The first week after your pet has their limb removed, is full of total panic and worrying moments, and no matter how many people tell you, that your doing a Brilliant Job and everything your doing is Perfect !
You will Still Doubt It ………… that is perfectly normal and completely understandable.
It also show’s everyone around you just how much you love your pet. If anyone says to you, that its a Doddle and your silly worrying, then they either didn’t watch their dog at all, or they slept through the entire week !!!
I do not claim to be an expert in all things ” Amputated “
But I have lived it and I did it on my own, and believe me it was Scary, Worrying, Panic Ridden, Tiring and Totally Emotionally Draining …………
More than that its is also …….. Awe Inspiring, Amazing, Spiritual, Rewarding, Life Bonding, Humbling and A Completely Profound Experience, that will leave with a Total Admiration of What it means ………..
To be DOG and how to Live and LOVE LIFE !
The Courage that your Pet will show you daily will astound you, the acceptance of their Amputation and Illness will enhance your link with this animal, it will be a life transforming experience that you will learn from, never forget and will forever hold this incredible animal in a special part of your heart.
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Fizz showed us daily, how Incredible she Truly Was !
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From the moment Fizz walked into our home she proved, that she was going to show all the doubter’s wrong, and she would do it with style !! This does not mean that the first week, was a bed of Roses, but I suppose it could have gone worse. I have posted already on My Tip’s For Amputation, that can be found on the side of the page, but I want to talk to you about my first week, when Fizzle’s had her leg removed.
The First thing I would recommend for anyone, when they embark on this monumental journey, of Life with a 3 Legged dog. Is to find somewhere that you can talk to ” Normal People ” and get advice or help with question’s, or just a friendly place to just vent out your emotions. I did this on my own and there, is only so much that you can bottle inside yourself, and only so much help or advice that friends, or family can give you.
If you are honest I don’t think you really, want to off load on your partner or children, as when you become a parent, you want to hide your deepest worries, away from your children. As you try, to be strong so they don’t get upset. This then leads you down a very lonely path, of hiding your emotions and keeping those, darkest thoughts pushed back, deep into your mind.
So my first advice for coping, is find someone who has been through it, and know’s how your feeling. This was the whole idea for starting on this journey of Blogging, to be that place that I had needed, when my Fizzle’s first became ill. So if you are going through this alone then I’m here, please just message me on the Bottom and I will try to be that place. The place that I needed when my Fizzle’s, was first diagnosed and her following and courageous battle with Bone Cancer.
This Place Tripawds is a Site that I would have welcomed with open arms 🙂 The people on this site this, deal with Amputations, Cancers, Accidents and Illnesses of all sorts which mean, that your beloved Pet has had an Amputation. Everyone here is going through, the same trauma as you are now, or have lived it like My Fizzly and I. These people are a fountain of knowledge, and you wouldn’t find a nicer bunch of animal lovers, if you looked forever !! I have a few regrets regarding my Fizzle’s, and not finding this site before Fizzly passed is one of them 🙂
The first week with Fizzles was one that I will never forget, the fact that we had set up the garden, and had laid down Carpets, Everywhere ….. Even outside on the deck much to our Coal man’s amusement !! This made the possibility of her slipping less likely, even though she did manage to slip a couple of times, which almost made me have a complete heart attack ! Firstly don’t panic if your dog does fall, because if you never fall ……. how will we learn to pick ourselves up again !
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My Fizzle’s on her 2nd Day after Amputation! |
We also had fenced off area’s like by our pond, and narrow paths where I thought she may slip, or become stuck, as she wouldn’t be able to turn herself around easily. This would come back to bite me a couple of times that first week, and would also show me how stubborn a certain Black and Tan girl was !!! We were very lucky with our Fizzle’s, because she was so mobile so quickly, as I don’t think it would have been easy, for us to have, had to carry that Fatty around the Garden in a Papoose !
The most scary of all things amputated, are actually the most Basic, and things like Walking, Eating, Pain, Chewing Stitches Out. Then the most Basic of all, and the Highest Worry of all, and something that I hadn’t even thought about, which was how would Fizzle’s manage to ” Go to the Loo ” !! I hadn’t even thought about the concept as to how, does a Rottweiler go to the Loo ……. when they only have 1 back leg ??
With regards to the falling over and walking , Fizzle’s sorted this out for herself, as she was walking virtually unaided, as soon as she was allowed to start moving ! So we made sure that the carpets laying around on, could be slippery surfaces so this made the chance of slipping less, than if we’d left the floors uncovered. She still needed help to get up and standing, so the cot bumper came into use once again, and I would recommend a Cot Bumper as it worked really well 🙂
Those of you who have read the previous posts will know, that Fizzly had the Sticky Plaster still half hanging over the incision, as she had made it totally obvious that she wouldn’t want it pulling off any time soon ! So I figured for the first night I would leave it on, especially as I knew that Our Fizzle’s, was a Chewer of Stitches !!! So for the first night I thought that more protection, would take 1st Place to the possibility of catching shaved skin running at 2nd.
Once we had caught our breath, it was decided that we would see, if she wanted to go to the loo so to speak ! So with me in the lead as normal and Dai supporting her, with the Cot Bumper we opened the back door, and we made a sort of Grande Entrance into the Garden. Well her look at the fenced in area’s and carpeted deck, was met with some serious amusement from our Fizzly, as if to say I hope you didn’t pay anyone for this Mess !!
But she moved onward and of course her beeline was for the Pond, which was out of her reach as I, was so worried she may fall into the pond …….. She looked up at me and just huffed, with that she decided to turn herself around, much to the panic of the 2 humans IN CHARGE !!!! Once we had gained enough control to turn in her direction, she then set off at a Galloping Hop. She hopped over the carpeted deck like a gazelle, and virtually dragged us into her room ( Sun Room on the side of our house !)
She headed to her room and virtually ran into her space, and promptly decided that she’d had enough, and jumped onto her bed which we had put a double duvet so that she would be clean and comfy. She then decided to just curled herself around, and lay down on her NEW DUVET as if was the most normal thing in the world. I almost fainted at the obvious lack of worrying about falling over, and opening her stitches and the fact that this dog had run, and then jumped onto the bed, and then had just thrown herself into a lying position !!!!!
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This was the Face that Greeted us right, at that Moment !!! Cow Bag ! |
I have no idea what I expected from Fizzly, when we brought her home but if I’m honest, I already knew she was an incredible dog. But when your thrown into this fog~like state, when Cancer come’s into your world, I don’t think anything is ever ” NORMAL ” again. Right at this moment so many thought’s were rushing into my mind ?
Does she need to be lying in a different place and not on her incision ?
Is she hurting and does she need a Pill ?
Did she want to go to the Loo ?
Was she hungry as she hadn’t eaten ?
Should I Super Glue her Mouth Shut, so she couldn’t chew her Stitches !!!
Should I stay with her watching her 24/7 …………….
These were only a few of the thoughts, and I could feel myself getting more and more worked up, this is when that knowledge of anyone, who had been through this would have helped me ! But I didn’t have anyone to ask and the panic was rising ………
Then Dai said ” Ok Put her Flower Pot on her head, and let her have a lil rest, we will feed her in a bit and get her up again for a wee ??? “
Don’t you just hate it, when they are Calmer than you, and start talking more sense !! ……..
Of course I wasn’t happy about leaving her, and I had to push her water Bowl Closer, and puff up her covers, make sure the Flower Pot was secure, and then give her kisses and cuddles !! I was basically dragged, out of the room kicking and screaming ……. maybe a lil over Dramatic, but I think I put my point across ! Fizzly almost breathed a sigh of relief, when I was forced out of her room ……. Ungrateful Moo Bag that she was 🙂
So actually I think I acted totally reasonably, and was totally Justified in my almost ” Total Mental Break~Down ! ” Told you I was the perfect place to come to, when your dog is going through these life changing Stages ! All of these thought’s that were flooding into my brain right then, have flooded through any other people’s Brain’s, if they have gone through the, Trauma of having a Pet’s Limb Removed. They are totally………….
Justified Thought’s because we all love our Pet’s ……. It’s as Simple as that 🙂
What you have to realise that its this LOVE, that will see you through the first moments of Panic, at the thought of being totally in control of a 3 Legged Dog. Your pet will show you how truly amazing they really are, and I promise that those first few moments of worry, fright and Panic. Will turn into a total, and breath~Taking Roller Coaster of a ride, it will be hard, nerve racking and plain exhausting. But the things that you will gain, from this whole experience will be unmeasurable ………
You will truly know, what it means to be dog, and its your Dog’s gift to you ………
This incredible acceptance and plain courage, Your Pet will show you what life truly means, and you will be changed forever, and this is the start of this learning curve. Who better to teach you than your beloved Pet, who is also your Very Best Friend, and this Pathway will enhance your life and spirit. It will prove that their is a higher Power, and its shown to you daily, but now you will truly believe. That there is definitely something, out there otherwise why would you be given this GIFT !!
Fizzly with our Litter of Puglet’s !
My Fizzly who shared her Gift of Love to every person,
or animal that she ever Met in Life !!
