Super Stu!

Super Stu’s 3 Month Ampuversary!

Hi folks, Stewie here again!!! I have just celebrated my 3 Month Ampuversary! That’s 3 months and I’m still going strong!💪 I have made my Mum & Dad so very very Hoppy!🎉

“Just hangin’ Mum!”

I know I’m a lot stronger now ‘cause I ran after my Dad on the UTV and i had a blast running like the wind! I haven’t been able to do that in forever!😁 I stay strong by resting really good & I am back eating my 3 meals a day. Dad says that he has noticed me sleeping better lately with less moving around at night. I don’t notice ‘cause I’m sleeping to heavy! 😴 😴
Boy am I ever good at begging for treats now! Mum says that I can’t ALWAYS HAVE TREATS! and I say WHY NOT?! She says that I have to lose wate?! (what is this wate thing?!🤔…) how can I lose something when I don’t know what it is that I’m looking for? 👀😋

It’s been a little quieter and cooler over the past month. But I’ve still had fun! I go to town every week with Mum and Dad and everybody I meet just loves me and I luuuuv the attention I get!🤗
Mum brought home 3 new hedgehogs for me over the last month! I Ruv the sound they make when I tickle them! But they run out of tickle, so Mum has to get me a new one ‘cause I Ruv them that much!😁😁😁

“Do you want to play with one of my Hedgies?!”

It’s a good thing that my coat is growing back in nicely and thank goodness for that! (there is no more scabbing left! No more itchy spots yay!👏) It went from really hot to really cool and we can start to see the snow coming down the mountain tops. It won’t be long before it gets to us! 🍂🍁🏔☃️🎄
Mum says that she’s worried for when winter comes ‘cause she’s worried about me slipping. But I just laugh and say no worries Mum. But truthfully I’m a little nervous, cause it can get pretty icy! I’ll have to hop VERY CAREFULLY!😬

“Look Ma! Only 3 Paws!”

Last week I went for my fourth round of Carboplatin chemotherapy… it went super well! I have had no complications with my blood work either, so we get the full shabang each time. (Let’s hope that keeps up for the next two sessions!) Dr. Laurie is very impressed with how long I can stay still! She must know that I do it for her ‘cause I really like her! She may prod and poke, but she always says she’s sorry and she gives me yummy treats after!🥓 I only have to get two more icky Chemo sessions done! 💉💉🤞

Me and my Mum & Dad and my favourite person Anne went on another boat-ride this week! I had so much fun! We even ate lunch on board! 👅 it was also very cool cause we saw a snow storm blow in. It rained on the lake and snowed on the mountain tops… 🏔 and the sun came out after! It was beautiful! We’re very lucky this year ‘cause the lake is staying up higher than usual for this time of year. Especially considering the very dry summer we had!

A Day out on Toasty McBoaty!

“Seriously?!”

A micro storm blowing through!

Ha! What storm!

Then today, Mum & Dad took me into town for my blood work and then let me walk downtown with them (my old stomping grounds!) and some of my old friends were there and they were all super hoppy to see me! I’m glad we got a picture to celebrate my 3 Month Ampuversary!

“My old stomping grounds and all the people that Ruv me!

I really am so very hoppy and all, but I’m sad too ‘cause I’ve heard some crappy news this last week from Mum, about some of my friends from Tripawds that I have come to know. I know I haven’t known many of you for long, but you hold a very special place in my heart! I say 💩 on this nasty stinking cancer!

So Until next time my friends… Stay strong and keep hopping hoppily along and most importantly, keep making your pawrents smile! 💞😊💖

“Ruv ❤️ You!”

Sloppy kisses from Stewie👅 🐕 🐾
& all the very best from his adoring pack,
Petra, Paul, & his 🐈 siblings, Mr. Spike, Chester Molester and Miss Lily 🐾🐾 🐾 💓
http://stewie2017.tripawds.com/

As a relatively new Tripawd Mum to our big dog Stewie and also new to Tripawds, I have read through many blogs and forums and have fallen (electronically) in love with with many beautiful souls, both Canine & Feline!

I checked with Stewie & Jerry’s Pack and they all said it was perfectly fine for me to write about Feline Cancer on Stewie’s blog page, so that I can share my beloved cat’s cancer story…

Mojo Munchkin

I have been extremely fortunate in my life to have been blessed with some beautiful souls, I call my cats and dogs. I have shared my love with them and they have returned that love tenfold! One of these incredible beings, I called Mojo! (aka Munchkin) He was such a scragamuffin kitten, who grew into the most beautiful & majestic (not to mention large) boy!

“I am the king of this castle!”

He was a major scaredy cat though, who was terrified of storms and would pick fights with his older brother Spike constantly! But they loved each other dearly and always had each other’s back in stressful times! He had the longest, most beautiful black coat I’ve ever seen on a cat and he knew just how handsome he was for sure!

Brothers Yin & Yan!

Mojo was an incredibly good hunter and I would find his ‘gifts’ all around the house! He stayed away from those Raskety Rats though, he used to pull the funniest faces if he found a nest! His favourite thing to do was to catch birdies! He would spend hours, patiently waiting for the right moment to pounce. Ultimately he was the best mouse catcher…!

“Look Ma! I got a mouse for you!”

Munchkin Man was very smart. He could give a Paw and the other one and could also give high five! His favourite time of the day was at 9pm, when it was Dad’s turn to give treats. He would show up right on time and he and Dad would have their treats and lovin’ session!

Dad and Mojo’s 9pm treat time!

Mojo was not quite 11 years old when we discovered that he had a rare feline lung cancer!

It was in February of 2013 that I noticed that Mojo was licking quite frequently at his front right foot. Then he would occasionally shake it as if something was stuck to his fur there. I would check his paws, but everything appeared to be normal. But he wouldn’t stop this behaviour, so after about 3 weeks we took him into the vet, with the possibility in our minds that this could be some sort of infection.

“Go ahead… Smell my armpit!”

As I have mentioned, Mojo was a beautiful, long haired black cat, so due to the fact that his toe pads were also black, we couldn’t see anything going on. We did an X-ray of his paw and it came back with an inconclusive mass in his toe, but definitely not an infection…

Big roaring Jaguar!

Our vet, Dr. Laurie, suggested an amputation of the toe and we could then get it biopsied. This was the first time that amputation had ever entered my vocabulary when it came to my animals (my father had to have his leg amputated years ago, due to a heart condition) and both Paul and I were shocked, but we also knew that Mojo would get around afterwards with one less toe, no problem. We just wanted this bad, painful toe to be gone from our boy! So we scheduled his surgery for the next morning.

The strangest request came though, when she asked if she could do an X-ray of his lungs! She explained that there is a rare lung cancer in cats that metastasizes to the toes! She had only seen it once, years before in her career and we are fortunate that she remembered that case so vividly! So we left our boy in their care for the next 24 hrs, hoping for the best and fearing the worst! I had never dealt with cancer in my animals before either, so when we got the call that there was definitely a mass in Mojo’s lungs, Paul and I were devastated, to say the least!

“Be quiet mum, I’m in disguise!”

“I can be a statue too!”

I guess the rationalization for our next decision was due to the fact that Mojo wasn’t showing any signs of lung issues, it was just his poor toe that was bugging him… so we asked for his toe to be amputated anyway and that at least would get rid of his immediate pain!

Mum and her big boy!

The following morning we got the devastating news… prior to surgery, Dr. Laurie had done an X-ray on his other feet, just to be sure and unfortunately found that three out of his four feet had tumours in his toes!!! We couldn’t believe what our boy was living with! He had only been showing us how one of his toes hurt, we had no idea that his whole body was been ravaged by this horrible cancer! The only choice we were given was palliative care for our sweet precious boy! We were absolutely torn apart inside!!!

We were sent home with anti inflammatory pills, pain killers and the too short a prognosis of 2-3 months! The very painful tumours in his toes were just going to get bigger, to the point of bursting and we would have no choice but to euthanize by that point! We never saw any sign of the lungs being compromised from the tumour, it was just his poor feet that were hurting!

“Mum now carry’s me to go outside”

I stayed by my boys side for weeks, taking endless pictures & videos of him and watching his feet slowly get worse… our home was a very solemn place to be. I didn’t want anyone around, as they didn’t seem to understand how torn apart we were feeling. It was an endless time of agony and too short a time for love!

We knew the time was coming to say goodbye to our Prince!

I smothered him in kisses and held him close and feared for the day that we would have to say goodbye! I was truly grateful for the extra time with him, but it was torturous on us all! I still sometimes wonder if we should have let him cross that Rainbow Bridge sooner?!

He stayed with us through his 11th Birthday on April 4th 2013
(I think he knew how I needed at least that!) and we said goodbye to our incredibly brave boy on May 3rd. I thought my heart would never mend!

All of our fur babies are special and Mojo was no less than incredible! He still comes to visit me and I know he’s there when I accidentally call out his name or his name will come out, instead of one of my other fur babies… I say there will never be another like him and that’s true, but I say that about all of my fur kids… I love them all to the moon and back!

“I love you Mum and Dad!”

My heart still aches for him and I have tried to forget about the last couple of months with him (it was a very dark & painful time for me), but now that I am a part of this wonderful Tripawds community, I see how important it is to tell our story so that others might gain some insight to help their fur babies along.
(I have accidentally said his name twice today, so I know he’s close and has given me his pawprint of approval!🐾❤️)

“Me and my big brother Spikey”

Rest in Peace my Mojo, Munchkin… I will always miss your beautiful face and your truly loving nature. Many snuggles and nose kisses being sent your way my darling boy!  ❤️❤️❤️

Spike saying goodbye to his little brother!

This very special place, under three beautiful trees, is where we lay our loved fur babies to rest. Mojo is with his oldest brother Odus, along with his canine sisters Keiko and Abbey plus Dad’s special cat, Munster Man, they are all running in the beautiful fields surrounding The Rainbow 🌈 Bridge, waiting for us all to move on together. That’s when my heart will truly be full again!

*** In answer to Jerry’s question,  I asked our vet what the condition was that Mojo suffered from… It was Lung Digit Syndrome. Mojo had a primary lung tumor (probably bronchogenic carcinoma) which spread to his digits

Hi again folks!
Phew! It’s been a couple of busy weeks for me and my pack… I’ve had a great time!

I have to start off by thanking Sally and her Alumni, Amy & Rusty & Jerry’s Pack for adding to my Top Reasons for wanting to become a Tripawd! The list went from Top 10 all the way up to 17! The challenge is still out there to make it to the Top 20!

“Life is good!”

Last weekend was the best… my Uncle Evan & Aunt Des came to visit and it was all about me! Even though I had seen my Uncle Evan within the last month, I can’t get enough of him… and my Aunt Des hasn’t been here since the spring so I REALLY enjoyed seeing her! They smothered me in kisses, they brushed me and gave me extra, extra treats! (ha! No wonder I gained extra weight at my weigh in last week!)

My Uncle & Aunt Ruv, Ruv, Ruv Me!

We all got to go for a boat ride on The Toaster and they took tons of pictures of me. I think I’m gonna be a movie star! I just Ruv my people so much!

Me and Uncle Ev goin’ for a ride!

A day out on The Toaster with my favourite people!

I even got to go on a road trip this past week. It was a long day, but I did really good surfing in the back of the truck. It’s one of my favourite things to do! My favourite person Anne came with us and we all had a really good day.

Then I got to go on another boat ride, with our friend Rod! I can’t believe I was lucky enough to go out twice in one week! I think people should visit more often! My Mum & Dad have made the docks a lot safer for me and I can walk the double planks with no problem at all! Mum laughs at me every time… I think my bum wiggles!

My Mum & Dad are rock stars (😆), so they get to travel to lots of different places, so that lots of people can come and listen to them sing my Dads songs. (Me & Chester are their biggest fans and would love to part of their stage show!)

Me & my brother, Chester Molester!!

When Mum & Dad go away, I get to go to my favourite persons house and we babysit each other! I stay over night and Anne really does spoil me rotten, I never want to leave! There is a black cat who lives there, her name is Cranky… it’s a very fitting name! I can’t understand why my pawrents love her so much, ’cause all she does is give me dirty looks and constantly taunts me with her walk by’s! I know better and avoid eye contact at all costs!

My favourite babysitter, with Dad

I even got some hugs and treats from Anne’s neighbours. At first they weren’t sure if my missing leg would scare them, but just one look at my hoppy face and they weren’t worried anymore! You see, Tripawds really do make people Hoppy!

So you wouldn’t believe how lucky I was yesterday, not only did I have a great babysitting night with my favourite person, but she also came on a boat ride with us the next day! Three rides in The Toaster in two weeks! How much fun is that?! I’m glad my pawrents realize that I am now feeling all better again!

So in my last blog, (Top 10 Reasons…) I told you about my Raskety Rats that I killed… well this week, as me & my Mum were standing on the deck, we saw a young bear come out of the woods. Right into our front yard! What a nerve! Well, I was going to run that bear right off our property, but Mum spoiled my fun!!! She made me stay and even though I kept winging at her, she wouldn’t let me protect my house from that big black monster! My Mum thinks she did a good job of imitating my loud bark and even though that bear ran off, I nearly laughed at her imitation! That bear must have been really young ’cause a big wise one would’ve laughed at her!

I made my Mum proud at the Dr.’s last week… They had a super hard time trying to find my veins again for blood work and I was very, very, very good… (even if I do say so myself!) They couldn’t draw blood out of my front or back leg and decided it would be best (best for who?!) if they took blood from my jugular vein!!! Aaaaack!
They want to keep my other back leg for the Chemo next week and so a horrid sheath of leather went over my big nose, Dr. Laurie was the traitor who held my head back, while Dr. Bill did the nasty deed. And this was after I took them a nice tasty lunch as a token of appreciation for all their hard work! Sheeeeesh! You can’t trust anyone! I mean, what does it take to bribe someone these days?!😉
Thankfully my numbers came back normal enough and so we will go ahead with the regular amount of Carboplatin, when it arrives after been on back order, sometime next week! One way or another, we’ll kick this Cancers’ butt! In the meantime, my veins get a little rest before the next lot!

“I am so relaxed!”

It has been literally, Smokin’ Hot here in British Columbia, since the beginning of July! We are all very, very tired of the heat and the smoke in the air. Our province has been under a State of emergency, due to the all the wild fires, for a couple of months now and there is no relief in sight. My pawrents are worried cause everything is SO DRY and anything could set off a forest fire. We have to be thinking about all the food and water my brothers and sister would need, if we were to be evacuated… I sure hope they don’t forget the tin of treats! I’ll make sure I remind them!

So until next time, keep grinning your goofy grins and keep those humans hoppy!

Sloppy kisses from Stewie👅🐾
& all the very best from his adoring pack,
Petra, Paul, Mr. Spike, Chester Molester and Miss Lily 🐾🐾🐾❤️

In case some of you don’t know me, my name is Stewie. (aka Super Stu, or Stewart! Especially when my Mum is mad!) I am 7 years old and my Mum tells me that I’m a big boy! I have to step onto that big black table on the floor at the doctors office and the numbers tell them that I weigh 49.9kg (110lbs)! Is this why they tell me I’m not very good at being a lap dog?!

“I’m all played out!”

My Mum & Dad tell me my original pack were a mix of Bernese Mountain Dog, Rottweiler and Retriever. Everybody tells me I’m terribly handsome and I have to agree with them!

I can’t remember too much about the whole ordeal, but my Pawrents tell me that I have OSC and that they needed to take my front left leg off, so that I wouldn’t have that horrid pain anymore. I’m glad they did, ’cause it feels much better now. I look even more handsome now, because I’m not frowning in pain anymore!

The big drag about this OSC cancer thing, is that I have to get poked every other week, so that they can take my blood out of me and then put some horrid poison stuff back in! Apparently it is supposed to kill off those nasty cancer cells, so I guess I’ll put up with the poking, if it means that I can spend more quality time with my Mum & Dad! I Ruv, Ruv, Ruv them so much! I’ll just take it out on Hedgehog, I Ruv to hear him Squeak!

https://instagram.com/p/BX16LX7lZet/

I am now six weeks without my front leg and I feel great! (Other than the horrid pokey time, then I feel kinda tired and I don’t eat much for a couple of days.) I know my Pawrents have had a really rough time, even though I have tried to be an excellent patient and listen when my Mum tells me not to lick. I know that I’ve done good, ’cause all that horrible extra fluid is all gone and my new tattoo (that’s what I call my cool looking scar!) is hardly noticeable under my new fur that growing back.

Stewie & his brother, Chester Molester!

——————————————

I wanted to do something special for my pawrents and so I came up with the “Top 10 Reasons Why A Dog Should Become A Super Tripawd!” I figured this should make them smile…

🐾Treats& More Treats!
🐾Only Three Feet to Trim Nails For & only 1 dewclaw!
🐾Tons & Tons Of Belly Rubs
🐾Short walks on lazy days (that’s most days…!)
🐾Priority over my feline brothers & sister! Ha!
🐾Comfy, Padded Harness
🐾Special place of honour in the living room
🐾Air conditioned shave down for hot summer days showing a new stylin’ hair cut!
🐾We make people “Super Hoppy” when they see us!
🐾Most importantly, you become a superstar with your own Tripawds website and blog!

Here are another couple of reasons from Sally & her wonderful alumni… Thank you Sally!😘

*Edited*  “I think you can add a #11: A Tripawd never hears the word “NO” anymore! They can get away with anything, anytime! That means you won’t be called STEWART anymore because your human can never get mad!! 🙂

There is also a #12: Super Stu now has his very own massive SUPER STU FAN CLUB!!! Everyone in your Tripawds family is cheering for you and we are all in your Fan Club! 🙂”        👍👏❤

Rusty & Amy have added #13-#16. Excellent Suggestions Rusty, I can’t believe I forgot these… we may have to revise up to the Top 30!!!

*Edited* Rusty has a few items for the Top 20 list –
#13 Bathtime is shorter! Less shampoo + less scrubbing + less rinsing + less drying time = faster turnaround to treats!

#14 Physical Therapy and daily hops! PT is really just code for more treats and daily hops around the neighborhood are so much fun!

#15 Sneak attacks – Tripawds may look like they are harmless but they are not. (Isn’t that right Stewie’s hedgehog?)

#16 Ampuversaries! Celebrating special days with cake and ice cream and party hats – what’s better than that?

Mister Rusty is still over there yammering on about why Tripawds are the best but I told him we need to let someone else get a turn at the list!” 👍👏❤

*Edited* Jerry’s Pack made an excellent addition…

#17 “Oh and one more to add: One less muddy paw to clean during mud season!”

*Edited* Sally & Alumni have added another genius reason… Thanks Sally! 😆👏

#18 “Its All About Super Stu!!!”

#19 “New and Imoroved Bond Between Fur Babies and Pawrents!” (Thanks Paka Tom!)

#20 “An Endless Amount of Hedgies!” (Thankth Thally!)

Yay we made it to the Top 20… let’s keep it going!

We’re now shooting for the Top 💯 list!

——————————————–

Here are some pictures of me and my awesome people that I spent time with this week… I even got to go on another boat ride on The Toaster! I’m such a lucky fella!

“Me & My People on The Toaster!”

A beautiful day out on Toasty McBoaty

I’m glad my Mum let me write this weeks blog, I was going to nibble ather ankles if she forgot again! Thanks for letting me entertain you, I really enjoy this blog thing… A huge thank you as well to all of the tripawds community, you make my Mum feel really good and she gives me lots of smooches and kisses and soft murmured words after she has finished tapping her little Pad thing with you all…

oh…! I almost forgot to tell you… I caught two Raskety Rats this week! Those Raskety Rodents are always trying to move in at this time of year! My Mum calls them Pack Rats and she says they are kinda cute in a Mickey Mouse sort of way! But I say get rid of them… they smell awful and they’re hoarders! It’s a good thing Hedgegog lets me practice my skills on him, phew! It was exciting, but exhausting work! Who said 3 legs was a disability?!

So until next time, Paws up and keep wagging!
Sloppy kisses from Stewie👅🐾
& all the very best from his adoring pack! 🐾🐾🐾❤

Stewie and his feline furmily

Feeling like his old self again!

So here we are into Stewie’s fifth week and what a great week it’s been!

The fact that it has been a pretty uneventful week is fantastic!

Last Tuesday, Stewie went in for his blood work, to check on the level of his white blood cells. (the information is a little bit over my head…) Essentially, if there was a major change, we would have to knock back the amount of Carboplatin he will get tomorrow. (Tuesday) His numbers came back the same, so we are going ahead with the full dose tomorrow, being his 2nd round. I’m hoping for minimal side effects, if any, like the last dose.

Most importantly, Stewie was more back to himself this week… He played with his Hedgehog, scrunched his squeaky toys and even had a short game of Tug of War with Dad! Here’s the video below.

https://instagram.com/p/BXt4xATFREe/

It has been a good week in regards to Stewie’s eating habits too. He doesn’t tend to want breakfast anymore, but he hops happily over to eat his lunch & supper. He is quite happy really, because he gets an additional scoop of canned dog food on top of his boring old (good for you) kibble now!

Stewie’s surgical site is healing really well. 1/2 of the scrabbing has come off and the area where he was licking is much improved, especially as his fur gets longer.

I think the best part of the week for me though, was when I arrived home from a day long road trip to the big city. Stewie came running excitedly up the driveway to greet me! That is something we haven’t seen in at least 2 months! How bloody lovely it was to see my boy acting  like his old self assured, handsome buggar that he is!

“I can hear those Squirrels!”

So until next week, keep happily hopping around and all the best to everyone.

Sloppy kisses from Super Stu🐾, Mum, Dad & his feline pack,

Sr. Spike🐾 Chester Molester🐾 & Miss Lily🐾

p.s. Stewie was sulking when he found out that I wrote his blog this week! 😏 I forgot that I had promised him that it would be his turn again! He won’t let me get away with that one again! 

Hanging out with Mum.

Paul & I are feeling really blessed as this week rolls around. Stewie is now 1 Month past his amputation! 👏👍❤️

At the beginning of this very difficult journey, before we even considered the amputation for Stewie, we were faced with only 4-6 weeks, before we had to put him to sleep, due to the extensive pain he would have been in right now.
We are celebrating LIFE with Stewie now, rather than grieving for our boy, who we would have had too short a life with! We know that we haven’t beaten the Osteosarcoma, but we feel that we have at least conquered it for a while. None of us ever know for how long, but we feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this chance with our fur baby!

“I’m looking for the gophers with my Dad!”

Stewie’s fourth week after amputation has gone really well. He has shown us that he is adjusting quite well to becoming a Tripawd. He centres his right front leg more and I can see that it is buffing up nicely with a little extra muscle. He quite enjoys being able to surf in the back of his truck again, with is head sticking out the window, while he try’s to keep his tongue from being blown away! 👅😁

I have only been feeding Stewie twice a day now and he is hungry again for his food and will stand up and eat it, like his old self!
The funniest thing this last week was when he tried to catch the gopher out of our woodpile! His front leg and belly were to the ground, while his arse was sticking up in the air. His nose was going crazy and if I hadn’t of put him in the house, he would’ve circled that woodpile till he dropped! 🐭😤
That was his first foray back into his guard duties, otherwise, being a couch potato puts a bit of a damper on the fun of chasing away those tough deer 🦌 and those bully bears 🐻!
Stewie still gets very tired after very short walks and he tends to do most of his licking of his scar after these outings for pees and such. Otherwise he is licking far less and his scar is looking really good, plus his fur is starting to grow back nicely.

On Tuesday he goes in for blood work, to see where his white blood cells sit and then the following week, he gets his second blast, of Carboplatin chemotherapy.
I am most proud of Stewie and how far he has come this week. He really has shown how incredible dogs are at bouncing back from whatever we throw at them!
Like the Tripawds motto says… “I now feel good about what I have done for him”, rather than “good lord, what have I done to him!”

Thanks once again to the Tripawds community for being such a good support system and an excellent source of information!
Stewie tells me that he will be writing his next blog, to catch you all up on how his trips to the vet clinic go this next week.

Until then, keep your paws up and have a super Hoppy August Long Weekend! (at least it is up here in Canada! 🇨🇦)
All the very best from Super Stewie 🐾 and his pack,
Petra, Paul, Spike 🐾, Chester🐾 & Miss Lily🐾❤️

“What missing leg?!”

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…

“Ruff Week!”

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…

Happy hanging out!

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 feel a little naked right now!”

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!

“I’m feelin’ a little more like myself again!”

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!

A Day on The Toaster with Mum and Dad!

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!

Relaxed and feelin’ okay…

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!

Mum is so proud of her boy!

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 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Hi Tripawd friends,

here is Stewie’s two week update. A slightly easier, but no less challenging of a week…

Tuesday, July 18th,
Day 8 at home…

When I went downstairs to get Stewie up, he did not want to stand up at all. Eventually he came out, went pee and whimpered some more when laying down.
His T-shirt is completely dry this morning, but still a pocket of fluid sitting underneath.
I did manage to get some breakfast in him, but he doesn’t want to drink much. Turning away from treats.
By one o’clock we saw no improvement in his demeaner, so we decided to take him in. An appointment is made for 4:30pm.
Dr. Bill came out, checked Stewie’s temperature, which was slightly elevated. He then “milked” (drained) a small amount of fluid. Dr. Laurie checked his pulse, which was normal.
It’s possible that Stewie is taking a little longer to heal because he is such a big, furry dog. We are having super hot days (low 40’s Celsius) and he just needs more time.
He certainly perks up for the Dr.s!
Stewie didn’t eat very much supper, so he didn’t get a Meloxicam.
He would whimper when trying to move around and is definitely not himself today. He went downstairs and slept for a few hours.

I brought him up after a pee and put him to bed.
He fell into the first restful sleep all day.

Wednesday , July 19th,
Day 9 at home…

Stewie had a super restful sleep last night. Only getting up a couple of times to change positions.
He had a 1/2 cup of his kibble and 1/2 a can of AD.
He seems to be in better spirits today. Not licking at his wound half as much.
I saw Dr. Laurie when I picked up Stewie’s food and she recommended putting Stewie in the 1/2 Gabapentin in the mornings.
When I arrived home from town, Stewie happily greeted me at the door for the first time in a long time! He even stood to drink his own water! He didn’t fancy his lunch though.
He did however eat his supper. 1/2 a cup of kibble & half a can of AD.
Far more relaxed and comfortable looking this afternoon. Far less whimpering.

Stewie hanging out with his Uncles!

Thursday, July 20th,
Day 10 at home…

Stewie spent the first night on his own last night and although he moved around a few times, he seemed to have slept without a problem.

This morning I convinced him to eat 1/2 a cup of kibble with 1/2 a can of the AD. Along with half a Meloxicam.

He went pee as normal but when encouraged to do so and even went and had a pretty normal poo!

He seems to be the most uncomfortable after moving around, but settles down fairly quickly.

His wound looks really good today. The fluid seems to have dissipated fairly well and there is only a small amount of redness towards the bottom.

He is up & about more often by his choice today, wanting to greet people by the door, etc.
He didn’t want to eat lunch again today. But did eat his supper. I guess with not moving around so much, he wouldn’t have a huge appetite.

Friday , July 21st,
Day 11 at home…

Stewie had a good nights rest and slept in till 10am!
He had his pill with breakfast, 1/2 cup of kibble & 1/2 can of a/d.

We had him to the vets for 11:30am. His old friend (part time technician) Janine, was super happy to see him and sang her old song to him. When Stewie lived in Nakusp, he used to go to Janine’s and knock on her door, for his visits!
Dr. Bill checked Stewie out. His temp and colour is normal and his wound is healing enough that his stitches can come out on Tuesday. He will start his first chemotherapy session then as well.
We left him in the cool basement for the afternoon.

Happy hanging out!

Thankfully, the next few days have been fairly unremarkable…

Stewie has been eating some of his meals by himself, otherwise he is loving the hand fed attention I think! He is going to do his #2 business by himself, which we are both pretty happy to report on! And he goes downstairs when he wants. Sometimes he even comes and asks for help. I’m all over him like a mother hen, making sure he learns to go slowly.

He is such a very smart boy!

Californian Surfin’ Dude!

Pawsitive thoughts and love to all, from Super Stewie’s pack!

Petra, Paul, Spike, Chester & Miss Lily xx🐾🐾🐾🐾

Wednesday, July 12th
Day 2 at home…

Ruff night! Stewie was very restless for most of the night, especially between 12-4am. I had tried to take him for a pee at midnight, but all he did was take me around the house and back to bed.
I gave him an additional additional T3 to settle him down… we went for another pee at 4am and then he finally slept.

“Feeling a little under the weather…”

I had noticed that the bandage was starting to show signs of fluids that must be coming out of his wound area. It looked like the clear fluid that should be draining. I emailed Dr’s Bill and Laurie informing them of a Stewie’s progress.
Dr. Bill confirmed my thoughts on the wound drainage and told me that I could bring Stewie in for a dressing change tomorrow, rather than the appointment that is booked for Friday. I will check again tomorrow.

Drainage is starting to soak through…

His panting and whimpering went on for another hour and then he got up to go past the living room gate. So I got him all lined up and took him outside. He ran me over to the bushes for a really long piddle. Poor boy probably had to go for a while & I wasn’t listening! He’s just settled back down again. Phew!

We keep his harness on full time right now thank goodness. Then I attach his  extendable lead, locked in position and then we trot onwards. Man I love this dogs spirit! He’s got an incredibly strong character, I don’t know how he’s doing it?!

Thursday, July 13th
Day 3 at home...

Stewie had a much better night.he woke up and turned himself around a few times, but otherwise a sound sleep! Which means Mother got a much better sleep too!
Went outside, under his own steam and had a REALLY long pee. Unfortunately, no poo. He Didn’t want anything to eat first thing.

Nice cool grass!

Stewie didn’t seem right later in the morning. He didn’t want to go very far and was very lethargic. He Refused to eat more than a couple of bites of steak. Very concerning. Called vets and took him in at 11:30am

Stewie had a build up of fluid around the surgical site. Dr. Bill took a stitch out and drained quite a bit of fluid. I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with the dressings, I would have been freaked out to see that, even though I knew it was a common thing to happen.
He even had a small poo while he was at the vets. Very dry, but movement none the less. We all celebrated!
When we got home, he went downstairs very cautiously, with Paul’s help. He slept nearly 6 hours! We woke him up to a steak dinner, which he gobbled up, then he literally galloped outdoors to go pee! Super Stu!

Crashed out at about 11pm.
So far he hasn’t slept on his left side since the drain…

Friday, July 14th
Day 4 at home

Stewie & I slept in until 7:30am. We had a pretty quiet night, although he yelped a couple of times while trying to change positions. I believe it is due to the surgical sight having all that fluid drained out and now he can feel more of the incision maybe?

He did eat a little bit of left over burger and a few slices of summer sausage, but wasn’t ready for his steak at 8:30am.
He was outside for a bit, but then asked to go downstairs while I went to town for a few hours, Stewie slept in the basement the whole time I was gone. (4 hours) He had to be convinced to get up, But he did eat his steak when I got back home.

Feeling a bit sorry for himself…

He is back to laying more on his left side…

I had to use a syringe to get a little bit of watered down pumpkin into him. He was not happy with me at all! Even tried growling at me, little buggar.
Got him out side for a pee. No poo yet today.

I called DR. Laurie @ 7pm. I told her that Stewie is back to being super lethargic. He’s eating only steak & chicken and not unless he is urged to do so, even then I have to sometimes walk away, as he doesn’t trust me anymore. It’s the pill thing…

I am to stop the T3’s immediately, changing to extra strength Tylenols instead, no more than 3 per day. Also stop the Meloxicam for now…

He is far more lethargic this evening. I did convince him to eat summer sausage with chicken. He is exhausted!

I am to call tomorrow (Saturday) at 12:15pm and report in Stewie’s progress. I think we will have to go in…

Saturday , July 15th
Day 5 at home

Super restless night. Changing positions often. Light whimpering occasionally. He woke me up at 1:30am asking to go out. The first thing he does is go to lie on his bed. With a little persistence, he will go for a pee, but no poo. He wants to come right back indoors.
His right forearm very itchy, constantly licking when I’m not looking. Even with the light wrap I put on it.

Dr. Laurie phoned on Stewie’s progress and asked to see him at 12:30pm

Dr. Laurie drained the site again. Slightly concerned that it is not draining by itself. She took another stitch out, more towards the bend of the scar. The top of his scar looks lovely and already starting to heal. Appointment made for Tuesday at 3pm.
Dr. Laurie noticed that he is gaining good strength in his legs.

Didn’t eat his chicken. But he did eat the tasty dog food (the small can) and some summer sausage.
Stewie slept downstairs with the Evan & Alex. Which means I could sleep in my own bed tonight!

Sunday , July 16th
Day 6 at home

I slept in till 7am. Stewie was whimpering in pain when I went to take him outside. He really didn’t want to walk very far this morning. I barely managed to get his pills in him. Even though he wasn’t fighting me much, he managed to spit out the penicillin onto the rocks, so I had to give him one of his other ones, meaning he is short one pill, out of the 5 days prescription.

I called Dr. Laurie and explained that Stewie was the least energetic that we had seen him so far. Evan said he only got up once that he knew of, but didn’t seem to have any issues. He wasn’t eating anything and he didn’t have much energy at all. Still no poo!
We took him in to the vets for 11:30am.

Dr. Laurie took blood to check white blood cells & liver function etc., but they came back normal. He had let out a good fart (a bloody stinky one too, so I had tried to get him to have a poo. No go. She took off Stewie’s dressing , drained it again, though not as much as yesterday and replaced the dressing with a t-shirt. Then she gave him a human enema, but even that wasn’t going to work! Poor buggar!
Dr. Laurie wanted to keep him with with her for a few hours for observation, she was also going to take him entirely off his meds, to see how they were effecting him. If he wasn’t improved, then she would keep him overnight. She would know more by 5:00pm.

We were able pick him up 6:30pm. Laurie was happier with his wound & drainage. He seemed a lot more perky & he had managed a small poo. He had no temperature, so she also took him off the penicillin.
Laurie showed me how to take off and put on his T-shirt. This would be to stop him from chewing at his stitches. If he licks at the T-shirt, he won’t hurt the wound.
We have switched to a regular collar, rather than his harness right now. It gives him a bit more freedom to figure things out and there would be less friction on his wound.
Stewie is to stay on the Gabapentin, but only 2 x 300mg at bed time.
We have an appointment booked for tomorrow (Monday) for 4:30pm, to check on his progress.
When we got Stewie home, we offered him the left over chicken and kibble that he had refused for breakfast, with an additional (small) can of Hill wet fog food. He gobbled it all down! Then he chewed on his most favourite treat, a chew stick! I was so happy to see him back to a bit of normalcy. (If only for a while.)

Soaking up the love…

He had a really good nap out on the deck for the rest of the evening. It was at about 10pm that he woke up with a bit of a whimper and started to obsessively lick his wound.
We took him to bed and changed his shirt. He was still lick, lick, licking, so I just lay down beside him and gently discouraged him from licking and he then fell into a comfortable sleep at about 10:30pm

Monday, July 17th
Day 7 at home

Stewie’s wound appears to have stopped draining, but it is still rather full. He is under the weather this morning.
He had a really good breakfast of 3/4 cup of kibble mixed with 1/2 a can of Hills AD.
We took him into the vets again where Dr. Laurie checked everything out & recommended 1/2 a Meloxicam, if he eats at least half a cup of kibble for supper. Which he did, mixed with 1/2 a can of AD.
He rested really well that evening and Evan reported no problems during the night.

“What a week dude!”

All the very best from Stewie & his Pack!

Petra, Paul, Spike, Chester & Miss Lily xxx🐾🐾🐾🐾

Our Boy is Home!!!

We are so relieved!

He was laying out on the grass with Dr’s Laurie & Bill when we arrived at Nakusp Vets.
Surprisingly he was laying on his amputated side. Dr. Laurie said if that’s what he wants to do, let him do it! He was very dopey, but he knew his Mum & Dad had arrived and was just staring at us as we came forward. Our sweet, sweet lovey!

We were given the rundown on what the next few days will involve. We don’t have to worry about changing the dressing until Friday, so he can stay comfortably wrapped up. I was quite relieved about this as I didn’t want to hurt him by messing around with dressings and such. Dr. Bill can do a complete change and get to see how everything is healing. We can give him as much food as he wants, keep it tasty and keep him interested. Lots of bed rest, mixed in with potty breaks to keep things moving and working his muscles.

Stewie has been prescribed Extra Strength Tylenol, Gabapentin and Meloxicam. I already had a weekly pill organizer that was put to good use, to get all of these medications into our boy, at the proper times! It was going to be a chore to say the least!

Our boy is home after surgery

He is very weak, so until he builds his body up to Tripawds standards, we need to be beside him to offer support. We need to let him get up by himself, but be ready to hang on to his harness, as he is very floppy. I would be screaming bloody murder if I was in his shoes! Can you imagine all these expectations 24 hrs after having your leg chopped off! Bloody hell he is amazing!

When we stood up and told Stewie that it was time to go home, this mad, brave dog jumped up and ran to the truck, very wobbly mind you and Paul had to run to keep up! Bless his huge beautiful spirit! I drove in the back of the truck with our boy on the way home. I didn’t have to tell him when we were coming around our corner, that we were almost home, he’s been doing that trip long enough now that he knows every bend from here to Nakusp by heart!

When we got home, I offered him some roast chicken, but he turned his nose up at it, so I just walked back to the kitchen, not wanting to push it… the next thing I knew, the super-champ was hopping towards me, as if to say, “Hey, I just realized I am famished Mum, get that friggin chicken back here!” I had to run back over there and turn him back around, to settle him back down.

I brought him back about 1/2 a cup of chicken with his two pills, he gobbled the chicken down and I mixed the pills in the chicken juice and shoved the one capsule down his throat very quickly. Meanwhile I am telling Paul to hurry up and get more chicken, this boy is famished! By the time Paul got over to us, he had gobbled the Tylenol 3 down, like it was a candy! That’s the trick! Ha!

After another half a cup of chicken was gobbled down, he had a small drink of water. I was very happy to get that kind of response from him, so shortly after his surgery! 24hrs has already gone by! Only 312 hours to go until he should be feeling like a normal Tripawds again! He had a really good rest after that!

So it was about 4:30pm, when Paul & I stepped outside, to go and water the gardens and my flowers. When I came back in which wasn’t more than 5 minutes, our boy was standing at the door, like he always has, wanting to join us out there! (Paul forgot to put the gate up.) Talk about me almost having a heart attack! That’s all we bloody need, is for him to fall on his surgical side! But we brought him outside to have a pee. He was exhausted after that. He slept pretty hard for a few hours.

He has told us a couple of times that he has needed to go pee, so Paul & I are switching off taking him out. I said to Paul that we were going to have beefed up arms over the next little while, but our backs are going to be screwed!

So for supper Mr. Stewie had a BBQ steak, which Daddy had picked up especially for our boy! (5 of them actually) & pepperoni for dessert! He will get some more chicken as a bed time snack, to get his meds in him, so that we can dose him up for a good nights rest. (Hopefully!)

He is panting constantly and the occasional whimper. I’m going to sleep beside my boy in the living room tonight and probably for the next few nights, just in case he needs us. I’m terrified of him falling onto his side!

We are discovering that our heavy weight Champion, hops faster than I can can keep up. We’ll be running a bloody marathon together by the time we’re done! We’d do just about anything to get our boy through this though.

I can’t even think about complaining when I’ve watched what my boy has gone through, with barely a whimper! My brave proud boy! I keep telling him that we are NEVER going to leave him behind. His pack will wait for him to catch up ALWAYS!

Wishing everyone the best.

Super Stewie, Petra, Paul, Spike, Chester & Miss Lily. 🐾🐾🐾🐾

“We got this Dad!”