Panda came home yesterday and so we began the journey of trial and error. As soon as we got home she wanted to take off running and playing. We tried to give her a bed but she would not stay there and rest, so out came the kennel. She hates the kennel but the vet says she has to be in it for the next few days except to go out to potty. I think after much trying we finally have a system down, we start by making sure that she has a clear path and no other pets are in her way, I get the doors open for her, then I open her kennel and move her dishes. At this point she bolts! I find myself giving chase to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. She patrols the yard and does her business.
Last night was hard she started panting really hard, and shivering but there is no way she is cold we live in Oklahoma and the temperatures have been soaring. Also we have been having some problems with fluid coming from the stitches, the vet says this is normal but it looks like blood and makes me nervous. I found myself up checking on her constantly and at one point in tears over how amazing she is. I am not sure that as humans we could endure this the way that our canine family members do. Well today is another day and we will see how it goes. So far she is mad at me for not letting her come out of the kennel to play, as if that is not bad enough her pouty face is made even more pouty by the boxer in her and all I can do is smile!!!
The one thing I have realized is that although is is a huge benefit to have dogs lose legs as a pup, in terms of recovery and coping – there IS a downside.
Puppies are still clumsy, crazy, daring puppies, even with only 3 legs! I spend my days giving chase with Dante, to be sure he doesn’t injure himself, because he is 7 months old and a holy terror, LOL. Not only does he not know he’s missing a leg, he also does not know that he should probably be a little more careful!
I’m glad to hear Panda is doing so well – I don’t have much advice on the wounds and the panting, we adopted Dante two weeks after surgery so the worst of it was over for him. But, it sounds like she’s doing great mobility wise and energy wise – Hang in there, this is just the beginning of playing chase with her, but it’s really a lot of fun to see how fast they can go and all the amazing things they can still do! Dogs really are amazing creatures!
They are amazing aren’t they in their resilience.
She’s a sweetie (no self-respecting dog enjoys the cone). She might be giving you a scrunchy pout for not letting her out of the kennel to play but she’s in a safe place and dogs don’t hold grudges anyways. 🙂
Hope today proves to be better than yesterday!
Sending lots of healing wishes!