Embrace The Journey

Dogs are truly exceptional. Their resilience and ability to adapt after a trauma never ceases to amaze me. In my eyes, a canine’s emotional and physical strength truly categorizes them as superheroes. No matter how big of a setback dogs have, they don’t dwell on it or let it stand in their way of enjoying life – – Instead, they embrace the journey and welcome the path it paves ahead for new opportunities shenanigans. They remain joyful and proud and don’t lose their zest for life in a difficult situation…Giving up is not an option in a dog’s mind. If they can’t complete something on their agenda, they adjust, edit their method, and figure out another way to reach their goal … *sigh* … I wish I had those superpowers!

Whiskey’s mental state seems to be healthy at this point. However, we did learn that some dogs can become dispirited after surgery. As we continue to closely monitor her for post-surgery depression, we are doing our best to maintain an upbeat vibe in the house and are armed with enrichment toys and brain-games to help lift her mood.

Trust the Process (of Reaching Out For Help and Support)

I have always struggled with the “unknowns” and the “what-ifs.” In fact I am quite confident that I could win an award for conjuring up the worst of the worst-case scenarios. It takes great effort on my part to peel my fingers back from my white-knuckle grip and embrace the guidance of knowledgeable veterinary professionals and the advice from experienced pawrents who have already navigated this journey. I’m a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of gal and when it comes to my fur kids, I get frustrated with my eyes that cannot see past the current moment. However, I can honestly say that so far, all that everyone told me was spot on – and beyond helpful in preparing for the stressful possibilities and in knowing what to do in the midst of those potential and probable emotional situations.

I am blessed to have a large community of the most amazing dog pawrents – and even non-dog people – who “get it” whether they have been through a traumatic surgery with their fur-kid or not. I independently did some research and reached out to contacts. Others initiated conversation on their own, willing to share their experience and to provide suggestions and encouragement. I am so grateful. I would not have the emotional energy to support Whiskey through this first week without the inspiration from you all. The texts and phone calls you made to check on Whiskey (and Brian & me) …recounting your own struggles and celebrations while allowing me to share ours …the willingness compare surgery incisions…and the uplifting “you got this” texts when I needed it most this week – – thank you…from the bottom of my heart.

If you find yourself reading this blog because you are terrified to face this upcoming journey with your dog, or you’ve already embarked on the trek and you’ve hit a roadblock, know you are NOT alone….and trust the process (of reaching out for help and support)! Utilize the expertise of the professionals, join the Facebook posts I mentioned in my previous blog post, and contact others who have been on this journey (email me as much as you need)! Asking for help or support is a demonstration of strength – not a sign of weakness or ineptness. Reaching out for guidance, advice, or support is crucial for your emotional well-being – and maintaining your healthy mental state will translate directly to your dog’s state of mind. Sharing your concerns will enable you to gain valuable insight that will assist you and your dog in navigating through a challenge or complication. The realization that you’re not the only one who ugly-cried, questioned your decisions, lost their cool, made mistakes, etc. will stomp-out those feelings of frustration, loneliness and isolation… and will fuel you with the strength needed to cope with whatever obstacle arises on your pup’s recovery path.

Never Stop Learning

Learning doesn’t cease with the pre-op prep. Now that you are settling into your pup’s “new normal,” you may discover that even with all that preparation, you still need assistance. Maybe the ramp you bought to help your pup get into the car isn’t doing the trick…or the lift harness that everyone recommended just doesn’t seem to fit your doggo properly… or perhaps your faithful companion is having difficulties with routine tasks or continued discomfort. New and unexpected challenges will arise, and you’ll be surprised how much you will still learn along the way. Keep abreast with new studies, updated resources, and recently developed products. Continue to research – pursue talking to more dog moms and dads who have been down the same path – keep up with the posts in those tripawd Facebook groups, remain active in tripawd communities by posting updates of your dog’s journey. Never stop learning or sharing! I truly believe one of the best ways to learn is to have the courage to share and then digest what others contribute. Welcome the education this experience provided you with thus far – but embrace that you can always learn something new. People often think that knowledge is the only instrument that is crucial to being well-versed in an experience and the only tool needed to teach others how to navigate a situation. It is my opinion and belief that this thinking is wrong. From my perspective, the most valuable comprehension and awareness comes from the inquiries, mistakes & concerns of both your own as well as those shared by others. You never know when even your uncertainty… those questions you think are silly…or your shareable experiences that you think aren’t share-worthy…will not only help you expand your knowledge and your resources and provide your tripawd with an even greater quality of life – -but may also assist in supporting someone else and their beloved three-legged companion. If you have to gain an “unpleasant” education that you didn’t sign-up for, what better way to embrace it than to learn as much as you can, use it to better the life of your fur-kid in their unfortunate situation…and then pay it forward by supporting and assisting other pawrents who find themselves on the same journey?!

Be flexible, adaptable, and patient. Some things you try just aren’t going to work for you, your home, or your fur-kid’s unique medical situation, capability or personality. Some of the modifications during Whiskey’s very first week as a tripod:

• Our floors in our VA house are MUCH more slippery than the 100+ year old floors were in our historic NJ cabin. Yoga mats and cheaper/lighter runners with not enough non-skid backing still slipped and moved on our floors. I wound up going with this runner from Walmart. These runners are a bit heavier and have a more substantial non-skid backing. I have been easily able to vacuum them without them moving or getting sucked in to the vacuum cleaner and I am also able to pick up soiled sections and wash them in my home washing machine rather than take them to a Laundromat.
• The lift harness I purchased was specifically chosen because I liked the wide padded chest area, the sturdy lift handle and the option to use a longer handle so I didn’t have to bend over. Whiskey has not needed this as of yet but when she is ready to attempt stairs or when she is on the camper, she will need the assistance in order to keep her safe. In all the harnesses that were recommended and/or I had found on my own prior to her surgery, they were all meant for a 4-legged dog. I’m not sure how I missed it in my initial search, but in Whiskey’s first week home I came across this great harness made by Walkabout Harness, LLC that is specifically designed for amputee dogs! There are two versions that I liked:
  • Airlift One Amputee Harness – Front End
  • The Walkabout Amputee Harness – Front End
    • I emailed the company to learn what the differences were in the two above harnesses. Both harnesses are made to order according to your dog’s measurements and amputation location. Both have an adjustable handle. The only difference is that the Airlift One version is made from airprene (a perforated, breathable form of neoprene) vs the regular neoprene material of the Walkabout version.
• I originally purchased XL pee pads in preparation for the incision seeping…not realizing that the pee pads had a potty-training attractant on them as well… triggering Whiskey’s instincts to want to go potty is not something I wanted to do while she is trying to rest and cope with recovery. Instead of looking for pee pads without the attractant, I decided on human bed pads made by Depends. They worked out great!
• I originally thought Whiskey would sleep in her recovery kennel and I would sleep in that same room with her to keep her safe from the other dogs and to give her a quiet sleeping space. Whiskey is used to sleeping in bed with us, so she was not settling in her recovery kennel at bedtime. Instead of sleeping on a couch in that same room, I bought in a single-high air mattress and had Whiskey sleep with me on the air mattress. She was content with this as I think it provided her with the normalcy she needed to have a more restful night’s sleep, which is so important for her recovery. The height of the mattress wasn’t too much for her either.

Whiskey’s Week 1

No right forelimb? No problem…Upon arriving home, she was walking …and quite frankly would have broken into a trot had she not been restrained on a leash. She was able to balance flawlessly while eating from a raised feeder … and also while relieving herself – I was not convinced this would be the case until I saw it with my own eyes! I”ll spare you the “number two” video (you’ll have to trust me on that one!)… but for all you non-believers like me….here is a video of Whiskey balancing almost effortlessly while relieving herself:

Her first week of walking as a tripod has been inspiring to see. Keep in mind that while we were told that most dogs adapt very quickly to being a tripod in a sudden case of needing an amputation (injury, accident, cancer), Whiskey has been essentially relying on three legs for full balance and motion for her whole life so her rate of adaptation may be a bit more advanced than others.

Although walking didn’t seem to present a major issue for Whiskey, there was no doubt complications and side effects which brought about discomfort for Whiskey and an emotional rollercoaster for us. I had been forewarned about these possible issues prior to Whiskey’s surgery…However, no amount of preparation lays the groundwork efficiently enough to protect your heart when you see your fur-kid facing those obstacles. In our first week of this journey, here are some of the difficulties and complications we experienced:

• Whiskey did have some initial weeping from her incision. It was more of a watery bloody drip -and it lasted for the first day and night she was home. I’m not going to lie – even though we were told this would happen – and even though I asked the vet tech a zillion times if the bloody dripping was normal before leaving the hospital with Whiskey, it FREAKED…ME…OUT. I usually will feel faint at the sight of blood, so this was especially difficult for me. The Depends bed pads were key during this time on her bedding and for use to wrap her with if we needed to carry her.
• We were told when we purchased our mountain house: “the weather never matches the forecast” and “expect to experience all four seasons in one day” …They weren’t kidding. Some unexpected wintry mix made Whiskey’s potty time a bit trickier. In addition, we then had more snow and sleet for post-surgery days 6 and 7. We had a Paw-friendly ice melt, shovel, and lift-harness ready. Whiskey has not needed a lift harness in walking from her recovery kennel to the potty door (all one level and using runner rugs to create a path)…However, any slippery surface would surely make things more difficult on her.
• The most upsetting hurdle is still in the experimental stage of determining whether or not Whiskey is having nerve pain, phantom limb pain – or both. Whiskey has walked, pottied (both number 1 and number 2) slept, gotten herself to a standing position from a lay, laid down (even on her amputation side), and repositioned herself with no whimpering at all. Dogs have such a high pain threshold and often do (too good of a) good job masking their pain so we have been watching very closely for any other symptoms that may alert us to Whiskey being uncomfortable since pain management is a key component of her recovery. Although her daytime hours had been miraculously close to uneventful, nights 1 and 2 were downright awful. Throughout the duration of nights 1 and 2, Whiskey would wake up from a sound sleep in what looked to be a panic and crying out in a blood curdling scream – almost as if waking up from a nightmare. I comforted her and she would fall right back to a deep sleep. Night 3 was much better with only a whimper once or twice as she repositioned herself. Dr. Graham advised us that this may be nerve pain and / or some phantom limb pain and recommended that we increase one of her pain medications at night, giving us the appropriate dose increases to try over the next few days. Dr. Graham also included that if this begins to occur during the day, we can either increase her morning dose or add a third dose mid-day. Whiskey did have a few daytime episodes, so we increased her daytime dose as well and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this does the trick. Update on this hurdle to follow in my next post.
• Whiskey did develop a seroma. Again, I knew to expect the possibility of this, but when the seroma got bigger despite my efforts to apply warm compresses, it sent my mind into the black hole of “what-ifs.” Luckily, I was able to send photos and video to our surgeon, Dr. Graham. He confirmed that what Whiskey has is in fact a seroma. He was not too concerned at the time but did suggest continued warm compresses and providing some constant compression on the area using a thunder shirt or something similar. Dr. Graham said that in some instances the seroma may need to be drained. However, if at all possible, he would prefer not to have to do that. Draining the seroma entails just that – a drain. A drain could make Whiskey more susceptible to an infection.

Incision and Seroma

Whiskey’s incision improved but the seroma (bottom of incision) remains.

Pressure Wrap and Warm Compress

Pressure Wrap

Recovery suits and anxiety shirts either didn’t provide enough compression or didn’t cover the area of the seroma completely so the surgeon suggested to use an Ace bandage instead. I couldn’t find an Ace bandage that didn’t have the sharp metal closure clasps, so we used non-adhesive medical tape to hold the Ace bandage in place. We unwrapped, checked the seroma and re-wrapped twice a day.

Warm Compress

I used a dish towel. I soaked it in water until it was drenched and wrung it out lightly. I placed the wet towel on a microwave-safe plate and microwaved it for 30 seconds. Then I placed it in a ziplock bag. I also used a second dish towel to place in-between the hot compress and Whiskey. You can test out the level of heat by using a sensitive area like the underside of your arm/wrist.

Good Bye Love Shack…Hello Fish Fortress

As the Valentine’s Day weekend came to an end Whiskey’s bedding needed to be changed out from her incision weeping, so The Love Shack transformed into The Fish Fortress (Whiskey was named Wish when we met her as a foster dog and earned the nickname Wish the Fish when she began to exuberantly jump off our dock and in to the lake at our cabin in NJ)! I had the fish pillow toys left from toys Santa Paws dropped off on Christmas and the fish crib sheets completed her recovery area. Whiskey loves to snuggle-up to and put her head on pillows, so she’s enjoyed having them line her bedding area. The memory foam crib mattress with a waterproof mattress cover and interchangeable sheets have been SO helpful and make for an easy change when needed.

Visiting Hours

Whiskey had her first visitor on day 6. Whiskey and Hooch are very bonded – even more so now that Limoncello has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We wanted to be sure to slowly re-introduce Whiskey’s pack-buddies, so that (1) Whiskey doesn’t feel nervous and (2) the others acclimate to her new tripawd status. Hooch, being her best-bud, earned the first visit. Hooch was definitely aware that something was different and was very cautious. We will see what the surgeon says along with evaluating Whiskey’s level of discomfort next week at her follow-up visit in regards to letting Whiskey visit with Hooch outside of her recovery kennel.

Tripod Squad

If you know us personally or have been following the dog’s Facebook and Instagram pages where I post more regularly, you know we are all about embracing a team mentality within our pack where we try to celebrate our pack as a group as well as highlight each individual’s “unique qualities.” Below are some amazing gifts we received for Whiskey (and for the humans!) to help us welcome ourselves to the Tripod Squad. Thank you for these kind and generous presents!

Looking Ahead

Whiskey will have her post-surgery follow-up on February 25th. I hope to do another update on the 25th or soon after.