See for yourself what my girl can do

How about that? A week later and she is looking really solid.

I am having issues keeping clothes on her and it is pretty cold here. AND, she just scratched the crap out of herself right in front of the amp boo-boo. Yeesh.

Regardless, she is getting stronger everyday and almost back to normal...but, new and improved normal.

This is a photo from the other day of her surgery site. (Taking pictures of her is tough) The lowest portion of the site, near her sternum is irriated. This and some spots around her belly site is what put us back on antibiotics. OTHERWISE, it is looking nice and fuzzy.

Everybody BOO-ROO

We have boo-roo! Yesterday afternoon our silly ritual of two foolish humans howling with their dog returned! A "boo-roo" involves not only a vocalization, but on Cheddar's part hopping backwards for emphasis! She did it and it was awesome!

On top of the boo-roo, we had another first and another awesome one at that! Prior to her surgery, upon returning home from work, Cheddar would run inside, find the nearest stuffed animal and instigate a came of catch/fetch even throwing her "baby" into the air and going airborne to catch it! Not only did she play, but she jumped up in the air and used her front foot to assist in the duckie catch! It brought tears to our eyes.

We have been watching some flaky spots on her groin and a weird speckled rash around her belly incision. Today she was also licking the lower portion of her amp site. She has some kind of skin irritation and maybe even staph. SO, back on the damn antibiotics for two weeks. Supposedly this is common, but we are both tired of the doc!

Inspiration at Three Weeks

Today marks 3 weeks since Cheddar joined a new very special group of 3 legged dogs. Just 2 weeks ago we were down and low as low can be, but today is a very different story.

Everyday we have lots of firsts. These mark little Ched behavoirs that mean she is getting back to her regular old self. At work she won't keep still, she is all over the place up and down and back again looking for treats from those who contribute to her habit. Yesterday, she caught one of her babies in the air for the first time in 3 weeks. Cheddar's Daddy is still holding out for a full-fledged boo-roo...so far we only have quiet woofs. I was cruel and tried to see if she would "shake" with her remaining front paw, but I did not push her...she looked at me like "are you crazy, woman?"

She does appear to have some light rash around her belly slice and a little edema at the bottom of her amp scar, but we have a call in to the doc to see what that non-sense is all about.

At first you might think this is silly, but listen to the words...it is Cheddar's new theme song compliments of D J Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW1-N717Ttc

No words...just watch her at 17 days

Special Olympics here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY 3-LEGGED DOGGIE JUST RAN!!!!

Cheddar saw my receptionist, Rebekah, go to her crack (a.k.a. snack) jar and from across the room. She ran! Not hopped. Not loped. SHE RAN!!! I lost it. I was laughing and crying at the same time.
I looked around and asked our sales guys, " Did you see that? Did you just see that?" They had. Thank god because I don't think they would have believed me, if I they hadn't see it for themselves.

I asked Rebekah to take a treat and go to the other side of the lobby...AND she did it again!

My 3-legged amazing little girl just ran only 17 days after having her beautiful little leg hacked off!!! Who needs 4 legs? They are extra baggage for dog's like mine.

Cupcakes & Good Riddence

Yesterday Cheddar said "See Ya" to her surgeons today! We had our final recheck and they gave her two thumbs up for being the most fantastic beastie ever! We took the nice folks cupcakes as a grateful "kiss off." Although they were good to us and have a nice facility, we are incredibly happy to never go there again.

Today is the first day without any meds. We have a bright-eyed girl on our hands. I have to be on top of putting a baby gate up at my office door to keep her contained. Just for a week or so longer, I would like to keep tabs on her and the flight of stairs just outside my door. When she was worn out at the end of the day, she stumbled going down them yesterday. For now, an extra eyeball on her to pick her up or cheer her on still makes sense. BUT, it is going to be a tough job because when she is up, she is raring to go and she GOES quickly.

Cheddar is really getting the hang of this new body. I had her in the back yard yesterday afternoon and she was cruising along and sniffing as she went. I will work on getting video of her in motion now. It is very different. Everyday she is covering more turf and doing it well. Her little tail is a powerful tool in balancing and the stance of her rear legs is more spread out to create a wider base. When she is sitting or squatting the position of her front leg varies. Sometimes it is planted in the middle, while others it is on it's normal side and she leans a bit. When laying down, she is all over the place. Actually, she lays down more than she sits now.

Something else that is new is really, really sweet. My cute little pup is the snuggliest most affectionate thing on the planet. With 4 paws, a typical vizsla maneuvere is to sit and place a front paw on you, or maybe even both. Kind of a means to keep you there petting them. WELL, this one cannot do that anymore. She puts her head down either on your shoulder or tucks into your chest. I love my dog.

She is just shy of being back on her regular full diet (3 C of a limited protein kibble...venison and sweet potato). I am on a mission to get her back on her old schedule for everything....feeding, going outside, playtime, bedtime. We are almost there.

I know she is feeling better because my opportunities to get photos are dwindling. I got some nice belly shots and will work on a amp one to post later.

Working Vizsla

When you think of Vizslas working, you envision them out in the field; however, this Vizsla is working on her year end financial analysis of our family business and doing a damn good job!

Little lady worked the flight of 8 steps to get up to her office after cruising all the way from the car. That is our longest excursion yet. She followed that by a hop out to the executive puppy potty at midday with grace considering she is still on narcotics.

When we got home, D suggested we take off the t-shirt and give her a good scratch! Here she is having dinner, only her regular venison and sweet potato diet with fresh sweet potato for some extra deliciousness... The one dark area of the amp incison, just needs to be cleaned up. It was the one spot that was not 100% when the staples were removed. In addition to her amp shave marks, she has belly shave upon shave from the ultrasounds, aspirates, and lipoma excision. Please ignore her large "lady lump," as she has is one of the lumpiest ladies around. That goofy pop song was written for Cheddar.

kick assed puppy...video link

So, I have tried for forever now to get video uploaded here and it isn't flying. Here is a link to a video of our rockin' girl today. She is looking strong and feeling more like herself!

Feeling good on a lazy Saturday

This is how we started the day. Nice huh? A far more with it Cheddar greeted me this morning. We got a great night of sleep and only woke up to adjust a few times. It was so snuggly and warm in our bed that she only got up to go outside when it was absolutely necessary. Then it was down to business and a quick sniffing, but that was enough. It was too chilly outside so we followed her lead and hopped back inside.

Cheddar is MUCH better today. In fact, she is following me around from room to room. In fact, she kept me company in the bathroom while I showered. She has even joined her Dad in the sunroom for some coffee time. Her eyes are brigher. She seems more interested in what is going on around the house. Hooray. Even after a hop around the house or outside, she isn't winded and panting as she has been. She seems steadier on her feet. Although she did whine for a few minutes out of nowhere last night, I don't sense that she is in pain right now. Hallelujah!

I got more carpet runners to lay down as runways (more like hop-ways) on our hardwood floors. That is going to happen today.

I have been trying for 3 days to upload video of her in motion without any luck.

So, here is a photo of her amp incision at 11 days post surgery. Looking great! One spot is a little scabby, but the two sides appear fused overall.

The second photo is the belly incision. This is much, much better. It lays between her lady blubber so it doesn't get a lot of air and from the beginning was inflamed and irrated by those crummy staples.

UPDATE:
I went outside for a minute. Often the door to the backyard doesn't latch properly and either Cheddar or Oliver can open it and come into the screened in porch. Well, Oliver, the kitty, looooves to be on the back porch. Did I say I went out for a minute? Well, the kitty came out on the porch on a very chilly day. When I got to the porch, it wasn't kitty...it was PUPPY!!!! Hooray!

AND, if that wasn't good enough, Karen came to visit and got the most exciting and enthusiastic reception from Cheddar. Ched popped up and zoomed over to say "hi" with full body wiggle/waggle! AWESOME!!!!

What a fantastic day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got my baby back

Cheddarina is feeling better today! In fact, she felt good yesterday afternoon. I did get video of her moving from the backyard, up a few stairs, and into the house; however, I could not get it to upload after a zillion tries. I will try again over the weekend. More importantly, my girl is back. She is not 100%, but she definately feels better than yesterday's lump of a pup. She is interested in treats. The tail is a-waggin'. THank god....she slept great and only woke up here and there for ~15 minutes to circle around and fluff her pillows (well, my down comforter). In fact, I had an hour long meeting in another part of our building. When I returned to my office, she was waiting at the baby gate for me. She got right up and even allowed our vistors to pet her while she showed interest in checking them out. NICE!!!! D is still looking for our kid to boo-roo for crack (a.k.a. treats). When that happens the Champagne will flow and I promised her some icecream.

maybe not sideways...we have a fever

Well, after Tuesday night's weird episode, we took Cheddar to the doctor yesterday. Not only did they want to see her, but we got out staples out!!! So, that was awesome because the belly staples were looking really raw and appeared really uncomfortable. One little spot on her amp incision was a little weepy, but otherwise fantastic!
So, we found she had a fever. We will continue the Baytril (antibiotic) and Tramadol (pain med) for an additional week. I swear, the minute you told her she had a fever, she went limp and lethargic.
Although she ate well last night, she was quite quiet. Once I settled down to go bed, she did hop up and sleep ON me. We woke up at 2 a.m. on the nose (hope this routine changes soon), and fluffed around the bed for an hour, but did not go out.
We are back to work today. She did not walk in like she did previously...her sweet Daddy carried her. I plan on giving her pain meds on her new schedule. My fingers are crossed that our animated pup is back soon.

Two steps forward...one wobbly one sideways

Cheddar had a great day at work. It seems like getting back to our regular routine is the best plan of action. She did not over do it physically, but maybe mentally. At the end of the day she was worn out. When we got home, she had her 30 minute heating pad and massage treatment, a little dinner, and then a snooze.
Later in the evening, I could hear her respiration and it sounds really irregular. I paid closer attention and it was all over the place and really fast. It was really upsetting. She wasn't exerting herself, in fact, she was laying complete flat and just huffing & puffing without any pattern. Ched even fell asleep and dreamt during this period. All of the muscles in her face and around her wound were twitching and the crazy breathing continued. I didn't know what to do. D told me to call the ER and they said I should check that her gums were pink indicating her O2 levels were o.k. They were. This passed after about 45 arduous minutes. Misery.
Then, we both got some sleep, with a 2 a.m. potty break. Not sure why, but she doesn't settle down after the potty breaks for a long time. She is just trying to nest and get comfy. Finally, she laid down behind me, on top of all the fluffy bedding, leaned against me and passed out. Yeah, so here she is snoring, the cat is curled in a ball in front of me and it is a Mom sandwich and I am the meat. The meat that cannot move.
This morning, she was up raring to go. Hopping around the house to keep and eye on us. She got her last dose of her Tramadol. I think I may get some more just in case. The idea of the pain script being complete is scary.
p.s. I tried to take some video of her following me around last night, but I blew it.

Slave Driver! Get back to work!

Yesterday, Cheddar stayed home with D. He has had a crummy cold/flu for far too long.
When I got home from work, D said Ched had not been drinking today. So, I poured her a bowl of chicken stock and she drank quite a bit. *sigh*
After a quiet evening, I woke up at midnight with a Vizsla standing over me. ONE WEEK to the day after a scapular disarticulation of her front right limb and abdominal surgery to remove a necrotic lipoma, girlfriend moved from the bed, out the door, down the stairs, rocked #1 & #2, got a drink and went back to bed. All of this was without any support, sling, or help at all! *SIGH*

10 years ago, I came to work for my family business. At that time, the only request I made was to bring my dog to work. Well, we don't play around here and Cheddar is back to work today. She has a lot of catching up to do. Hell, some of our employees who have a minor first aid issues don't get back to work this quickly. D helped me set her up. I thought I would have to carry her up to our office, but Nope. She made it with a little help from the sling.

P.S. I found a great link on limb amputation from the ACVS.

http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/LimbAmputation/

Also, I have some good pics of the incision and will post them later.

Woohoo for poo...

We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and went outside, just Ched and me...so that was cool. When D woke up, we trekked outside together and had some relief.
You know things are back to basics when you get excited when your dog poops. Well, this was a major achievement of the day in addition to a nice long walk from our living room outside and back. We aren't talking little girlie poop...this was serious business that warrented applause.
After that, I ran to the store to buy her a wife beater t-shirt (for lack of a better name). The plan is to take her to work with me tomorrow and the shirt will protect the wound and keep it clean. I was at the store 10 minutes and got a phone call from D that Ched was crying, uncomfortable, and her muscles were conctracting along her whole leg-less side. So, I grabbed the shirts and got home quickly.
Commence puppy massage. For the last two hours, after a dose of meloxicam and half an hour of the heating pad, we have chilled and massaged the patient. She is resting comfortably with Ina Garten on the tube and brother Oliver supervising.

Got a joke for you....WHAT was that?!!!

Cheddar had her first visitor just a little while ago. Uncle S is always there when you need him. He added a little levity with a joke" What did the nurse say to the doctor after Cheddar's surgery? Who cut the cheese." Thank god for Uncle S

Holy &^%(%! just as I was typing there were some thuds coming from the living room....I turned to the door of our office and there was CHEDDAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She got up to find me, to tell me she had to pee. We scooped her up and took her outside.

I gave her a little rawhide as a reward and now she seems annoyed that she cannot hold it down with her paws. I tried to hold it for her and she wasn't having that. She is now fast asleep with what looks like a cigar in her mouth. (She hopped all the way in here to ask for help!! OMG! OMG) What a girl?!!

side note: there was a lot of swelling below her incision...today it is WAY down.

Bad Mom...poor dopey.

The sedative worked. A little too well. I gave her a whole pill and knew I should have tested one half first. Stupid me. I REALLY know better.
It is 12 hours since she had the pill and she is still out of it. I did just get a meager tail wag and, of course, she ate her morning pain med with cheese, but she is super dopey...so much so, D & I don't want to risk taking her outside.
On the bright side, I don't have to and this is why.
In the night, maybe around 3 a.m., Cheddar got up, stepped down off of the mattress, and settled down on her own bed. All by herself. I was impressed even though I thought it was weird as I watched her in the darkness. In fact, her movements were very fluid and seemingly solid. Maybe she just wanted to adjust. NOT! She was so doped up on the Acepromazine that she had wet the bed.
Now, let me share a little of Cheddar's character. She is so well behaved that even for the smallest bad deed, she essentially tattles on herself. For example, she has a thing for q-tips, used ones. So, if you find the tip less stick of a q-tip on the floor, she hangs her head and removes herself from the situation. Whatever it might be, it is so minor that it is almost amusing...poor dog, punishing herself.
SO, poor baby, what was she thinking, in her ultra-sleepy state, when she moved to her own bed after her mistake. I hope it was she just wanted to get away from the wet spot. UGH. Lesson learned...I will take my lumps.
At least she is getting a lot of rest. Also, she is so sleepy that I managed to get this picture...albeit not so flattering with her eyes glazed over.

INTENSE, but not afraid. 24 hours home. 72 hours as a Tri-pawd.

The patient is resting now on a queen sized mattress with 600 t.c. sheets under a down comforter. Watching some show on Bravo.

Before bringing her home, we got only glowing reports from the Vet staff. Most significantly to me, hearing that they had never seen a old lady amputee do this well and comparing her to a 3 year old pup. Most significantly to Cheddar, she wasn't interesting in her own food, but preferred sharing the nurse's pb&j. They said she had successfully walked within 14 hrs of surgery and was walking up to 50 yards including navigating a small step or two. This gave me more confidence knowing she would be coming home soon and, we would be the ones to help her learn how to walk on 3 legs.

We brought her home yesterday around 4p.m. after a two night stay post surgery. When the nurse brought her in to the waiting room on her shaky 3 feet, I thought her wagging tail might be enough to knock her down, but she made it out to the car, after a quick pee. We really needed the nurses help to figure out how to lift her causing the least amount of pain. Evidently, it was hard for them to figure that one out, too, considering her abdominal incision to remove a large necrotic mass in addition to the removal of her leg. By wrapping one arm in front of her leg and cupping the incision and wrapping the other one behind he back legs, with only a little squeak, we got her into the car and headed home.

SOOOOOO, our kid has a foot long wound from where her shoulder to her chest and another one from he belly button down. YIKES. (I have to sneak to get photos later when she is sleeping, since she is so camera shy.) There is some edema, or fluid, collecting below the cut on her chest and fresh pink bruising.

When she got home in her own bed, it took her a good 2 hours to get comfortable and finally sleep. We rearranged the furniture and got settled in to keep her company for the night. When she woke up 2 hours later, we took her outside to pee. It was exhausting for all of us. She was quite shaky, but got from the bed, to the door, down 3 steps with our help. Following that, she was panting and happy to lay back down.

Being able to manage/eliminate her pain is my priority. I know that she will adjust to her tri-pod status, but I just don't want her to hurt. She still has a morphine patch from the vet and is on antibiotics and other pain meds, too. Still with all of this, last night, she was uncomfortable and would whimper on every exhale. She slept for 2 hours and then would be up for ~3. All I knew to do was to pet , kiss, whisper, and spoon her until I could give her more meds at 6 a.m. D helped me get her out to relieve her self and he headed to work. After that, both she and I got to sleep a little more.

When we woke up, I got a call from the vet to check in and ask for something to help her with this uncomfortability at night. Then, I called our new friend, Darcy. Thank goodness, for our new friends, Darcy and her tri-pod Master Hunter (another Vizsla) Bart. Knowing they have not only been through this but conquered it is HUGE!!! Darcy is full of empathy, encouragement and kindness.

Since then, Cheddar has been resting comfortably on the mattress and I swear she is watching t.v. for the first time ever. Surprisingly she hasn't slept since this morning. One new pill from the vet will rectify that later.

Calm before the storm

We are doing all we can to get prepared for my 11 year old Vizsla's amputation. Her right front leg has a large spindle-cell sarcoma tumor, a soft tissue cancer, above her elbow that reared it's ugly head on Labor Day. Since then, it has been a roller coaster of inconclusive tests, negative results, then positive results.

She is a healthy and HAPPY girl otherwise.

Today I bought the last thing on my list, Rescue Remedy, a holistic calming supplement.

Our appointment is Tuesday morning.