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!