Appointment With Oncology Tomorrow...any Questions I Should Ask?

[spottydog]

Sounds like he's doing well, all things considered!

[mom2four]

I'm happy Stolie is doing OK. The meds can certainly cause him to be anxious, and also to pant. We actually hand fed Jamey his kibbles in the first days post surgery, even at the ER vet. Having some canned food on hand at home might be a good idea so you're not desperate if he won't eat. I just posted a recipe for Life saving meatballs for someone in a thread titled "I'm scared"

 

You said you had many stairs in your home. Are they carpeted? Are they open in the back or closed? These could cause problems if they are not carpeted, or have open risers in the back. We had lots of runners laid down for Jamey so he did not have to hop on any slippery floors.

 

You know how to contact us, please don't hesitate. It can be really scary and frustrating until you figure out a new routine at home.

 

Tin

[spottydog]

Is Stolie home and how is he doing?

[Guest Dancer]

I'm happy Stolie is doing OK. The meds can certainly cause him to be anxious, and also to pant. We actually hand fed Jamey his kibbles in the first days post surgery, even at the ER vet. Having some canned food on hand at home might be a good idea so you're not desperate if he won't eat. I just posted a recipe for Life saving meatballs for someone in a thread titled "I'm scared"

 

You said you had many stairs in your home. Are they carpeted? Are they open in the back or closed? These could cause problems if they are not carpeted, or have open risers in the back. We had lots of runners laid down for Jamey so he did not have to hop on any slippery floors.

 

You know how to contact us, please don't hesitate. It can be really scary and frustrating until you figure out a new routine at home.

 

Tin

We do have a lot of stairs...all carpeted...but with open risers . . We have several rubber backed mats that we can put down on the floor for traction....picked up a harness and a ramp for him today. He will have 3 steps to negotiate to get in/out of the house. Plus planning to set up a base camp on the main floor for him and me to sleep for the first few weeks. Can hardly wait to get him home.

 

Visited him a couple times today...Stolie is doing much better...he scarfed down some roast beef, canned salmon and the soft dog food from the hospital. He is off morphine and on perquisite(spelling?) so he doesn't look so stoned.

 

Plus he can get up on his own and move around a bit. With assistance he can get himself outside. Kind of cruel as he probably thought I was going out to the car (home). ... So he followed me eagerly outside to the exercise area.

 

 

Hopefully we will be bringing him home tomorrow. Fingers crossed

 

Edited October 5, 2014 by Dancer

[mom2four]

I'm happy that Stolie is doing quite well, is looks like it in the picture anyway. Percocet is still a strong pain killer so it will help him too, without some of the 'being stoned' side effects.

 

Hopefully he will come home tomorrow.

 

Tin

[Charlies_Dad]

He looks great! I hope he is able to come home today and let the healing process begin.

[Neighsayer]

He looks great!

[EllenEveBaz]

Sending cheers and ear scritches to Stolie.

[Guest Dancer]

Yeah Stolie, is home from the hospital. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Didn't really look at us - just focused on the door.

We made up a nice cushy dog bed for him to lay on…nope…he insisted on the couch and wanted nothing to do with the cushy bed. He did manage to get all three legs up on the couch pretty quick.

He is getting around much better than I thought he would be - the worst part is standing up - it causes a lot of pain. But once he is moving, it seems okay. He has balance issues when he is standing still and leans into us and needs support. Needless to say, very little energy and needs to rest after a few seconds(10 metres in from the car). He is on percocet for the next while, with a bandage change on Wednesday.

His appetite is good and he went to the water bowl of his own volition....

Phew, so relieved to have our boy home. I know this isn't the end of it, and more like the beginning of a lot of challenges, but at least I can do something to help him.

[Neighsayer]

Yay!

[Feisty49]

He looks wonderful. Wishing him the very best!

[45MPHK9]

Glad to hear that your boy is home. Good luck to him.

[4My2Greys]

I've been thinking about Stoli all weekend. It's so good knowing he is home. Not to minimize what he is facing and what he just went through, but he really looks good.

[mom2four]

Yeah! I'm happy that Stolie is home! He'll heal up faster at home too.

 

For the balance issue, I remember that Jamey got used to put his remaining front leg more in the middle of his body as he got used to being a tripod. Also, over time his toes on the front foot spread out, making the area in contact with the ground larger and helping his balance. Stolie has to physically heal up first though so I can see that things hurt him right now.

 

How is Checker reacting to him?

 

ETA- how did he do with the stairs leading up to your home? Did he use the ramp?

Edited October 6, 2014 by mom2four

[spottydog]

Just checking in on Stolie. Looks like he's doing great. Nice pics.

[Guest Dancer]

Yeah! I'm happy that Stolie is home! He'll heal up faster at home too.

 

For the balance issue, I remember that Jamey got used to put his remaining front leg more in the middle of his body as he got used to being a tripod. Also, over time his toes on the front foot spread out, making the area in contact with the ground larger and helping his balance. Stolie has to physically heal up first though so I can see that things hurt him right now.

 

How is Checker reacting to him?

 

ETA- how did he do with the stairs leading up to your home? Did he use the ramp?

 

Checker is out of sorts and not comfortable with the change in our routine. Overall just hanging out in the background watching. Stolie is a strong alpha and Checker was quite comfortable with that - now he doesn't know what is going on. Over the past half hour he has reminded me a few times that it is bedtime and I need to go upstairs.

 

Tomorrow we'll have to get Checker out for a walk or two...burn off some of his energy and give him a 'fun' distraction. Though he does appreciate that he gets treats when Stolie gets treats.

 

When Stolie goes outside, he is doing well with peeing, but has made no motion that he needs to poop. Does percocet and the other pain killers cause constipation in dogs just like in humans??

I've been thinking about Stoli all weekend. It's so good knowing he is home. Not to minimize what he is facing and what he just went through, but he really looks good.

Thanks so much ...such a relief that he is doing well, all things considered

[MP_the4pack]

He looks terrific!

 

He sounds like a go-getter so I think the biggest challenge will be to have him tone it down from doing some stuff that he's not quite ready for yet.

[Neighsayer]

Hope you all had a good night.

[spottydog]

With respect to the Percocet, I think it does slow the gut process down. That was our experience. How long does he have to be on it?

[Guest Dancer]

He has a week's worth of meds - the vet hasn't said how long to keep him on the meds, but we have a bandage change on Wednesday and will have a chance to see how he is doing and a better idea of what to expect.

[spottydog]

When does he start his chemo?

[Guest Dancer]

Should be 3 weeks post surgery...~Oct 23. I don't have anything booked yet.