29
September
2013
Winded up taking Bailey to the vet early this AM as he had a rough night shaking, upset belly and just seemed uncomfortable. ER Vet believes due to the arthritis in his spine that he is probably having muscle spasms and some arthritis pain. She gave us some medication to coat his belly so it won’t get so upset from the pain meds. She also gave us some anti-inflammatory medication and said we can increase the dosage we were giving him of Rimadyl and Tramadol as we find appropriate for him.
We will see how he does and make sure his quality of life is not diminished by the meds or any pain. Unfortunately the extra stress on his one hind leg is not helping his arthritis.
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28
September
2013
Thought I would update you all on our going-ons. Prancer has actually gained about one pound despite kidney failure. She and Bailey now receive a home cooked meals twice a day that is high in protein. Prancer gets Renavest mixed in with hers. She also receives fluids, 200, once a week and seems to be doing fine. No upset stomach issues or accidents. She recently developed a small tumor on her bottom lip and we are watching it, per the vet’s recommendation, to ensure it does not get bigger. If it increases in size the vet said he is comfortable with giving her a little gas to remove it quickly. She randomly shakes her entire body at times, which the vet thinks is not pain but just her age and her being cold in the air conditioning considered her short hair.
As for my tripawd, Bailey, he is still doing OK but has now been having some walking problems with that back leg. It shakes most of the time, even when sleeping. The vet put him on Tramadol, along with his daily does of Rimadyl, to see if that helped but so far it is now. (he gets 1/2 a Tramadol in the PM and 1/2 a Rimadyl in the AM daily). He is just sleeping a lot and needs help getting up and sometimes walking. Once he gets moving he is OK, but if he slips on the tile in the house sometimes cannot get himself back up and needs help again. I am getting a little worried….he does not seem to be in any pain and will happily play with you on his pillow and the bed, but his movements have become very limited in the last week despite strategic placement of rugs and runners throughout our tiled house. The fact this he is pretty much blind at this point is not helping matters since if he bumps into something he falls down and the cycle begins again.
Paws crossed when it is their time they go on their terms, but I will be here to do my best to ensure there is no pain. Thank you all for your continued advice.
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25
August
2013
Everyone ate, no-one threw up and no-one cried. It was a good day. All tucked into bed. Will wake them up in few for last bathroom break before nighty night.
My love bugs
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21
August
2013
You all have probably heard me mention Bailey’s sister, Prancer. She has been part of our life for about 16 years. We believe she is about 16.5 years old, having adopted her when she was about 9 months of age. I know that this site is for tripawds and issues we face with those pups, but we are now facing an issue with a sister of one of those pups. Prancer was just diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. We have tried IV fluids, which were not very successfully, and are now just trying to maintain a good diet for her to help her body process her food. I, unfortunately, do not believe the prognosis is good, as her vomiting has again started today, just five days following her IV fluids. Prancer is the sweetest dog you could ever meet, just wanting to be touched. She doesn’t really care if you pet her as long as she is able to lean on you or your have a hand on her. She always gets so excited when you come home and is simply satisfied with a small hug. It is sad to imagine my life without her as we have all been preparing ourselves for with life without Bailey. The sad part is I am not sure how long either will be in our lives.
Bailey is really having a hard time holding up his back leg. I will find him dragging his back leg, particularly in the mornings. We have tile in our house, with carpets strategically placed around the house, but I find it happens everywhere. Then there are moments he runs around the house like a five year old. The vet has prepared me that Bailey will likely go into kidney failure like Prancer or will start suffering more back pain, but right now I am more concerned about the dragging of his leg. He is on a low dose of Rimadyl, which he definitely needs, but this dose upsets his belly a little so I am leery to increase such although I think it might help. He is very restless at night trying to get comfortable and we only sleep in short intervals. I have given him Valium (per the vet) to help with sleep on occasion. I am concerned more about pain for him right now than kidney failure as recently he has had moments of crying, which the vet believes is cervical pain.
I know I have been lucky to have my buddies for so long and everyone tells me how fortunate I have been, but I don’t think they realize that doesn’t make it any easier – in fact it makes it harder. I know tough decisions are around the corner as my vet continues to remind me that they will not just go to sleep one night and not wake up. He said that dogs very rarely suffer from heart attacks.
My babies
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6
June
2013
What can I say but we are here. Nineteen wonderful years with a best friend. What more can you ask for……I would love to say Bailey is doing great, but you can see he does have some difficulty walking. He falls down more frequently than I would like, but fortunately, he does not seem to hurt himself. When he walks you can see his back leg appears tired. I don’t know if that is just normal for tripawds or if his age makes it more difficult. He has had arthritis in the tip of his spine for years now but he never seemed to have many issues with it. I am going to start him on a light dose of Rimadyl and see if that helps him any. His biggest issue is his eyesight, however he is adapting and walks more slowly when not sure of the area, but he has bumped into some walls. Despite all this, he still greets me when I come home with a wagging tail, will kiss me whenever the opportunity arises and still plays tug-a-war with me with his stuffed animals and will still play fetch as long as you don’t throw his stuffed animal too far (because he can’t find it then). And let’s not forget those mail trucks that pass by the house – Bailey is out there protecting us all from those trucks. LOL. I continue to think, that one fateful day and one decision, amputate or not……because of the right decision our family has been blessed with Bailey for an additional one year and three months to date and he is celebrating his 19th birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAILEY.
Bailey wanted a small party at home with just his family this year. Here he is getting dressed for his party
Bailey had a special treat for his birthday. His special treats covered with cheese. Yum, cheese.
Bailey with his 2 best friends enjoying birthday treats
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3
May
2013
It is a horrible rainy day here in Florida, but guess who loves the rain. Yep, my tripawd Bailey. Watching him out there you forget he is a tripawd. He loves prancing around in the rain and just standing there getting wet. When he comes in my job begins as he searches for me to towel dry him down. I am not sure what is more fun for him, playing in the rain or getting dry. He plays in the towel like he is a bull running at a red cape.
Bailey and Prancer both had their one year check up a month ago. Bailey is a little anemic….not too bad for an almost 19 year old tripawd. The doc was a little concerned he might have had a slow bleed, but second round of blood tests a month later confirm (lead the doc to believe) he is just a little anemic. Blood work did not change much in the month.
I will post pics of our soon to be 19 year old at his big 19th birthday party. Hmmmmm – what should the party theme be???
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27
March
2013
All I have to say today is “We made it!”. I have been blessed with an extra year with my best friend. Hope you all get them same opportunity.
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19
March
2013
Anyone have problems with their dogs backs after amputation? I notice Bailey sometimes seems like he is dragging his leg and his back seems to turn inward sideways so when he walks he looks like a loose letter “C”. I am worried about his spine. Is this a true concern or am I worried about nothing. Any insight would be great.
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3
March
2013
I have been thinking about you all. I feel like I live by dates and I am guessing everyone does in some way. The most important date…. July 6, 1994. The day Bailey was born. The second date…March 27, 2012. The day our lives changed….amputation day. The day I was told maybe 4 – 6 months with chemotherapy. Someone might have mentioned 9 months, but I only heard four months. Was I going to amputate my best buddy’s leg, put him through some weird alternate reality, chemotherapy and sickness for months.
Was it for me or was it for him?
Decision made.
It was for both of us. I needed to do everything for him as he had been everything for me for 17 years. He was always my support and I needed to be his. He snuggled with me at night when I was scared, he licked my tears when I cried and he danced around the room with me when I was happy.
He wasn’t ready to die…I can tell this every day I come home and he jumps up wagging his tail to greet me….I can tell this every day when I see him outside with his head up in the air enjoying the breeze or the sun….I can tell this every day when he grabs a toy and plays tug-a-war with…and I can tell this when I wake up with him snuggled up next to me and he gives me a kiss. Do I worry? Yep, every day,but boy oh boy I wouldn’t change my decision. As we again look forward to another important date…March 27, 2013, a one year ampuversary, I hope that other people who have to make this decision find this website.
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31
January
2013
My vet referred to this website on his website, which I think I mentioned in the past, and when I was looking at something on his website I came across another person whose dog was having an amputation. They found your website and it helped them with their decision to go forward. Thanks again to TRIPAWDS for helping another friend with four legs get a second chance.
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