Month: November 2012

5 more days.. or sooner before my sweet pup becomes a Tripawd.

When I got home from work Monday night, I noticed that Franklin’s mass on his knee was larger.  I am so afraid that he is going to blow his knee before his surgery.  and if he does it at night time when the vet is not open, well.. that will be devastating!!

We are now on the emergency waiting list.. if there is a cancellation, we will be called in.  I advised the vet that I believed that my Frankie’s situation was more important than a spaying or neuturing!! lol  I mean come one.. this is my sweet fartin’ puppy here!!

Well, needless to say, the other vet at the hospital had a death in the family and has flown home for the services and funeral.. which of course, leaves them short for an extra pair of hands for operations.

So..   we are taking it easy with Frankie… not too much exercise… and no food after 6pm at night just in case we get that call at 8am to bring him in!

I’m getting nervous.. I’m starting to get scared..  I’m starting to worry now..  as all of you have gone through the same pattern I am sure.

 

anyhow.. I have a whole bunch of stuff to post here later.. things I’m thinking about.. worrying about.. curious about… but.. I don’t have too much time right now..

so.. I will bark atcha later then!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I have been reading a bunch of stuff here on this site and I must admit – it does help us owners get through this decision because I can now see that I am not alone in my feelings, my concerns, my insecurities about having a Tripawd dawg.

Franklin went to the vets on Friday to have his chest area xrayed.  When I picked him up at lunch the vet was very happy and said that he is clean!  Clear! Good to go if we wanted to continue with the surgery.

Wow.  I’m not afraid to say it, but part of me was expecting the vet to say “no go”.  His cancer has spread and there is nothing we can do.  That would have certainly saved my butt from having to make the next decision – to amputate or not to amputate.

Franklin’s osteosarcoma (sp?)  is in his left knee.  The cancer is all down there which is a good thing.  Of course, the mass is quite large and eventually his bones will just shatter.  When that happens, three things will happen.  1.  he will be in alot of pain I am sure!  2.  we take him to have him go on to greener pastures over Rainbow Bridge.  or 3. we decide to amputate.

Well, of course I don’t want to see my Frank’n’farter in any pain so, if we would choose to amputate then, then why not do it now to prevent any further pain.  Simple right?

Not so simple really.  Am I being selfish because I am not ready to give him up yet?   I keep looking at him and wonder.. how are you going to manage?  Maggie will probably knock you over a few times and it is going to just kill me if you fall over.  (I have actually started to get Maggie to sit behind Franklin when I let them out the door.. I make her wait until Franklin is out and on his way before I let her go.  Otherwise she just barrels out beside him.  I’ve been doing this for about 3 months now since he has been liming on the leg).

I’m going to miss his happy dance.. he would stand in front of you and tap his front paws back and forth while he does a kinda chortled growl.. whorrrr whorrr whorr whorrr…   Now if he tries to do it once he is a tripawd, it will be tap and *thunk*  lol

He usually lifts his front leg, the left one, to tap at the sliding glass door when he wants back in.  Now I will have to teach him how to head butt!

Of course, humor will help us through this for it is a good remedy at any time.

His surgery is scheduled for December 4th.  I’m going to try and get him into the groomers for a doggie spa day before his surgery to cheer him up.  His groomer absolutely LOVES him and gives him special treatment!.  Hey.. perhaps I should wait till after his surgery once he is healed up.  I just might get a discount!!  lol

 

 

Thank you for letting me join the group!  What a special bunch of people you all are and even special bunch of 3 legged kids!

My Franklin is a liver and white english springer spaniel.  We rescued him from the SPCA on November 25, 2005.  They said that he was 6 at the time, but I am not sure if they are right, and my vet has always thought he was younger than he is now.  If he really was 6, he would be 13 obviously, but if he was only 4.. then he’d be 11 of course.

Franklin has bone cancer in this front left knee.  The Terry Fox kind.  He has a lump about the size of a clementine  on the inner side and it is working itself around the back of his leg.  2 months ago we took him to the vet and had an xray done as the lump, although smaller at that time, was bothering me and I wanted to know if it was a fatty cycst.

The xray of course told us otherwise..  the vet suggested radiation, chemo or amputation that time time but I immediately thought no.  I’m not going to put my pup through that at his age.  Well.. 2 months have gone by.. and Franklin is still the freaking happiest dog in the world.  his tail never stops wagging and although I know that day is coming, I dread it.  He will be missed terribly by many people, especially my other Springer, Maggie, who is 10.

I took Franklin the Flatulent back to the vet this week to see if the lump can be removed, and of course it cannot.  He suggested amputation again.  We chatted more about it and Franklin is scheduled to go for a chest xray tomorrow to see if there are cysts, etc in his torso cavity.,  Of course, if there are, then amputation is out of the question because the cancer has gone through his body then.

But… if it’s clear, then I guess the question we ask our self is….  do we go ahead and amputate?  I guess I am trying to justify that this is not for my own selfishness.    He’s a pretty active guy still, eating, drinking, playing, and farting!  lol  He is not using the leg 100% due to the discomfort and usually stands on 3 legs anyhow.  He is a tripawd in training!  He did tear his ligament in his rear right knee about 4 years ago and has been on glycosamine since then (hence.. the flatulent nickname!!LOL)  Gawd, such a hard deecision.

Has anyone else had a furbaby this age go through an amputation?

Of course, I will know more tomorrow after the xray.

Thanks for listening.. I am sure I will be here more often.  Not only venting, but reading your incredible stores that have given me some hope and strength to get through this…

 

 

 

 

 

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