We awoke to face the homecoming of our precious furrbaby. I’ve been anxious all day.. After a half day at work, I arrived at the clinic around 2 – I was worried about what I’d see. After a consultation with Dr. Portie regarding the wound, pain management and mobility, I braced myself for the worse. As traumatic as it is, I’m in awe of his resilience. He hopped into the room and was VERY happy to see me. He hopped through the lobby and toward the door. I was so surprised at how mobile he was. I had visions of vet techs lifting him on a sheet but when we got outside, Dr. P opened the back of the SUV and he jumped right in. I had a dog bed in the back to pad the landing – glad I did because he face planted himself into the pillow.
Buck met me at home and we unloaded him. It was pretty dicey but after a stumble, he hopped into the house. Went to one of his favorite spots and flopped down.
He ate like a pig (homemade dogfood) and drank lots of water. A trip outside a while later was successful – yeah! That’s one thing I’ve worried about but he seems to be able to squat and balance just fine. We laid in the grass for a while enjoying the warmth of the sun.. I think we’re all relieved to have this major operation behind us but the rehab will be challenging.
He’s resting comfortably now – getting up from time to time to relocate and readjust. We’ll put a tee shirt on him to keep him from licking himself but for now, he’s crashed on the cool concrete floor.
Although I will be home with him for as long as it takes, I wonder whether or not he will ever be able to use a dog door again? Since he’s missing his front leg, this may not be a possibility anymore. Regardless, we won’t even be able to address that for about 3 weeks.
Thanks again for your kind notes and calls. I love you all!