Super Stu!

Hello Tripawd fans,

Stewie is now coming to the end of his third week into recovering from his left front leg amputation. It has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, but we have made it through the worst of it I believe…

Stewie has been incredible! He has allowed us to totally turn his world upside down and continues to trust us enough to help him heal by putting needles into him on  regular basis (Chemo & blood work now), constantly telling him not to lick, poking and prodding at an area that is obviously tender and the list goes on… He’s been a trooper through it all! (I myself would have bitten a few people by now!) He’s a true gentleman!

Paul & I have managed pretty well also. The hardest part was finding the right balance between us, in allowing Stewie to do things on his own. Because I am the main caregiver in the home, I, like many other Tripawd parents, have been terribly afraid of Stewie falling and hurting himself further. Paul on the other hand, let’s Stewie do what he wants to do, such as going downstairs independently or jumping onto things when he can.

Stewie has shown us what his limits are. He has done everything we have asked or allowed him to do, but if it has been too much, it shows at nights when he is super uncomfortable. Then we know that we have to slow him down.

I find myself focusing on Stewie’s future more now and not on the fact that we have taken away some of his independence. I see less of his ‘missing leg’ and more of the strength that he is gaining in his three remaining legs!

So please read on, into Super Stu’s 3rd week as a Tripawd Hero…!

Tuesday, July 25th,
Day 15 at home…

Stewie was already outside when I got up at 8am. Paul said he had taken a pee and a poo by himself! (I do get excited over the weirdest things!)
He ate breakfast of 1 cup of kibble with a small can of k/d cat food. Stewie ate a great lunch too. A whole cup of kibble and a bit of chicken sprinkled in.
Stewie went into the vets and had all of his stitches taken out and what a very good boy he was. Even though he was shaking afterwards. He was exceptional when they had to draw blood and for the IV that delivered the Carboplatin chemotherapy into his blood stream.
The blood sample is used as a marker, to see where his white blood cells are in two weeks. If they are too low, then the chemo has to be knocked back slightly.
#2 chemo session is in 3 weeks.
He still needs to wear his t-shirt, as the place on his scar that had the Seroma draining, is the last section to heal. (I found an errant stitch that was forgotten. (I haven’t the guts to take it out myself, so we’ll get it taken care of when we go into town next)
He went home and had a really good sleep in the basement and then ate a good supper of kibble & 1/2 small can of a/d.
Still licking…

Wednesday , July 26th,
Day 16 at home…

Stewie was up and outside by 7:30am, more like his normal self!

 

He didn’t have his Meloxicam this morning, so I will give it to him at bedtime.
He had really good rests down in the basement today.
A late lunch, but a good one… kibble & 3/4 can of pedigree dog food.
After supper we were sitting outside and we changed Stewie’s shirt. I was giving his belly a rub and then we put a fresh shirt on. From that point on, he was obsessively licking the scar around where the Seroma was. He seemed to be in pain , the way he was panting & licking.
I went to bed once he had stopped frantically licking.

Thursday , July 27th,
Day 17 at home…

I thought he had settled down, but when I got up this morning, he had ripped holes in his shirt in order to get at his sore spot! I am now leaving his shirt off, as it obviously doesn’t stop him from licking or chewing for that matter!

I am going to call the vets this am and ask what to do…
Dr. Bill suggested that it was in-growing hairs & if I have any cream with cortisone in it, I should use that. Unfortunately, I don’t have any.
He is downstairs resting right now… he hadn’t touched his breakfast until I hand fed him.
Paul & I went down to the lake for a couple of hours and when we got back. I hand fed his lunch and he came upstairs to hang out.
The only way I could get him to stop licking was to give him a belly rub and a good brushing on his right side.
He was hand fed his supper and his Meloxicam at 9pm.

Friday , July 28th,
Day 18 at home…

 I was up at 7:30am. Stewie was laying quietly and his scar doesn’t look so angry today. He doesn’t appear to be as obsessed over it either.
He slept most of the day in the basement. It is in the low 40’s (Celsius) these days, so he sticks to the cool spots.
He still insists on going downstairs by himself, but I do watch and tell him to go easy.
He came upstairs at 5:30 looking for supper and ate it standing up like his old normal self!

Saturday  , July 29th,
Day 19 at home…

Stewie was up and relaxing outside this morning, like his usual self. He came in and willingly waited and stood to eat his breakfast.
At lunch time I gave him half of what I would normally give him. He hasn’t been all that active, so I think it’s time to start thinking about his weight management. I would rather see him hungry and willing at all meal times.
After lunch we decided that today was the day that Stewie would come boating with us! As usual, I was the worry wart, wondering how we were going to manage to get Stewie first into the UTV and then onto the boat… As is his usual style he excelled at both! He jumped up onto the back of the UTV like an old pro and again onto the Toaster!

He was thoroughly exhausted by the time we got home. I hope we didn’t push it… he definitely enjoyed his day with us though.

Sunday , July 30th,
Day 20 at home…

He had a much better day today, we let him rest as much as he wanted…
He didn’t eat his supper until 8pm and then settled down like a normal dog! Lovely to see!

Monday, July 31st,
Day 21 at home…

What a great day with Stewie!
He was up early and went straight outside to do his business, like a normal day! He was quite happy with himself… probably because Mother was jumping for joy at a normal life function! Ha! We don’t realize how much we miss these daily functions until they are not functioning anymore! I know I’ve been there! 😝😆
We had an appointment booked for the afternoon, to get Stewie’s single stitch out! (There were so many to take out last week, this one was hidden!)
Plus I wanted the doctor to take a look at the itchy spot to make sure nothing was going on there.
On the drive to town, I took the chance and sat in the front seat of our truck, leaving Stewie in the back by himself. (this was a big deal for me!) He once again, outdid my expectations and steadied himself with no problem, the whole way, even surfing around corners like the old pro he is! He loved it! His head was sticking out the window, hair blowing in the wind, it was a beautiful site to see in my side mirror!
He went into the vets office, no problem and he eventually got up onto the scale… He is now at 49.2kg. (Down 1.6kg) Dr. Bill is not concerned with his downsized diet, he is after after all doing far less activity than he normally would! Everything else looks great and I can stop the Meloxicam all together. Yay, no more pills!
Stewie would normally get to walk the Streets of our little town, getting all the fame & glory! But today, he had to be satisfied with just the driveby’s!
He didn’t care, he was just happy to be sticking his head out the window, watching the world go by!
He came home and gobbled down his supper! Yet another triumph for the day!

Well that’s Stewie’s blogs caught up to date finally!

Thank you to everyone who has persevered through my story books of our Super Tripawd Hero, Stewie! We are amazed at how far he has come in such a short time.

All the very best and until next time…

❤ Stewie, Petra, Paul, Spike, Chester & Miss Lily 🐾🐾🐾🐾