardest decision I ever made! I took a few weeks to do my research. I read everything I could about Tripawds, even watched a couple videos of the surgery. I never do anything without praying about it, so I pretty much tormented poor Jesus day and night, hoping for a sign that pointed the way to what was best for Rosie. That sign came after I had educated myself as to what Rosie and I were in for, she as a Tripawd and me, as her caregiver. The “sign” also came as I observed the torment and aggravation Rosie was in with that stupid lump. It tormented her. Here is a picture of the dratted lump.
The vet said it probably didn’t hurt her but she gnawed on it constantly, making it red and raw. I wasn’t sure he was correct in assuming that she was not in any pain. This was the most determining factor in my decision, that Rosie might be in pain. Once I made the decision, my heart felt at peace. I consider my heart being at peace about something as a nudge from God to keep going, that I’m heading in the right direction. So, I scheduled the surgery for July 31, 2024. That was exactly one week ago.
I wish I could say that I never doubted my decision since then, but the very night of the surgery I couldn’t sleep thinking of what might be happening with Rose in intensive care at the vet hospital. I had a tearful mini-meltdown, second guessing the vets and myself as I thought, “What have I done to Rosalee!” It was a sleepless night, but by morning I had pulled myself together and had a more positive outlook. I credit Tripawds discussion forum with calming me down and helping me look forward to a future where Rose would be hopping along on her three good legs before I knew it. I checked out their discussion forums and watched videos of happy tripawds.
It is now seven days in and both I and Rosie are doing great! She has adjusted to being in her pen with the cone on her (unless I am sitting right next to her on the floor). This is her indoor pen.
Rose is adjusting to her confinement so much better than I anticipated she would. The vet has her on Gabapentin200 mg and trazodone 100 mg every 8-12 hours, Amoxicillin antibiotic, and Carprofen 75mg. for inflammation.
The first night I had to carry her outside, but by the end of the second day she was hopping outside for her potty breaks. She never had a bowel movement until the 4th day which stressed me out, big time. Giving her 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree and a 1/4 cup of chicken broth got her bowels moving. At least that’s what I think did it – I’m giving myself the credit for researching that remedy.
I had to set up another pen in my bedroom because it was getting hard on my back sleeping on the sofa next to Rosie’s pen. She is used to sleeping in my bedroom and she was so happy to relocate there with me. Sleeping in my bed will not be happening anymore since it is way too high for Rosie to jump up there. I don’t want her injuring her good leg. When I called the Tripawds help line they told me that rear leg amputees had trouble jumping “up” and front leg amputees have trouble jumping down. It could cause injury to her remaining good leg because the weight of her hind end is distributed on that one good leg.
If I let Rosie, she would run around like crazy, even after just seven days, she wants to hop, hop, hop all over the house if I would let her. She is unbelievably resilient and happy after going through such major surgery. My vet told me that Rosie becoming a Tripawd would be harder on me than it would be on my dog. She was so right! My worst fear is that Rosie will harm her good leg because of her quest to run after every animal on our 15 acre property and chase after her best friend, my red tick hound dog, RB. Her exuberance for life is hard to quell. That is why we will go to rehab as soon as possible so that Rosie can learn to use her body in a new way and gain some strength and balance.
There is so much more to learn about being a caregiver to my sweet Rosalee. She is an awesome dog! She may not be able to fly through the air to catch frisbees anymore but I’m sure we will find some fun stuff to do to keep her fit and healthy.
Our journey together has just begun. My next step is learning about nutrition, supplements, and rehab for my Rosie. I’ll be posting more about Rosie’s recovery and our adventures soon enough!