A Lazy Saturday
We are now at surgery day + 11, and things seem to be settling into a regular routine. Nikki is very much getting back into her old habits. One of the things she loves to do is take the caps off an empty plastic bottle, she’ll see me finish a coke or something and then expect me to put the cap on and give it to her… I was sitting in the office here last night when she noticed me finish one and she asked for it… Took her a little while longer than normal to get it off, but get it she did…
We’ve had a bit of leakage and such from the seroma, and Nikki seems to be moving a bit slower than she has been, but all in all I’d say we’re making really good progress.
Here’s a short video that I shot of her today:
Nikki does seem to be a bit more restless over the last couple of days. She’ll move around a bit, scoot some on the carpet, and try really hard to lick her stitches. I imagine that is due to the itchy part of the healing. The anti-itch cream helps, but all in all I think everyone will be happy when the stitches all come out and the wound can heal.
Today was a pretty lazy day. I played a lot with Sasha and Buddy so they wouldn’t feel left out, and when I decided to kick back on the couch, Sasha decided that she would join me as you can see here. (Nikki is hard to see to the left as she’s passed out on her blanket)
Tuesday we see Dr. Pyne again and decide whether we get to take the stitches out, and possibly drain the seroma some more. Otherwise, pretty “normal” stuff I guess.
January 30th, 2010 at 22:04
She looks really strong for 11 days. She has a good steady stance when she is standing still. It took my pug Maggie much longer to look so steady.
Is that Buddy with his toes on the bed? My other pug Tani does something like that when she is too hot to be in the bed- but seems to want to touch it.
Karen and the pug girls
January 31st, 2010 at 08:13
Wow, 11 days and going up and down stairs like a champ. You can hardly tell in a few of the video angles. It’s so nice to see how fast they get the hang of it.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:50
Mmmmmmm… any lazy day is a great day in my book. “Normal” is a good thing.
January 31st, 2010 at 13:48
Yes, it is Buddy with his toes touching the bed. For whatever reason all of the dogs tend to do that. They’ll start off square in the middle of the bed, then they’ll scoot until only their feet are left on it. I don’t know that it’s related to being too hot or not (We keep the house at a pretty constant 68) so it’s hard to tell.
In terms of the video, yes, she goes *down* the stairs just fine, and she can make it back up if she really tries, but I am still not comfortable making her do that. I help her back up the stairs by slinging a rolled up sweatshirt under her backside and simply holding her weight. I let her do the work, but I keep her weight balanced on the shirt until she gets all the way to the top..
January 31st, 2010 at 13:58
It’s so good to see this. My Rot is 12 yrs and 3 months old and just was diagnosed 2 days ago. We are still waiting to get the blood panel back. I want to do the best thing for her. She’s my baby. It would be good to know your entire experience. What Vet did you use, where are you located etc. My mind is going crazy with the very thought of losing her.
January 31st, 2010 at 14:23
Hi Robert;
I am very sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but take heart! As you’ll see from the others here on this site, there are many dogs who’ve gone on to live fulfilling lives after this most horrible of circumstances. Nikki is my baby too! I brought her home when she was 6 weeks old, she was the runt of her little and had defects to the point that the breeder was going to put her down. She has been an absolute treasured member of our family since then. We believe that we’ve caught this cancer in time, and we expect Nikki to be with us for a long time to come! We’re in Colorado Springs, CO.. Where are you located? You can find a lot of information here on this site, and you can read about Nikki’s entire journey here as well. Plus, and most important, you’ll find an amazingly great support system here! Everyone has gone through something similar, and everyone can help see you through this!