Day 1 Post-Op

We woke up this morning to find that Abby moved her sweater in the night...with no arm to anchor her sweater in place, the sweater that velcros across her chest has almost free mobility. That's not good because she can get to her sutures and lick, and the sweater can also rub against the sore (not good). So we got smart: We grabbed a sweater-dress with a hood on it, stitched shut the right leg, and put it on her. Then, we put on her collar over the dress (loosened up A LOT) so that she can't get to her sutures. The dress velcros down the middle of her chest, so it is not rubbing aginst her boo-boos. And we already cleaned the area with peroxide, but I think she is still a bit doped up because she didn't feel like eating her meds this morning (1 antibiotic that smells like strawberry or cherry, 1 general pain reliever, and a super small dosage of the same stronger painkillers she got at the vets yesterday- all mixed in with vienna sausage, which she usually likes).

But she did feel up for a small treat that was a chicken and rawhide; as well as my Mom's excellent dog cuisine: boiled chicken and cooked rice, peas and carrots, Royal Canin Chihuahua 28, and a dietary supplement mixed in daily.

She will spend today in a wonderful, spacious (for her small stature) doggie stroller, padded and warm (I have class today and my mom said she would keep an eye on her). She's already moving around on three legs, and her balance seems better than when she had four legs! She does this "praying mantis" thing where she hitches up on her back legs, and we think that contributed to her leg break. Now that she has to rely on the front left leg, I noticed that she keeps her balance better and does the "praying mantis" thing a little less. That could also be because she is a little woozy from the surgery. But I am an optimist.

It will probably take a few months for the shaven hair to grow in again, so she will sport sweaters and t-shirts - especially with the impending cold weather. When she can move around better, we will have to find a way for her harness to work well. Without the leg to anchor the harness, much like with anchoring the sweater, I think we will have to make a few minor adjustments to the harness so that she is secure, not strained, and comfortable.

I think her story is inspiring. She is already moving a bit, back to talking to me, and I think it shows her inner strength. Her missing leg I think will be hardly noticeable, because with the nub that remains, she can move her torso pretty well still. And she will wear cute little sweaters with the arm stitched shut, or sweaters with the arm tied off.

It is truly a rewarding experience to be a small part in this pup's rehabilitation!

Sleeping off the meds...

Went to pick up Abby, and found out about what we're getting into...She's on some strong pain meds for a few days as needed, a daily antibiotic, and a daily pain medicine that's to get her through the day...She has a drain on the leg that is getting removed on Saturday, unless there's a problem - and the vet said that so far it's been barely draining at all (good news). She still needs to be confined for the first week to ten days, at least to adjust and heal initially...

Abby has a small nub where the leg was, and that's so that the musculature does not cave in - I think this will be better for her balance. She may have phantom pangs - and that is apparently normal. Other than that, we continue the other treatments, and she should be up and running around with the other dogs in 3-4 weeks!

Right now, she is sleeping off some of the meds...she has a pain patch that will probably get removed when the drain does. We got her a post-op sweater at Wal-Mart that is warm and extra padded. Since they shaved a lot off her chest and she's a little zoned out, it's a snug sweater that velcros across the neck and belly...it won't bother her sutures at all!!

Well, I suppose foster mom should rest while she does...until next time!

A Nervous Day for TLC!

So, dropped Abby off first thing in the morning, no problems at all...they said they would call us as soon as she was coming up from anesthesia, and then tomorrow we would get the call when they took her A.M. temperature...I was at work today when my mom called me. The vets were having an issue stabilizing her core temp...so it was a waiting game, and my mom said, "I think they are basically...trying to keep her alive."

So I had to continue at work, nervous for the little pup, as I was with Jayda, another TLC dog who had a leg pinning surgery (got hit by a car, left at the shelter with broken leg AND birthed four puppies, and the surgery came 18 days after the hit)...A little while later, my mom called to tell me that they had found another break in her leg that the X-Rays didn't catch; our options were amputation or euthanasia...Amputation meant more money, but euthanasia was just so heartbreaking.

I stood there on the phone with her, dumbfounded...She said that she declined euthanasia and told them to amputate the leg, and told me we would just cross our fingers and hope she made it through the anesthesia okay...About twenty minutes later, my mom called, this time with good news:

1) Abby was waking up out of the anesthesia (!!!)
2) By amputating the leg, they actually saved money in the long run (no post-op x-rays, etc)
3) Recovery time would probably be less than eight weeks (smile)

I was relieved, and there was no hesitation for us - whoever adopts her will love her for her three legs! So what does this mean for a TLC dog?

a) no steps for Abby - way too difficult now that there's only one front leg. At least no steps until she is 150% recovered
b) she still needs a few weeks recovery - no movement, loving attention, good medicine, and a super healthy diet (to help keep her muscles and bones strong) - followed by some weeks learnin' the ropes 3-legged style
c) Abby is now (even more so) a special-needs dog, one who would do well in a comfortable purse or papoose sack, but who at a young age is still going to need to play and exercise. A balance will have to be struck.

Abby comes back to us tomorrow with a drain in her leg, but the vet said that stitching her up proved to be easier than they expected (good for healing). Usually, it is difficult for a dog to recover when a front leg is lost. However, the vet said that because she is so little, adjustment should be easier...And finally, she is a good example of rehabilitation and the hope for success!!

It's definitely one small Chihuahua step and one GIANT leap for rehabilitation!

Going in for Surgery!

She seemed to know that something was up this morning, as I picked her up out of her soft crate that sits on my desk, open mesh side facing me at night so we can see each other...She had that look like, "Ok, what's up next?!" It was an early wakeup call for her - 7AM!!! And my alarm went off a few times in the hour before, so she was ready to go!

My mom bought her a lovely collar/harness/leash set yesterday, black with pink polka dots, and a lovely sweater to wear to keep warm post-surgery...She is one spoiled little TLC pup! But that's how it should be!

When I didn't immediately pick her up (I wanted to get a pre-op shot), she jumped back down and showed me her butt. As if to say, "Well, if you're not gonna pick me up, I will go the other way! Harumph!"

We will hear back later today how the surgery went, and pick her up tomorrow...

Stay tuned!

First Day Visiting Adoptions (and other adventures)

With Abby's small stature, it is easy to take her anywhere I would like, provided that I have her secured in a doggie bag (between my mom and I, we have a wide selection from which I can choose)...So I have taken her on errands, and even to class...

I have a three hour long class Wednesday afternoons, and for a small pup, that's probably a long time. But I took her out, made sure she went potty beforehand, and even managed to sneak some love pats when the professor wasn't looking. The next week, after she had broken her leg, I decided to take her again to this class. She couldn't move anyways, so it made sense. I brought her favorite chew toy (a purple rubber-ish bone with white, pink, and purple ties on each side), and a few Greenies for her to munch on.

We had to move into groups for an activity, and as I moved across to my designated spot, puppy purse in hand, Abby poked her head out!! The professor saw, and said, "Aww, what a cute pup." Nothing about keeping a dog outside the classroom, or voiced concerns about others' allergies, or rude comments about dogs being poop machines or whatever...So I moved to my spot across the room and we got started with our activity.

About an hour into class, we were still working in groups, and Abby started to whine. As in, "I wanna be let out and held, or hold my toy for me and pet me while I chew it". Apparently, the professor had stepped out of the room, but I didn't know this and busied myself with trying to get her to calm down. I dug for the Greenie, showed it to her, held it for her (all while straining around one of those University desks, if you can imagine)...She wasn't content because I wasn't holding her!

Well, everyone around me understood by that point that I had a puppy with me, and a Chihuahua at that. I heard them whispering about the rat dogs, and did that girl have a dog with her, and does the professor know...Well I sat right back up quickly, looked around, and trying to play it cool, I said, "Hey, whassup?" (A few people around me laughed).

The professor returned, and every time Abby whined, someone around me would cough or whip out their cell phone on the pretense of shutting it off. It was funny to see everyone around me trying to hide the pup, even though the professor already knew...:)

I also have an early morning Saturday class, which is right before adoptions. I decided to bring Abby to this class as well, since it is lecture and lab, and I can keep a close eye on her under the long lab tables that obscure the person sitting behind them. One girl in my lab group said, "Um...your purse is moving...and...that's kinda freaking me out." I smiled and told her, "I know..." and the girls around us kind of looked at me curiously... so then I said, "Oh, I have my foster puppy with me...she broke her leg, so I get to take her with me everywhere."

So after they got a good look at her, and we finished the experiment, I headed off to adoptions. It would be the first time for Abby back at adoptions as a true example of what adoption is about: rehabilitation. My mom brought an extra crate for her, and I made sure she had had her meds in the morning, and secured her in the crate before beginning the day at adoptions.

I brought her for a few reasons: 1) adoption days are long and it would be a lonely day for her with her bum leg, 2) I wanted her to be an example of rehabilitation, and 3) it was Halloween portrait day and I wanted a photo of her (proceeds to the store where we hold adoptions) to be taken, bum leg and all...Only, the cute little french maid costume we had for her wouldn't work with the casted leg. So she had to be either a lion, a banana, or wear a hat that came with one of the other costumes..

She was a banana for the majority of adoptions, but she looked cutest wearing the little princess hat - complete with the little hanging veil!! And she got a lot of attention in both garbs, and people were fascinated by her story. A good day for rescue!

Accomodating the pup...

Photos from top to bottom, L to R:
Day 1 with the cast; The sack for Foster Momma to carry her in; Acting as co-editor to a paper Foster Momma has to write; "Paws"ing for reflection; exhausted after all that work!

Abby's Debut

We pulled Abby from the shelter August 25, 2009. Completely bald on her head at just over 3 months old, Abby had been dropped off at the shelter, left to die. TLC, my mom's dog rescue, decided to pull and rehabilitate her. A little known fact about Chihuahuas is that the skin at the top of their head does not fully meet - exposing a bare part of their skull! Well, when Abby lost the hair on her head, that sensitive spot was exposed, and she would SCREAM soooo loud if that part got touched. She had to be kept separate from any of the other dogs and puppies that TLC had pulled because of her extreme sensitivity.

She came to adoptions once, and she did not like it at all. She cried, whimpered, and people were curious and/or disgusted as to why she had lost hair on her head...so we posted her picture every week at adoptions, hoping that someone would fall in love with her.

Well, after fostering her for just over a month, and after she had been sleeping in my bed for about a week, I took over her fostering and care. I had pretty much loved her from the beginning, but as a foster mom I have to keep my heart at a distance from these dogs...but with her kennel cough, and missing hair, and dire need for love and attention, I figured I'd officially take over.

t just 3 pounds (and as most Chis are hypoglycemic), she would get cold easily. We also grabbed a small doggie purse from our old collection, and I managed to find a collar/harness/leash set that matched her personality (red with white doggie bones...). I picked out a cute purple bed for her, complete with donating my own purple blanket...As a girl, her colors are officially pink, red, and purple...

But in the early morning hours of a pleasant Sunday, Abby took too large of a step down a doggie step. She had been climbing larger, taller doggie steps into the couch for about a week, so the trip down a small step definitely surprised us all. We thought it was just a sprain, but xrays proved it to be a break. They casted the leg, and we have a leg-pinning surgery scheduled for Monday, October 26th.

She will require eight weeks of rehabilitation for the leg - that means little to no movement, and learning how to walk all over again. She still gets a treatment daily for the hair loss, a special shampoo on her head twice a week, ointment in her ear daily for an ear infection, and antibiotics every day for the kennel cough...It will be quite a journey for this little girl, who just turned five months old...

Stay tuned.