Wednesday's The Day

[Guest HeatherDemps]

We just scheduled Dempsey's amputation for Wednesday. It's a relief in one way but now I feel like crying... scared but praying he comes through this okay!! Thanks again for all the advice and comfort as we made difficult choices.

[Batmom]

Will be thinking of you and your sweet boy and hoping all goes well!

[Guest Mom2Gr8dawgs]

You and Dempsey will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[Guest ss556]

You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[patricia]

Sending my prayers and the brightest white light.

[iluvgreys]

Glad you've reached a decision. Sending prayers and light to all involved for a smooth and easy surgery, and uneventful recovery. Get plenty of rest and lots of kisses to your handsome boy from his fans.

[4greyhounds]

You and Dempsey and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers , please keep us posted.

[Greytlady94]

Sending prayers and gentle ear scritches for Dempsey.

[grey14me]

sending hugs and prayers

[Guest LolasMom]

You and Dempsey will remain in my thoughts and prayers.

[Guest Vinnie]

Sending hugs and scritches along with lots of healing light and prayers. Don't second guess yourself - you'll be amazed how quickly they adapt - though the first week or two are the hardest (for both of you). T-shirts are great to keep bandages safe from those who think it's their surgery boo boo's so they should be able to poke at them if they want to Please keep us posted and know that there are many of us who have gone through this and some (like me) have trouble sleeping, so post anytime with questions or worries or just because you need a shoulder. Always available by pm also. Get some zz's now before the big day. Hope Dempseys recovery period is very quick.

[Guest greyhound1]

:hope

[Guest laceyj]

Sending prayers your way.

[Guest greyhound_mommy]

We'll be thinking of you all. I'm sure all will go well.

[turbotaina]

While he may initially be sore and look horrible, you are relieving him of a tremendous amount of pain. The first few weeks may be tough, but I'm sure he'll do well. And if you want inspiration, read and re-read Winslow's and Darcy's threads

 

Best wishes for a smooth surgery and recovery.

[Guest greytmonty]

We will be thinking of you all week and especially on Wednesday.

[Hawthorn]

We will be thinking of you too and praying that all goes as well as it can on Wednesday.

[queenwinniesmom]

While you're understandably nervous about the surgery (I know how you feel), please know that you've made the right decision. Sending prayers and white light that everything goes perfectly on Wed.

[LadyBailey]

I cried when Carrier was diagnosed, and I cried when when we were staging it, but once I knew that we were amputating, I had a funny calm come over me. I did tear the morning when I dropped him for his surgery, probably because it really hit home that this was happening.

 

Here are some things that I found really helped when Carrier came home:

 

• Have his regular food on hand (if he eats it, great because that is one less change in his life for now) but also have alternatives, especially soft food a variety of flavours. Baby food was also something Carrier ate - plain chicken was his favourite.

 

• If you have hard wood or ceramic floors, make sure you have runners or area rugs down him. He will slip otherwise.

 

• Sleep with him in the same room so you can monitor him and be near if he needs you. We slept with Carrier for two weeks on the living room floor.

 

• sleep with a night light. we do now and it was a while until we started using one, but I think Carrier finds comfort in it.

 

• Have water bowls in various rooms that he is in. In the beginning they don't have the strength to walk all over the place, so for example, if you are going to set up camp in the living room, make sure that there is a bowl of water for him there. This will also encourage him to drink and get up and walk for shorter periods.

 

• Try to have him do his pee and poo before he eats. Unfortunately, our normal routine was eat and then go out to do the pees and poops. This really upset Carrier because he had a full tummy and then he was bouncing all over the place going to the bathroom... major indigestion.

 

• Allow him to eat in the comfort of his bed if he doesn't want to get up. But make sure he doesn't eat too fast because when they choke it's tough for them to get the kibble out while sitting down. I hand fed Carrier for a long time - one because he wasn't eating, but also because when he did eat, he would hover and then choke. He has remembered how to eat properly now... on his own and standing. You can also feed smaller portions throughout the day. Carrier ate half of his food in the early morning and then the rest in the late morning and the same for dinner... but he is back to normal now with his schedule.

 

• Sleep when he sleeps. I don't know if you are working or able to be home with him, but it's impossible to stock up on sleep before they get home, so I made sure to take advantage of these times and catch some zzz's while he is.

 

• During the first week of recovery Carrier had muscle spams around the amputation area - he was shaking so hard that I thought he was having a seizure or something. I quickly learned from Circle of Grey and also a phone call with Dr Couto that his muscles were adjusting and this was normal. Light massage and comfort with his CoG healing blanket helped him through that.

 

• This one is probably the hardest, but don't panic or jump at everything they do or don't do. I was an expert at this - the panic part, not the calm part... but I quickly learned to read Carrier and not jump at every movement he did. They figure it out... sometimes they just need to burp or stretch... now I watch him before I jump to see what he needs/wants.

 

• Ask questions no matter what they are. There are so many people (unfortunately ) on GT and CoG that have great experience and putting your mind at ease can be as simple as a quick email.

 

Good luck... it's hard but they do remarkably well. You are surrounded by people who care about you and Dempsey - you are not alone.

 

edit to add - read Darcy, Winslows and Carriers progress treads. They are detailed and can give you an indication of what to expect.

Edited January 11, 2008 by LadyBailey

[Guest HeatherDemps]

Thank you so much for sharing these tips that you found helpful with Carrier. Any thoughts on how long before Dempsey can be at home on his own? I'm not sure how much time to expect to take off from work or how much time I actually can... He can spend some time at our regular vet clinic while I am work if he has to, but he gets so anxious, so I'd like to avoid that. We'll have the weekend and the Monday after the surgery is a holiday for me, so that is good. I can take a little bit after that off as well and hopefully do some work from home. I haven't focused too much on that part because the amputation has to get done irregardless and I'll make the scheduling work somehow...

[LadyBailey]

Every dog is going to be different - I have heard of dogs taking weeks to even get out of the hospital- that is not the norm, but you should know that this can happen. And then there are dogs like Carrier that bounced back immediately. Carrier had no issues walking right from the beginning, so that was one less thing to worry about when leaving him at home. I am not working right now, so I have been home with him since the beginning of October. If you can, I would take that whole week off and play it by ear near the end of the week... if he's doing well go to work and save those days for when he really needs you. If he is alone, maybe baby gate him in one room or area of the house, so he can't run around and potentially fall. I didn't leave him alone until his stitches were taken out which I think was two weeks afterwards. Then I started with short outings throughout the day and now he back to a normal schedule and we can leave him like normal.

 

 

 

 

[MerlinsMum]

Sending positive thoughts and hugs to you for Wednesday... :goodluck :bighug

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Thinking of you both, Heather and Dempsy.

I will light a candle for you and send big hugs,

[Guest Leah]

[sdisto]

Hi Heather

 

I just wanted to let you know a little about how it went for Jesse. He had his right front leg amputated on Wednesday, November 7. I was prepared to take a sick day on Friday to take care of him, but it turned out that he had to stay at the hospital for two nights because he was having some pain. So it worked out that I brought him home on Friday and was able to stay home with him for the weekend. I was able to return to work on Monday, although I had to come home at lunch everday for the first week to give him his pain medication. In fact, by Sunday evening I was able to leave him alone for a couple of hours while I went to church.

 

When I first picked him up from the hospital, I was a little worried about how I was going to get him up into the van but he hopped right in on his own! Now, I will say that I was very lucky with how well Jesse recovered. While he had a great deal of pain for two weeks until the staples were removed, he was always very mobile and never required any assitance walking. In fact, he was annoyed by the carpet runners that I put down on the floor so he wouldn't slip. He did everything possible to avoid them and I eventually just got rid of them for him.

 

So, I know every case is different and I was still a nervous wreck, but I just wanted to let you know that sometimes it can go pretty darn easy - for major surger, anyway. My biggest advice would be to make sure that you have plenty of pain meds and don't be afraid to use them. If one doesn't work for Dempsey, try a different one. There are several available and every dog reacts different. For Jesse, Tramadol was king. He went through lots of it and it didn't make him groggy like it does to some dogs. Oh, and in case you didn't know, if your vet calls the perscription in to Wal-Mart or Target for you, the perscription is only $4. (I wish I had know that before I paid full price at the local pharmacy - twice!)

 

Welcome to the Tri-pawd club, Dempsey. Let us know if you need anything. We're always here

Edited January 12, 2008 by sdisto