Sorry it’s been so long…

Things were going well for Mary, she had a few good months. I am thankful for that. Three weeks ago she developed a tumor on her amputation site and we had it removed. The second surgery seemed to knock the wind out of her sails. Mary Passed away peacefully on Friday November 25th. We are lost without her. I will write an official post soon with lots of videos and pics when I can stomach it. We would like to thank all the tripawds members who helped us adjust to life on three legs and who supported us through this difficult time. Thank you all.

Mary the big red dog

No more tubes or Pills!!!

Well yesterday was the 1 week check up and Mary is well on her way to recovery 🙂 They took her drain tube out and that silly little jacket. Shes done with her pills which is nice cause we were running out of food ideas to hide them in. Once she found the pills in the food it was all over! Her recovery seems like it was too fast… i know if they took my arm, I wouldnt be off my meds and back to my normal routine in a week!!!!! She made it all the way to the corner yesterday. We are trying to build her up to around the block. ( its a small block not even a quarter mile) She is still a few pounds over weight so we are gonna slim her down a little bit more. Sorry the new photos took so long, things have been hectic with everything going on. We have an appt with an oncologist next monday after Marys staples come out… We are looking into chemotherapy. If anyone has anything they know or would like to share about that we would greatly appreciate it 🙂

Untill next time,

warm wishes,

Mary the big red dog and Fam 0:)

Not the best day…

Well Sunday September 4th, was day 5 of Mary’s recovery. As you know it was a holiday weekend, and we spent it just relaxing with our girl. We had noticed a little bit of swelling in her front leg on Saturday, but nothing too alarming and we just figured she over worked it, and after she rested it went down a bit. Sunday was a different story. That paw swelled up so big it looked like a bear paw!!! So at 7 pm we drove her to the emergency vet (45 min away) in Tustin. There are closer ones, but they are yucky and they don’t seem to care about your pet. They see dollar signs when you walk in, not a sick patient.

We were really worried! Was it a blood clot? Did she fracture her leg with the added weight and stress? Is it sprained? When we got there we had to wait a bit, but they brought her a bed and everyone was really sweet. When the doctor came in she examined the leg it wasn’t hot or red so it wasnt a blood clot, the bones felt normal so no breaks or fractures. What then? Her compression garment that they put on her after surgery ( that we are constantly adjusting ) was impairing the blood flow! It refuses to stay put! Ladies you can relate if you have ever worn nylons! Anyways, after some ingenuity and cutting we were able to secure it to her collar and cut the arm hole a bit more, to avoid the problem. we are still constantly adjusting it, but the arm hole is much better! Whew… Glad it wasnt as serious as we thought 🙂

If any of you are in southern California I would highly recommend veterinary surgical specialists in Tustin. They were the ones who diagnosed and treated Mary’s cancer. They are Amazing! Especially Mary’s doctor, Dr.Craig she is awesome. The staff there is wonderful, they treated us like we were their only patient. I am sure they must have been annoyed with the hundreds of phone calls we made over the past 2 weeks but they were always kind and helpful, and we never heard any frustration or irritation in their voices. Thank you for that, we had a lot to learn and ask in a week!

A special thank you to Advanced Critical Care in Tustin, for your kindness and concern. You were all so wonderful 🙂

A very special thank you to all of our 3 legged friends and families for your warm words and support 😉

And one last special thank you to our family, you have all been so amazing!

Keep paw-raying,

Mary the big red dog 😉

My very own Ins-paw-rational Video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htPVuHs9c3k

 

Warning to those that aren’t as familiar with tri-pawed recovery, It isn’t always the typical case for all dogs this is just my personal expierence with learning to walk again!

Maybe my years of wisdom helped me out! Im not old Im just full of wisdom… 11 years will do that to you!!!! yes I am 11!!! Almost 12. My birthday is in december!!!

Hope You all find this as amazing as We do 🙂 Never thought it possible a week ago! I will keep you all updated and informed on my progress…

Its day four and so far so good! KEEP ON PAW-RAYING for my speedy recovery!

This isnt easy but i think I can get used to it! Someone once told me,

“It’s better to Hop on three than Limp on four!” (very true)

 

Love always mary the big red DOG!!!

Our journey began with a limp…

Im a Pretty Girl
The day before my surgery

This is Mary’s story (we share the same name by coincidence):

Well this has been a hard week! It started with a limp. After a trip to the vet we were off to a specialist. After some better x-rays there it was! A tumor in her left front leg next to her shoulder. 11 years without any major problems and this Cancer thing hits us out of the blue. What is osteosarcoma? What are the options? What’s best for her? How are we gonna afford it? It was so much to think about! Cancer spreads… how fast… How much time do we have to come up with a game plan. We spent hours researching and getting as much information as we could in the short amount of time. It was obvious the leg had to be removed… Oh my God, I can’t believe we have to take her leg. She’s not a puppy any more. In fact she is a SENIOR! How is she gonna cope at 11 years old with a handicap? Are we strong enough to do this… Then we realized, she’s always been strong for us when we needed it. We are gonna do the same for her! After the emotional warfare was over It was time to prepare. Our home is all hardwood and tile, so we had to put down carpet runners to keep her from slipping while she’s trying to figure it out. We had steep stairs to the back yard, we need a ramp ( thank God my husband is in construction ). Signs for the front that say “ patient resting do not Knock” ( she gets really fired up when someone knocks ). O.K. how are we gonna pay for this?… Thankfully we were able to get financing through our vet!
Then came the hardest part, taking her in on Tuesday Aug 30th, 2011. Man was that hard! Waiting for the call that everything went well and she was in recovery was excruciating ( I called anyways the receptionist was lovely and never complained or got irritated ). And then finally the call, everything went well she was in recovery and looking good. Thank you God! Not having her home made it feel empty! But luckily she got to come home the next day. We had heard stories about the dogs up the day after surgery, getting the hang of it right away, but there was no way our senior girl could bounce back that quickly… Could she?
When we went to pick her up she couldn’t wait to get out of there! A little wobbly but not falling down she was QUICK!!!! And STRONG!!! She ran to the truck! When we got home she navigated the house with ease! She was up and down her ramp no problem! She even hit the front stairs without missing a step!
Today is day three Thursday September 1st 2011 and her spirit and ambition is amazing! We could all learn something from these Beautiful animals!
We will be back soon with another update!
God Bless you all!
Mary and Family