Sunday, January 19, 2014

Cali- Week 2

I have to admit...Greytblackdog has it right.  She wasn't able to amputate due to Seka's hip issues, but we are going through similar situations.  And I went through exactly what she is with Henry.  Cancer sucks.  since the last post, it has been a roller coaster of emotions.  For all of us.  Every dog recovers differently. Cali has been remarkable at how well she has recovered. But that isnt' to say it was a bed of roses. But for about 5 days, it was hard.  She was in desperate pain, struggling to come relearn how to walk and not able to do the things she loves.  She got depressed and so did we.  But on day 6, there was a turn around.  Whether the nerves finally healed or she finally 'came to terms'..but from that point forward we started seeing glimmers of Cali each day.  We also decided to give her some of her independence back and let her do the stairs with help and get on the couch.  Getting her independence back helped a lot.  As I type, she is curled on the couch beside of me with her head in my lap..the normal Sunday morning blog position. 
We kept the red 'sock' on her to keep her from licking and to protect the incision.  She thinks the benefit of 3 legs..tighter greyhound ball
 Costco sells 'snuggle' beds and my girls LOVE them.  I have two now and they are definitely prime real estate.  Cali ate and drank in her bed for about the first 3 days, after that she would go to her bowl for meals but we kept a water bowl near her at all times.  We've now graduated to all bowls where the belong.
Of course, Dana prefers the 'premium soft/double bed' spot which was made for the first few nights when Cali slept downstairs and Jason slept on the couch. Of course, that was the idea. Cali would try to go upstairs every night, so we just carried up her. But a rare photo of my three girls.
 
 About day 8 or 9, she started to feel well enough to lick the bottom of the incision. So we fastened a piece of vetwrap inside the sock with safety pins.  This worked until about day 11.  Her nose is healing up well, I suppose she will now have a pink nose...but in the grand scheme of things that isn't something we are worried about.  She says you can be beautiful with scars.
Each day we had progress. Since the day of surgery, I said that the day she carried a toy out to potty will be a celebratory day.  I had no idea it would happen on day 10.
 Dana has relaxed over the days too..Cali as always been her rock and she was a bit flustered for a few days.  She will be all good by her birthday next Saturday.
This past Saturday, Cali went to her first event...12 days post op ! I was worried about taking her, but we only went for an hour, she laid down 90% of that time and it was good to show her all car rides don't end at the vet.  We sewed up her favorite sweater and off she went. 
There was even a small girl with an amputated arm who came up to her, BEAMING.  Her mother said "Look..she has no arm like you" and the little girl showed me her arm and touched Cali..and just smiled.  She's still got it. ;-)
And a parting shot of Cali today.  She is 'sock' free and we put th emuzzle on her at night or when we are gone so she wont' lick.  The staples come out tomorrow and I think a lot of the pain/discomfort will subside with that. She is on minimal pain meds now.  we consult with the oncologists tomorrow too..I suppose chemo will start in a few weeks.

 And a video of Cali in the yard on Friday (day 11).  There was a 'traffic' jamon the steps so it gets a little fuzzy at the end.  But she is a trooper.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful dog :)

Greetings from Poland.

http://jacek-malagowski.blogspot.com

genji said...

Cali is such a trooper. I kinda miss the 'rocking horse' gait. Got so used to seeing it. She will feel so much better after the staples are out. Good luck with the chemo.

Mad Red Hare said...

Oh yes, cancer sucks. So glad Cali is doing well. One thing I find interesting, is that on brindles when they are shaved, their skin is marked like their stripes.

Sue said...

What a star Cali is. I thought a front leg amputation would be much harder for a dog to adapt to, but she's doing well.

Bet Cali didn't realise just how she had made that little girls day.

You might find during the summer, you might have to put some sun cream on her nose, if it stays pink.

Hope having the staples out does help her. Good luck for your specialist appointment.

Unknown said...

Great story about Cali and the little girl with one arm. Happy to hear she's doing so well.

Never Say Never Greyhounds said...

Those snuggle beds are sweet! I need to check them out. I hope Cali has more and more up days. I love that she potties with a toy. Very cute.

What Remains Now said...

Oh, Cali! I got behind with my blog reading and was so sad and then so happy to read about Cali. Sweet girl, continue to heal and do well. I am cheering for you.

Elaine said...

What a girl you have. It is just wonderful to see her at this stage and doing so well. Thank goodness for you and Jason for all the love and help.

Hazel said...

Thanks for sharing the recuperation, both the good and the not so good!
Hope Cali feels really better soon.

Hiking Hounds said...

Sorry to hear of the changes you all have had, losing Shane and Cali having cancer. I hope Cali continues to do well in her recovery.

Angela said...

Wishing you, Jason, and Cali all the best! I hope she gets extra years instead of months! Cancer definitely sucks!

Greyhounds CAN Sit said...

We can learn so much from dogs in so many ways. They just suck up this sort of trauma and get on with life and make the best of it. Cali is doing so well :)

Greyhounds CAN Sit said...

Oh, I LOVE those beds. Of course we can't get them here *sigh*.