Today was the big day. Today is Sunny’s amputation. We were up early to make sure Sunny was at the vets by 7 am. He seemed about as excited as me with the 5:30 am car ride.
It’s too early for a car ride!
We got the vet a little before 7 am and got checked in. While I could tell Sunny was a little anxious, he always gets that way about car rides, especially recently given all the vet visits. I on the other hand was very calm. We have been going to BluePearl now for several years for our other dogs and I know from first hand experience that they really are some of the best vets in Atlanta. As scary as it is, I’ve always felt some relief when we get them there. Whether it works out or not, I know everything that can humanly be done for them will be. I feel so fortunate that we not only live in a metro area that has such options, but that we can afford them. After all the paper work was filled out we sat and waited for the tech to come get us. By now Sunny had calmed down and was just sitting next to me or trying to wander off and visit other dogs.
Sunny waiting at the vets.
Shortly after 7 am they came to get Sunny. By then he was calm enough that he just went back with the tech without even glancing back at me. They marked the leg they would be removing and told me they would call us as soon as he was out of surgery.
Hours went by. I was told they had a full schedule today so we may not hear until sometime this afternoon. Around 1 pm Dr. Winkler called to confirm that they were amputating his back left leg. He said that time Sunny was already anesthetized and doing great. Around 3:30 pm Dr. Winkler called back to let us know that Sunny was out of surgery and had been moved to recovery. He is doing well and everything went according to plan. Our next update will be sometime tomorrow morning unless there are any issues. However, they are not expecting any. We were also told that we could visit Sunny tonight, however we figured he is probably still pretty drugged up so it was best just to let him rest. Our next update will be tomorrow morning. They are hopeful he will be able to come home tomorrow, however since the surgery was done this afternoon he may have to wait until Friday. Either way we are just happy he is doing well.
Now, we can begin the recovery process. In the hopes of making it as easy as possible for Sunny we began getting the house ready this afternoon. We decided to place our bed on the ground to keep him from jumping up and we placed carpet down on all of our tile and hardwoods to keep him from slipping. I also put the baby gate back up to stop him from venturing down the stairs. In a way we have been down this road before since we had another dog who had back surgery. For his recovery we took all of the same precautions. That said I think it will be a lot easier with Sunny since he is not nearly as active and rambunctious.
I also went ahead and ordered several items based on what I read over at Tripawds in terms of how to make the recovery easier on your dog. This included a new Ruffwear We Master harness for Sunny so we could easily assist him with walking after his surgery (especially on the stairs), a new orthopedic memory foam dog bed (I’m pretty sure his bed is now nicer than mine!) and raised dog bowls to make eating easier. I also bought him a few more of his favorite type of toy and a more comfortable “cone of shame.” While I hope he doesn’t have to be in the cone long, we learned quickly after his biopsy that if we took the cone off for even a minute he would attempt to lick his stitches. We also stocked up on some wet food just in case he doesn’t want to eat much following surgery and some peanut butter pill pockets just to make medicating him easier early on.
Tom, Pete, Sunny and Honey, we’re SO hoppy everything went great! I agree, it’s best to let the patient rest that first night. Sunny will be home in no time at all.
You have done such a great job (not just with the pawesome blog!) but also with how you’ve prepped your home, and your mindset, for the coming recovery. I do believe that you’ll find it easier than recovering from back surgery, usually amputation recovery goes much smoother than most people think it will.
If you need anything at all just bark. We’re here for you.
P.S. Thank you again for becoming a Tripawds Supporter, we are so grateful!
Thanks Jerry! I’m sure I’ll be posting in the forums as he recovers with questions. I have found them to be extremely useful just to get an idea of what to expect.
Glad to hear the surgery has gone well! That’s great news! My dog Molly goes in for amputation of her back right leg tomorrow so it will be nice to be able to stay in touch about how they are both recovering! Stay positive as you are doing! I’m trying to be strong and have already got preparations in place as you have with the harness etc xx keep us updated xx
Thanks Kirsty! Good luck with Molly tomorrow. Positive thoughts! It will be nice that we can compare notes along the way.
Yay!! Happy that things went well!
Thanks Justice! 🙂
Tom, glad the surgery went well. I’ll keep Sunny in my thoughts and of course you and Pete. Take care.
Thanks Denise! 🙂
Sweet Sunny!!!
Hang in there, you’ll be running around on 3 legs in no time. Please keep us posted and we are all here for you!
Xoxo
Julie and Spirit Buddy
Thanks! I’m hoping to post every day. 🙂
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR SUNNY!! SURGERY IS DONE!! And Sunny is high as a kite right now and not feeling a thing!! Try and get some rest tonight. You may not get.much rest for a few days! Stay connected, recovery can be a bit rough for awhile.
I absolutely adore the pictures of Sunny! He is cute as a button! Looking forward to seeing more!
I may have already mentioned this. When you go to pick Sunny up, just looked into his druggie eyes and tell him what a good boy he is! There is no need to look at the incision because he sure isn’t! I will tell you this, they do save a huge amount of fur………… just sayin’
Check in when you can. We’re all cheering for sweet Sunny!
Thankfully we got some sleep last night and today is my last day at work until he is better unless he doesn’t come home until tomorrow. So I guess I’m ready not to sleep? Sunny liked to sleep prior to surgery so I’m hoping with the drugs he will be able to get in at least a solid 20 hours/day…lol.
I looked at some of the photos on Tripawds of surgery sites so I’m ready… I work with primates for a living so I’ve seen some pretty bad wounds in my day. 🙂
Almost forgot…
HUGS!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thanks!
Hooray for Sunny! And it sounds like you have done a great job Tripawd proofing your home for his triumphant return. The next 10 or so days will be hard, but I bet Sunny amazes you, especially when the staples come out.
I hope so. Our other dog also seems to like all the rugs we put down, so at least they have been dog approved. I’m already looking forward to the staples being removed!