Well, poop!!!
In a good way…Mona had her first post-surgery BM yesterday and that was a cause for celebration.
Made a sling from a modified wine bottle carrier and it works well to keep her safe while navigating steps. Once she’s out in the yard, we drop it and she’s on her own.
Did pretty well yesterday morning (when the poop-event occurred), but by afternoon was looking a bit shaky, panting and uncomfortable. It was a beautiful day and unseasonably warm, so my wife tossed a blanket on the ground, with a book, and we brought Mona out.
Didn’t go well. She was shaking and more than ready to head back inside.
Having spent a lot of time reading the resources here yesterday, I think I may have been the source of the problem. Yesterday morning, I decided to give Mona only one of her two pain meds. My thought was, “we could always up the dosage later, if need be.”
Then I read “it’s better to prevent the pain than to try to eliminate it after it occurs.” One more pain pill, plus a dose of the anti-anxiety meds and she calmed down.
Today, she’s up and about…but a little unsure about the best way to get down from the standing position. Seems to get up just fine. Letting her figure that out on her own and resisting the urge to help. Not easy, though.
Going for a bandage/incision check tomorrow. Still more than a week before the sutures come out. Then Chemo…
Anyone have any experience with physical therapy help? I know there are a lot of recommended excersises on this site, but wondering if there is an advantage to working with professionals. I think we need to get about 10-15 pounds off Mona and work on her core strength. Any experience you can share would be appreciated.
Here she is earlier today:
Tail wagging!
I actually don’t have any advice on rehab or physical therapy (I would suggest starting a post on the forums since those get more traffic than blogs sometimes). I do know Tripawds will offer rehab reimbursements too!
I am glad Mona seems to be doing better. Yeah.. staying on top of the pain is the best. She looks great and so pretty in the pink! I think I read she’s an ESA dog too? My new girl is also a certified ESA. They give SO much love and comfort – I know this new dog helped me learn to smile again after the loss of my beloved soul mate.
looking forward to more updates!!!
Hugs,
alison with spirit shelby in her heart
Mona, you are a very, very cute pup! Your “tripawdness” made you even cuter, if that’s even possible!
Yeah, the hospital meds are all out of Mona’s system now, so it’s important to not let the pain get ahead start.
I know it’s jard ro watch as they try to figure things out. All we can do is give reassurance and a whole lotta’ “good girl”.
Oh my gosh! Almost forgot! HOPPY POOP DANCE!!! CONGRATULATIONS MONA!
I didn’t do any PT with my Happy Hannah, so no help there, but others here have.
Jist keep things chunked down for now, get through the recovery and recuperation time, and move forward from there.
A d in the meantime, get plenty of rest yourselves. This is a very exhausting journey for the humans! Recovery doesn’t last forever and Mona’s sparkle will come baxk bigger and brighter than ever!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS…I do know that you can do a lot of PT at home. Search the site for strength building exercises you can do.
What a little cutie!
Awesome. my girl has become more chilled easier since her amputation, in damp and cooler weather, IDK why, maybe from missing muscle and tissue allows doesn’t protect the main blood path.
PT is great, yes you can do ex on your own or just consult with a certified canine PT and get a game plan for you to do on your own. In addition for weight loss and low impact, finding a pool, alot of indoor doggie pools have been opening all over the country.
My girl had a ACL plus, the amputation so, we looked for lower impact things and some of the balancing things aggrevated the CCL. But swimming was great for her.
Your pup is doing awesome. and a cutie petuty..
Neka & Steph