The first week post-surgery

Starting this new journey, I had no idea as to what Oliver would need from us in order to support his post-surgery recovery. We have gone through foreign object removal and bloat surgeries, both with their fair share of at-home care, but nothing that had such a great impact on our dog’s mobility. As it turned out, I did a whole lot of worrying for nothing, but since I don’t have a reliable crystal ball, worry I did.

The planning phase

I may have mentioned that I’m a planner at heart…here are some of the things I needed to get a handle on before Oliver’s surgery date:

1. Other pets – we knew the cat wouldn’t be a problem, but we recently adopted an 8-month old rescue puppy (she’s part Pyrenees and part St. Bernard, so just a wee little 85-lb thing 🙂 ) so one of our main concerns was how to manage her natural exuberance and an Oliver who wouldn’t be too steady on his legs for a few days. Addressing the situation head on and having a plan in place helped us feel more in control of things. We decided to tether her to one of us with a leash for the first few days to ensure that he wasn’t accidentally knocked over, which worked very well (both as a bonding experience for her, and as a management tool for us).
2. Sleeping arrangements – Ollie normally sleeps on the bed with me upstairs, so I got out my camping bed and made myself comfortable on the floor in the living room for a few nights. That plan worked for the first night and about 2 hours the second night before the puppy decided she HAD to be upstairs with us, so I ended up sleeping with her leash in hand and Oliver next to me (fun times!).
3. Walking assistance – we knew Ollie would need a support sling of sorts, but weren’t sure what his chest measurement would be post-surgery, so we decided not to order a harness right away, but instead crafted a sling out of a reversible canvas/denim shopping bag by slitting the side seams, and reinforcing the stitching on the bottom of the bag and on the handles. This was comfortable for us to use, and the handles could be loosely tied so he kept the harness on even when he got up without us.
4. Working life – I am fortunate enough to have a very understanding boss, the flexibility to work remotely on occasion, and a family member who works from home, so I decided to work from home (in a limited capacity) for two days, and then have Ollie’s auntie look after him on the last working day before the weekend. This worked well for us, but I realize that Oliver’s age, natural athleticism, pre-surgery condition and downright stubbornness all worked in his favour for a very fast recover time. Be honest with yourself about a realistic recovery time for your pet – you know them best after all!

The reality – snapshots of the first week

What nothing could have prepared me for was the emotional roller-coaster the first weeks post-surgery would be. There were a lot of moments where I had to remind myself to breathe, and remember that the decision to go through with Ollie’s amputation was made out of love, so it was the right decision. Be prepared to deal with the unexpected (and to get to know your vet’s number off by heart, even in today’s age of contact lists in your phone). We tried really hard to follow our usual routine, and to treat Oliver as normal as possible to help him adjust to life on three legs. It’s not easy to see your dog suddenly struggling to do things that have been instinctively easy for them since you brought them home – watching them trying to figure out how to walk, get onto the couch, lie down and do their business is devastatingly beautiful…devastating because you’d give anything for them not to have to go through this, but beautiful because they just go on and are so resilient. It’s been a privilege to accompany Oliver on his journey so far, and we’re continuing to make the most of each day.

The days after we brought Ollie home were filled with a lot of firsts, and the inevitable almost-panic that comes with them…the first time checking the amputation site, the first time trying to figure out his pain management, the first time he did too much and pulled his stitches (realizing that he was bleeding from his surgical site was scary!). I have to say that looking back, Ollie was a fairly model patient. He didn’t seem to feel sick from the anaesthetic and was clearly wanting dinner, so we gave him a partial portion of food and waited until he kept it down for a while, and then he got the rest.

After all the emotions of the day, the humans were exhausted so it was a fairly early night. Around 4:30 I woke up when Oliver suddenly got up and let me know he needed to go outside. We made our way to his potty spot, and he had a few false starts, then looked at me with a look that said “I’ve got this Mum – you need to give me my privacy now.” I think that letting go of that sling, walking away and turning my back honestly ranks up there amongst the hardest things I’ve done in my life, but my little trooper really did have it. Less than 15 hours post-surgery, Oliver was walking unassisted, had done his business, and from that point on refused to allow us to assist him with the support sling. This video was taken 24 hours post-surgery – animals are amazing! Ollie 24hrs

After a few nights of sleeping on the floor and waking up every 6 hours to give Oliver his medication, the lack of sleep started to wear on me and my emotions were definitely high. Oliver on the other hand, had adjusted extremely well and the hardest part was getting him to stay quiet and not do too much. We had a bit of an incident with him being a bit too active and pulling some of his stitches, so we put our first aid kit to good use and put on a gauze bandage to stop the bleeding. This made me a very nervous momma, so when Ollie decided to brave the baby gate (which he’s been afraid of since puppyhood) and go up the stairs there was a bit of a panic (okay, a lot of panic). Looking back, it was kind of funny to see the “I think I’ve made a mistake” look on his face when he stood at the top of the stairs peering down, but there was nothing humorous about trying to figure out how to carry him back down at midnight. We managed, and there was no further bleeding, so it was okay in the end.

Around the middle of the second day is when Ollie got a bit stubborn about taking his pills. I think he had savoured one of his liver sausage “pill pockets” a bit too much and gotten a mouthful of bitter medicine, but he was suddenly having none of it. I tried cream cheese, pill pockets, smoked mussels, cheddar, mini sausages, and peanut butter, all to no avail. I finally had to throw the pills down his throat, which made Ollie unimpressed and me a mess. After a few more times of that, Ollie did decide that he could take his pills in a pill pocket, as long as he got a cheese or peanut butter “chaser”. The joys…

This might be the time to mention that some dogs are pretty good at manipulating their humans. Berners are somewhat known for this, as they are both smart and very attached to their families, which means they quickly pick up on all of our non-verbal cues. Around the third day post-surgery is when Oliver realized that his family was feeling a bit bad for him, and this was something he could use to get what he wanted. He simultaneously got a case of selective hearing loss, and started to feign disinterest in his food. He’d be drooling and quite willingly eat any treat put in front of him, but he “couldn’t possibly” eat his dinner. It was important to keep his strength up, so we got a few cases of high-quality canned food, which he quite happily ate. In the end we had to show him we were more stubborn than he is, and I would hand-feed him his normal raw food, and then give him some canned food as dessert – what he doesn’t need to know is that it’s an easy way to get him to take his powder supplements 😉

After a week, we started to wean Ollie off of some of his pain meds, and he’s super excited to be going out for short walks. He’s pretty well adjusted – he’s jumping onto the bed, snuggling on the couch, getting into the car, and hasn’t once needed any help getting up or around. We’re also getting used to fielding a lot of questions when we go out for walks (no, he wasn’t born with three legs, yes he has gotten used to hopping on three legs, etc.).

You may notice that your dog’s personality has changed a bit after their surgery. This is completely normal, and doesn’t mean they hate their life – it just means that they have a few adjustments to make. Oliver definitely had a bit of anxiety and nervousness, and he’s not really interested in meeting other dogs at the moment. That said, he’s becoming more himself every day, still gets super excited to go for his walks, and we’re thankful he’s not in such pain anymore. We’ve gotten a referral to a rehabilitation centre that does physio, massage therapy and hydrotherapy and are excited to start working with them and our chiropractor to help Ollie rebuild his muscles. Every day that passes is more “normal” than the last, and we’re all getting used to life as or with a tripawd.