Then the night before Fizz was having her back leg removed, I sat on her bed next to her and I started crying, she came over to me as started licking my tear’s……… she then looked right in my eye’s. She looked at me and in her eye’s I knew that she needed me to be strong, so that’s when my Smog lifted and I knew that she would be fighting this and I had to too !
The day she went into surgery was a day I went into action, I knew she would need special care when she came home and we had to provide things around the place to make her transition easier.
Here are some of the things that we used to help Fizz before and after her Amputation.
COLLECT THE ITEM’S YOU WILL NEED
SOMETHING TO SUPPORT YOUR DOG’S BODY.
OLD RUG’S OR CARPETS.
GATE’S OR STUFF FOR FENCING OFF AREA’S.
DOG FLOWER POT COLLAR OR STUFF TO PREVENT CHEWING OUT STITCHES.
OLD DUVET OR COMFORTABLE BEDDING.
GET SOME READY MEALS FOR YOU AND THE FAMILY.
DIARY TO WRITE DOWN FEELING’S OR VET MEDICATION DETAILS.
THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE OPERATION :-
1. CALM DOWN :- EASY TO SAY ???
I know its easy to say and very hard to do, but you have made the hard decision. It is now time to take a breather, its out of your hands now, and your vet is taking over. You have thought things over and in your heart you know that the amputation is for the best. Take time with your pet and just enjoy being with them, they don’t need you panicking and it’s going to achieve absolutely nothing. Except from making you feel worse and cause your dog to worry. So the night before TRY to act normally with your pet and just take time to just calm down and love your pet totally.
2. SLEEP :-
Well try to !! Try to get some sleep and even if it mean’s Curling up with your Dog !! But Please try to rest because this is the Calm before the Storm ! When your pet return’s home then you will have to be there with them all the time. At least for the first few days or when they are able to walk around unaided, So before the Operation and During the time your pet is in your Vet’s Surgery then rest up. Spend time with your family, order in a Takeaway and just be quiet and try to SLEEP . Because when your pet returns you are going to be needed so make time for You ……….. before You Take Time For Your Pet.
3. START A DIARY :-
Not only will this give you a chance to take stock of what is going on, it also give’s you somewhere to rant and rave …….. write down emotion’s that are too hard to talk about. It also is something that you can do while your waiting as there is a LOT of waiting when you have an animal with Cancer. It’s more than that it’s Memories and funny bit’s , Sad Bit’s and Bravery Bit’s and there will be a whole lot of those I Promise You !! This is also the place to write down what the vet has said or done and a good place to go back to when you need to remember when things happened ??
It is also somewhere you can look back on when time’s are hard and you will be able to say I survived that and NOW I can do anything.
4. MAKE MEMORIES :-
This is something that I WISH THAT I had been told before My Fizzly passed ……… I wish I had more memories not that I will ever forget My Fizzle’s but I wish I had taken more films picture’s …….. I wish I had more things that showed how my Fizz was ?? I think this is one of the reason’s I started this so I could keep my memories and use them to help others.
5. SHOPPING :-
Go shopping and get some easy meals or ready meals, stock up your freezer. Because if you are anything like me you will not want to leave your pet for a long time after they come home !!!
Make sure you have your Pet’s Favourite Food and Various ones as when we are feeling sorry for ourselves we all like to have something that make’s us feel better……. So spoil them.
Make sure you have Cheese , Pate or soft Meat Paste ?? Something that you can easily squish a Pill into and your dog would actually want to eat it ………… you will have a lot of Tablets to give your dog and even the best behaved dog will get eventually fed up with you ramming a pill down their throat 3 times a day !!!
THING’S TO DO THE DAY OF THE OPERATION.
The day of the operation is going to be a long and difficult one ……. Fizz’s Operation was over 6 hours long ! So this is a perfect time to get things ready for your Dog’s return home. Otherwise you will probably sit in a heap and cry most of the time that your waiting !!! Clock watching does not WORK, I tried it and it’s really amazing how long 15 minutes is ………………..
So keeping busy and the time will go much faster, I promise and doing these thing’s on this most special day ?? Will make you feel like you are actually doing something to help …………. and the belief that what you are doing is going to benefit your beloved Pet will make you feel that you can do something and you are important. Your Dog already know’s how important you are , it’s you that thinks your lacking !!
1. SORT OUT YOUR DOG’S SLEEPING AND RESTING PLACE :-
When your pet returns home they will be unable to turn around and may find getting comfortable a Big Problem, we used a old Duvet as it’s soft and comfy, but unlike a Blanket it will not be able to get tangled up around the dog. So when it’s time for your Dog to go Outside then it will be easy to get your dog up and moving without the risk of any of it’s other legs getting caught or slipping.
2. PREVENT CHEWING OUT STITCHES :- FLOWER POT !
The Incision must be given time to heal and most dog’s are a NIGHTMARE with CHEWING OUT Stitches and Fizz was no exception. I have written the full explanation in my page Dealing with the Amputation Incision which you can find on the side column, this tells of how I got Fizz to stop chewing her Scar. In the end we used Bi~Carbonate of Soda This is the baking powder used for Biscuit’s ??
I know sound’s very Strange but read the Page and it will become Clear. IT WORKS
3. COT BUMPER :- HELP’S SUPPORT THEIR WEIGHT.
The first thing I did was to find something soft to be used under her Tummy to hold her weight and make sure she didn’t fall onto the floor and damage her Incision. When I looked up what to use, they said Towel’s or Sheets. What we used was actually a COT BUMPER which is the padding that is used to stop Babies hitting their heads when asleep in their Cot.
The reason why I thought this would work was that it was padded so it wouldn’t hurt her tummy and it was long enough that you could stand up and walk easily along side her. So it was easy for one person to lead her and another to hold her weight in case she fell.
In Fact it worked out really well and it’s something that I would definitely recommend someone would use a COT BUMPER if their Dog was going to have an amputation.
4. CARPET SLIPPERY AREA’S :- PREVENT’S FALLING OVER.
The other thing we did was to actually carpet every place where Fizz would be walking on ?? This also included the OUTSIDE as well, so we used old carpet on our wood deck that is outside our home. So Fizz could go to the toilet outside without the risk of Slipping and Falling.
5. FENCE OFF DANGER AREA’S :- NARROW SPACES
We also fenced off area’s in the garden, so Fizz would not try to go by our pond, and down narrow area’s where she would find it difficult to turn around, and we fenced off the steps going up to the top Garden.
THING’S TO DO WHEN YOUR DOG COME’S HOME
1. COPE :-
The first thing I want to tell you is the removal of the leg is shocking for anyone and feeling SHOCK or REVULSION is not anything new nor is it something you should feel bad about feeling it.
The Incision Scar is something that can firstly scare you. and the shock of seeing your dog with their MINUS leg is something that is hard to look at let alone adjust to. I was talking to my family this morning running through this Post as I normally do when I write something new.
( Poor thing’s they are my usual Guinea Pig’s )
I asked them how they felt when they saw Fizz for the 1st time after her removal ?? ( I have a medical background so I knew what to expect, but even I was un~nerved by the lack of leg )
So I asked them and they said that the IMAGE that was running through their head’s imagination was much worse than what they actually saw the first time after her leg was removed. This actually surprised me as I felt that they would have been horrified by it ??
But it shows that the thought of something is always much worse than the real life living it or viewing it option’s
This in itself is helpful because I thought that my family were shocked by her removal but in fact they felt that it would be a whole lot more awful than it was when they actually saw her for the first time !!
2, PREVENT CHEWING OUT STITCHES :- FLOWER POT !
The Incision must be given time to heal and most dog’s are a NIGHTMARE with CHEWING OUT Stitches and Fizz was no exception. I have written the full explanation in my page Dealing with the Amputation Incision which you can find on the side column, this tells of how I got Fizz to stop chewing her Scar.
In the end we used Bi~Carbonate of Soda This is the baking powder used for Biscuit’s ??
I know sound’s very Strange but read the Page and it will become Clear.
IT WORKS !!
3. SUPPORT YOUR PET :-
Make sure that you always use something to support your dog until you know definitely that they are not going to fall over and Damage the Incision and always make sure that the Incision is kept clean, and if your dog does fall then let them help you when they feel they are ready to move again they will let you know !!
Don’t Beat yourself up if your pet does fall, because if we never fell ……….. how would we learn to pick ourselves up !!
4. USE A LEAD :- SAFETY
Another thing is using a lead for a few day’s…. this may seem obvious to some, but making sure you can either control where your Dog Goes but also so you are next to your Pet, so if they slip and you haven’t got the Towel / Cot Bumper Support then you can use your own leg as a balance if your dog does slip.
FINALLY :- Your Dog will amaze you daily and please don’t miss out on the bonding, and love that your pet shows you and that you show them. This TIME will fly past so enjoy every moment you spend with your pet, and just take time to just BE !
We were lucky that Fizz was amazing after she had the amputation, and to be honest I think that most dog’s will be amazing no matter what breed or size etc. Mainly because all animals do not have the hang up’s !!!
That we as humans have……… they don’t care what they look like and more importantly they
DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR THEMSELVES !!
So my main tip for you is DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR DOG !!
Love your pet and as always they will give it back to you 10X over, so make memories as we are all here for such a short time. Sadly some of us are here for Less than they should be. Enjoy the little thing’s and Love the Pet Thing’s and Take Time to Cuddle, Sit and talk to your pet as their time is short and it’s too special to Miss a Second …….. So Take Picture’s Film’s and live for your moment’s because believe me when I say ………
YOUR PET IS LIVING FOR YOU !!
I have a list for you covering everything I have talked about above, so copy the list and Tick off thing’s when you complete them !! See I’ve found another way for you to waste your time 🙂
Find something to help support your dog after the operation,
Sort out a Soft and comfortable bed with easy access,
Cover any Slippery Floor or Outside Places that may be dangerous,
Try to relax and rest before the Surgery and while your dog is
staying with your vet’s
Start a Diary for Feeling’s or Vet’s Advice or Medication,
Get Some of your Pet’s Favourite Food in case they don’t feel like
eating ??
Sort out what way’s you are going to prevent your pet from chewing
out it’s stitches ??
Prepare some easy meals before hand,
Get Some Cheese, Pate or Soft Sticky Meat Paste so you can easily
give your Dog it’s Medication !!
Try to rest up and get some sleep,
Spend time with your pet and just enjoy
Take picture’s and films ( A Lot )
Treat your pet the same,
DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR PET.