I came home from work a few weeks ago, and Ethel didn’t come to the door to greet me. That wasn’t that unusual, but when I couldn’t coax her out of her crate with a cookie, I knew something wasn’t right. I tried to move her, and she let out a sound I’d never heard before. I was able to get her into the car and to the vet where they x-rayed her and found a broken leg. Since it was Saturday, the said they’d have to wait until Monday to set it, and I’d have to leave her there over the weekend. They called me on Sunday, and referred me to a surgical center since they couldn’t get to her on Monday. Monday rolled around, I took her to the surgical center and the vet said the bone break looked pathological, not from an impact. They wanted to keep her and do a biopsy, and he told me that if the bone had cancer, he wouldn’t be able to set it, and amputation along with chemo would be the treatment regimen. She had her leg removed yesterday and I’m supposed to pick her up tomorrow. I’m really happy she’s coming home tomorrow, but am anxious and scared about what to expect. I want her to be her happy, goofy self, and want her to ask me to go to the park every as she does almost every day.
Hi there! Your situation is similar to mine – I walked into our hotel room and found my girl Tai with a broken leg, that couldn’t be repaired (bone weakened due to cancer) and so was amputated.
You’ve come to the right place, you might want to start a thread in the forums for immediate advice and support 🙂 Everyone is hear for you, we’ve been there!
How old is Ethel? Stay strong, she can do this and so can you!
Tracey & Tai
So sorry to hear about your baby! I think you’ll be surprised at how resilient dogs are. My girl hopped up as soon as her anesthesia wore off and she was a right old lady of 12 years (pretty good for a bigger dog).
Wishing you a smooth transition – it can be tough while they are recovering – but we are here if you need us!
Whennyounpick her up at the Bet, just ig ore her incision and look at her happy drugged eyes and tell her what a good girl she is! Recovery is No picnic for two or more seeks. And sometimes it takes thise adorable Bulldogs a bit longer to get their sea legs.
She may be whi y and restless for several days and, hopedully she’ll be in good pain meds!
Drinking and peeing are important comma more so than eating and pooping. Actually, it may take a couple of days for her to poop if you have hardwood floors you’ll want to get non-slip scatter rugs for traction. Some people use cheap yoga mats.
For the first week or two, or more, you’ll just want rest and short potty breaks, rest and short potty breaks. It’s so easy for a dog to overdo those first weeks and strain Annette muscle, or shoulder muscle, or a back muscle.
Hershberger will come back slowly but surely exclamation point I know this is scary it it’s hard to believe how well she will do, but she will do very well. All she cares about is being spoiled and getting extra treats and lots of tummy rubs and I have a feeling she gets plenty of all of those!
STAY CONNECTED! We are here with you every step of the way. You can even hop over to the forums and start a thread there and maybe get even more supportive responses. Sometimes these blogs go up and down so fast it’s hard for people to even see them.
Wishing you the best and looking forward to celebrating loads of Victories and Milestones for your girl!
HUGS!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Hopefully Ethel is now back home with you! Hope all is going well. It’s an intense journey for sure especially these first few days. We know you’re busy but update us when you can. You’ve taken the first steps to getting her out of pain and bringing back her sparkle. Hugs to you both!