Tripawd Week 2 – some ups and downs but mostly ups

After starting on Gabapentin, Mr Pig seems to have “bounced” a bit. He still had a couple of down days, but has definitely rejoined the family. On day 10 we took him on his first “adventure” and that really seemed to bring the sparkle back to his spirit. He’s a very intelligent dog who gets bored easily, so part of his frustration likely is due to being confined to the same short walks on our street.

Day 10 also coincided with the delivery of his webmaster harness, which made getting in and out of the vehicle a much easier task. He had a blast. But he also had his first fall this day – just lost his balance shortly after getting out of the car and kind of toppled down onto his amputation side. He cried a bit, but picked himself up and carried on after about 30 seconds. 

The next day (New Years Eve) he seemed in much better spirits and getting closer to being back to his “old self”. He gave us a bit of a scare when he took off at a full gallop, reacting to his brother reacting to another dog walking on the street (the joys of one reactive dog (Monkey) and one dominant dog who believes it’s his job to be in charge of everything (Mr Pig). He went from resting quietly with us on the deck to Mach 3 in a nanosecond and didn’t stop until he got to the fence line. If ever there was an indication he was keen to get back to his old self, this was surely it – there was no stopping him. Once he did stop he started to cry. But as with his fall, he came back around within a minute. Physical palpation was non-responsive for pain, and there was no appreciable increase in heat or visible swelling, so we’re reasonably confident that none of his internal suture lines had dehisced.

New Years Day we got back to the beach. We have a tradition of New Years morning sunrise runs, which we kept up this year with some modification. Mr Pig did the beach part while his brother and the Big Dawg ran 10k.

It certainly was a more low-key day at the beach than Mr Pig is used to, and he needed some support in the deeper sand, but he was very happy to be back at his happy place.

We still worry a bit about pain because he has yet to put any real weight on his amputation side. He’s attempted a few times to lie down on that side but as soon as he puts any real weight onto that hip, he gets back up. He’s also not drinking. For almost a week now, the only way I can entice him to stay hydrated is by mixing in a bit of milk with his water or by including things like diluted chicken broth with his meals. He’s normally a good drinker (likes to put half his head in the bowl and make tidal waves with his forceful slurping), so this has been a bit strange. But at least as long as he has his appetite, I know I can get his fluids in too.

Stitches come out tomorrow. Onwards and upwards!