Last night was much better! I only had to get up at 3am to give a round of Gabapentin and help Violet go potty outside. Otherwise we both rested well, though I think a nap may still be in order for me today 🙂
Violet is a ROCKSTAR this morning! She stood up on her own and came over to the couch to ask me to go potty. While we were outside……SHE POOPED! That is exactly what we’ve been waiting for, and I know Drs. Crane and Baldwin will be thrilled to hear it when I do our update call tomorrow morning. Violet was also able to walk over to her food and water bowls and stand up while she ate her breakfast! I’m trying not to baby her and make her dependent on me for these things so I had tried this yesterday with her. She’d only wanted to eat and drink laying down on her bed, so this was huge this morning. She even seems to want to go without me in the back yard, but I’m still using the sling as a precaution, plus she needs my help getting up the couple of steps that lead to and from the yard.
Yesterday I offered a couple of snacks to keep Violet entertained while she was lounging around on her bed. She hasn’t been interested in her squeaky toys yet and I was concerned about boredom. I gave her a Kong ball with some peanut butter early in the day and a stalk of celery later in the afternoon. She absolutely loved both of them and especially had fun licking the ball to find all the peanut butter!
The incision area is looking spectacular, especially this morning. The bruising and puffiness is going away quickly, and we’ve had no signs of seromas or even any leakage at all! Dr. Crane recommended doing a moist warm compress on the area twice a day, which Violet loves. Not only does this help clean the skin of any iodine, any small amounts of dried blood that got missed during cleanup, etc., it also increases blood flow to the area. Like I said, Violet just loves this! Each time I’ve done it so far she groans while slowly laying her head down, and goes right to sleep.
I love seeing her personality shining through more and more. I got some serious tail wags today when I said hello and started our morning routine. She’s getting stronger and more confident, and I’m really excited for her life as a Tripawd!
Dad’s home! Hayden gave tons of love to his Tripawd when he got home from work yesterday.
Dad’s home! Hayden gave tons of love to his Tripawd when he got home from work yesterday.
Digging around for peanut butter in the Kong ball was tons of fun!
Enjoying a healthy celery snack. She loved crunching it with her teeth.
Standing to eat breakfast this morning was a big victory!
WOW! You’re doing awesome Violet! Isn’t it great to start to see them come back to you, their personality, their sparkle, etc.? Its like they’re saying thank you for taking the pain away. 🙂 She will be doing just great in no time! Kylie had the same leg amputated & she’s 5 months & if you saw her walking, running etc. you’d never know unless u saw the missing leg side! They are astonishingly resilient. They just find a new “normal” with 3 legs not 4. Looks like she’s got the bed, the raised food dish, she is all set for a speedy recovery!! Can’t wait to track her progress!
Chris & Kylie xox
Thank you! It has been so cool to watch her adapt once I got over my initial feelings of sadness and worry!
I need to find a good stand that will fit her food and water dishes, but for now the cardboard box is doing the trick just fine. I’m also going to order some of the unstable surface mats so we can get her started on strengthening her core once she is ready!
Animals are pretty amazing 🙂 I’m glad your Kylie is doing so great as a Tripawd!
WOW! You’re doing awesome Violet! Isn’t it great to start to see them come back to you, their personality, their sparkle, etc.? Its like they’re saying thank you for taking the pain away. 🙂 She will be doing just great in no time! Kylie had the same leg amputated & she’s 5 months post surgery now & if you saw her walking, running etc. you’d never know unless u saw the missing leg side! They are astonishingly resilient. They just find a new “normal” with 3 legs not 4. Looks like she’s got the bed, the raised food dish, she is all set for a speedy recovery!! Can’t wait to track her progress!
Chris & Kylie xox
She looks really amazing!!! Such a sparkle in her eye – like she’s been a tripawd her whole life! Doing great Violet!!
XOXO
alison with spirit shelby in her heart