Ginger joined the Tripawd club this passed Tuesday, 2/23/10. She had her left rear leg amputated, and we brought her home today. ( Shhh…We’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell Ginger that she doesn’t have that leg anymore, because we really don’t think she knows it’s missing!) Since the surgery on Tuesday, we have been getting updates from the doctors and staff, about how well she is doing. I decided that I would take those words with a grain of salt. Their ‘doing great’ might not translate so well to us since we have never been through this and have no idea of what ‘great’ means for a post-op Tripawd. Even the people at the front desk were excited when we entered the office to pick her up today. Fast forward through the questions and answers, and the discussion of meds… when they brought Ginger into the room, it was as if nothing had happened to her! It was amazing! Okay, her gait is a little hoppier now, but she plowed right in there and buried her head in Daddy’s lap, and flopped down on the floor intent upon a good ear rub and belly scratch! After 5-10 minutes of chilling there on the floor while we went over the care details and the doctor explained what is what, and what to expect, we told her that it was time to go, and she popped right up on all 3, and off we went! Lots of people have been telling us that Ginger will amaze us, and you were right…we are amazed.
We got home. She bounced through the snow to get to her normal potty spot, squatted and did her thing. I was kind of worried about some steps leading down to the patio…she wasn’t. She didn’t hesitate – she went right down. She came inside, got her treat and has been resting and sleeping since then. She’s glad to be home, and we are glad to have her here.
Overall, this bone cancer experience has been stressful. I have said so before, and probably will say so again, we deeply appreciate the support of those on this site. Posting your experiences, asking questions, and just sharing your feelings with others who are riding on the same roller coaster as you are is just so helpful. The support on this site is just incredible. So with that in mind, I will share one more thing that I was not prepared – the mess. (my husband may have neglected to tell me this info that he got from the doctor…) Ginger has a drain that allows fluid to exit the wound area. (I haven’t seen it mentioned here, and I don’t know how common it is) I knew that she would have a drain, but I didn’t know that there wouldn’t be something to catch the drips. We are going to need to be diligent about cleaning her up and cleaning up after her. I’m glad we went with cheap area rugs to help her with traction on the hardwood! It usually leaks when she gets up and down, and isn’t so bad when she is just walking around. She gets the drain removed on Monday, so I think we can cope till then!
So far, we are happy with our decision. No regrets!