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It’s been a tough week.  The Nocita given to Patches during surgery wore off on Monday, and we went through a week of sleepless nights. Patches has been struggling with pain, and we had to fight with our vet about additional pain solutions. They were hesitant to given anything to us, claiming it opiates are not the standard of care in veterinary science, despite protocols we sent to them and specific requests we made for post op pain relief. Instead, they believed we were overdosing him on the Gabapenten, causing dysphoria.  We sent video of Patches whimpering in pain, and relayed that these whimpers turned into full-on screams of pain – we knew something was wrong.

We are looking for a new provider. When we picked up our dog, freshly tripawd, they had just waxed their floors. This caused a Bambi-on-Ice moment,  when he attempted to move and his legs just slipped. We have not had this problem at home, because we purchased puzzle, interlocking play mats off of Amazon to lay around the house. The whole experience has felt lousy, and we are just trying to reduce as much stress on our Baby Dog as possible.

We have been using rotisserie chicken to give Patches his pills, but we think he is on to us. He has never been a picky eater, but he has taken to just throwing the chicken or any treats on the floor. We are trying to find new treats for him. Ridiculously, the elk burgers are still working for him, and if I mix one or two in, he will eat.  This lack of appetite is a recent development – he ate well in the days immediately following surgery. We fear he is depressed.

We have one more week to go in this post operative restriction on movement – then we are going to try to move him lightly into more activity. Poor Baby Dog loved his walks and rides in the car – lived for them – and being homebound is his special form of torture.

If this helps someone else, we get the Elk Burgers from Northstar Bison. Quick turnaround and shipping, and he loves them.

Here is a link to the mats we are using, from Amazon.

Patches achieved his first Post-Operative Poop (POP) today, and we fashioned an improved wound covering from one of my old beaters!

Last night our AC went out – in the middle of recordbreaking heat.   And, after drinking about 10 bowls of water,  Patches finally decided to pee – and went charging off of the “designated path” we have laid out for him of gym tiles, yoga mats and a doormat, strategically placed over the landscaping rocks. Hopping on his 3 legs, he charged off the path, out onto the red rocks, and settled in for the world’s longest pee. I tried not to hover, but did manage to throw a yoga mat in his path, and he promptly laid down. We all stood in the 100-degree night and took a breather, before making his way back indoors.

This AM, we learned our AC unit is from 1989, and can’t even be serviced.  So, why not.  With record heat forecasted, we are scheduled for some unforeseeable home repairs, and Baby Dog is trying to stay cool. I fed him some bone-shaped frozen treats I made him pre-amputation – banana and coconut yogurt. Baby dog likes coconut water and ate three frozen bones this AM, along with about 1/2 of his breakfast, so his appetite is a little better than yesterday.

We have been trying to keep him off the couch – under the “no jumping, no running, no walks” post surgery instructions.  I swear my back was turned for 30 seconds, and this happened – and he is snoozing now directly under a ceiling fan:

 

Patches was discharged at 10:30am. I did my best to be a strong pack leader. It was inherently distressing and needlessly challenging journey through the output system and back across the external boundary, but he is home.

He immediately drank an entire bowl of water…

…and rested a bit.

He’s eaten a pound of elk, taken a brief lie-down outside on his cot, and is now resting in the family room.

I can barely form a coherent sentence at this point — and now must drive back to the surgical center to get all our belongings back — so… more updates later.