Ray the Rottie

We were VERY anxious the day Ray had his surgery. We had UPenn do a cat scan prior to surgery to get a good look to see if the cancer had spread to his chest/lungs. We got a call around noon on Friday that his cat scan came back clear and didn’t show any signs of spreading. We were so thrilled to hear this news but do realize that even though the scan was clear, there was the possibility that there were very tiny amounts present. Nonetheless, we were happy to hear that and were now anxiously awaiting the call that he was out of surgery. Finally – around 5:30pm we got the call that everything went really well & were told that he would probably come home Sunday. The dr. felt that since Ray was a big boy, he may need that extra day to get some help getting up and around. We were very surprised when we got the call at 7:45am Saturday morning that we could pick him up & take him home! They said that he was doing really well and up and about wanting to leave to go home! That is our Ray…he loves being home – on his sofa watching tv & getting into bed with us at night. I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw him and was really nervous about seeing him. I forgot about all that once we walked into his room and all I was, was just happy to see him! Getting him home was a little tricky…he was tired by the time we got home and it took a long time just getting him into the house. He would take a few steps and than lay down for a little while. He was wearing his harness which came in handy because he really did need the support. I was surprised with myself – I thought I would be just devasted seeing him without his leg but instead I saw my Ray who already looked like he was in so much less pain than before the surgery, and that made me feel good. Once we got him inside, we had an area setup with a cushiony bed and setup a pen around it so he wouldn’t try & get up on the sofa. I felt horrible because I know how he likes to get up on the sofa and loaf around. What was even harder was not allowing him in the bedroom. Ray loves, loves, loves bedtime & has an internal clock that let’s him know is 10pm and he would grab his 3ft long bone and jump into bed. We do have a ramp for the bed but until he heals we need to keep him out. I would say that the only thing that seemed to bother him his first few days home was not being allowed in the bedroom. He would just scratch at the door and whimper – broke my heart. His bruising was very intense looking but all in all I think his sutures looked pretty good. So far no leakage or swelling – I hope it stays that way! This is the first time Ray has ever slept in a dog bed. We did buy them for him before but he wouldn’t even put a paw on it! Not even if we put a treat on the bed! He is getting Tramadol and Deramaxx and Pepcid AC and I think this is really diminishing his appettite. He is eating but this is the first time he has left food in his bowl. Since he is a little over weight – he is getting even smaller portions than before. I just hope he can lose the weight quickly since now he only has 3 legs & I worry about him injuring his remaining rear leg. We have had Ray on a diet since March – Nutra Source weight management & green beans and he has had trouble dropping the weight. He is 100lbs and in 10/09 he was 92lbs. He really doesn’t have an interest in drinking water – so we have switched to the canned food & I have been trying to add some gatorade into his food. All in all, I think he is doing GREAT for what he just went through. I just worry so much and can’t wait until Tuesday when we meet with the oncologist to discuss chemo!

Less than 24 hours after surgery