Alexander's Adventures

Well, Barney has had a lot of r&r here in Tampa. As Xander slows down, he is not so much in “kill” mode anymore, but most certainly in snuggle mode….

Dont get me wrong, Barney has had some fun here in Florida. He has been to the beach where he got to see an awesome sunset…

But then he was caught at the tiki bar! Bad Barney!!!!

He has also had some time with our girl Baylee, a nine year old Great Dane. Though due to her age, she wasn’t much for killing Barney either…

Baylee definitely had some words with Barney, but all in all they got along great….

I think Barney has had a great visit her with Xander. He has infused the Tripawd spirit and strength into our household. He has brought comfort and love.

I think its time for Barney to stop being lazy now and GET KILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, just a few days ago, Barney came to Tampa FL! Thanks JD’s Mom!

When the box arrived, Xander and Baylee couldn’t get enough of all the smells!! It was so exciting, they both tried to help me open the box. As Barney was unveiled, both dogs were tail-waggin crazy to get to the purple guy! Of course as Barney is here to visit Xander first, he got to meet Barney first.

After capturing Barney, Xander insisted on laying down and giving Barney a proper sniff-down….

This included a lot of squishing Mr. Barney repeatedly with a giant Great Dane nose, over and over. Barney got properly drooled all over and chewed on. Once Alexander was through with checking Barney out, He decided to just chill with Barney, and don’t tell anyone, but even cuddle with the dreaded dino!

We are looking forward to a few more adventures with Barney. He definitely needs some Florida sun….

We are truly thankful that Barney has made it to visit with Alexander….Unfortunately, Alexander is slowing down rapidly. It is a small comfort knowing that this purple guy is here, bringing the spirits of all the tripawds he has encountered with him. What an amazing thing!

More to come…..

We are at three weeks, and things are starting to look up…..finally!!!!

Today Alexander had his post-chemo CBC check at the vet and they said it looked great! They said he looked great and was doing soooo well. When I told them he hadn’t pooped since last Wednesday, they gave him a rectal exam, then told me to go walk him around outside, he was pretty filled up…so, I think the poke in the booty helped him, he had a gigantic bowel movement. Hooray for Bowel Movements!!!

A couple of days ago we noticed the natural vertical split on the front of his nose was very dry and starting to crack. He was also congested with a runny nose. When his doc saw it today, she said it is really nothing but to watch in case the mucus turned anything but clear and watery. I guess us tripawd parents get worked up over the littlest things some times…

Personality wise, Alexander is beginning to act a little more himself. I find him to be restless at times and am wondering if it might be boredom. We are cautious as to not over-work him, as he still gets tired easily, but there are times he gets up from his snoring and hops over to you and just looks at you. It’s like “I’m here, I’m up, do something with me“, but then if you try to let him out back or play with a toy, there is no interest. Maybe for now he just wants some lovings…..

We have three more Chemo treatments to go. In the meantime, we are back to feeding RAW (Thank God), supplementing with Phyto-Flex (glucosamine, chondriton, MSM), IP-6 & Innotisol (a NK cell and immune booster), Flax seed oil and/or Fish oil, and Essiac tea. I know it sounds like a lot, but most of it is all natural and just to boost his immune system. We also give molassses which helps platelets and chicken livers for iron. He gets some spinach, but he’s not a big fan….

I am hoping that we can start socializing him again soon. He was such a social butterfly before all this happened and he needs that stimulation. I just don’t want to do anything too soon that will push him too hard. He never had stitches to take out, they just absorbed. There is still some scabbiness along the incision, though it is healing beautifully. His hair is coming back nicely as well. I wonder when I can bathe him again…he is a stinky boy after all that dog food and chemicals used through the surgery and post op….

I am happy to say that I do not regret the amputation. It literally was his leg or his life. I am getting more used to him being a tripawd, though some days my heart breaks to see him so tired after short bursts of energy. I hate that this has happened to our boy and I still get really angry about it. I also find myself fearful that the cancer is going to come back before he can recover and enjoy more of his life. I know that those are the dice we rolled, but gosh it can be so hard. I would say in general, I am very happy with his progress and VERY proud of my boy. I try to think pawsitively every day…..

Well, here we are 15 days post amp. What an exhausting two weeks!!! For the most part, Alexander is doing well. He can get up and go when he wants, he seems to have built more strength.

He still doesn’t want to eat much. I have actually been force feeding him the past few days since I wanted his strength up for Chemotherapy. Finally, this morning, he decided to eat on his own…not a lot, but enough. It is going to be even harder after the chemo I bet….ugh.

I still have days where it is so hard to come to terms with all that has happened. It’s like, one month ago, everything was normal…now he is missing a leg and fighting for his life with Chemo! I think I get overwhelmed since everything happened so fast…..I want my Xander back, the one who barks at nothing, loves tug-o-war and squeaky toys. The dog that loves food! I know, I know, it has only been two weeks. I have to be more patient…….

He is at the vet now, probably getting treated like a king…they’ll call when it is time to go get him……

Deep Breaths, Deep Breaths……

He looks SO proud

Well, what an exhausting time! Alexander is doing exceedingly well. He tires quickly, but he is always wanting to GO! It is so hard to keep him quiet.

The meds are making him pant a lot which sometimes makes me nervous, but I know it is just the reaction they give. His incision is looking really good, cool and dry, no seeping. Trying to keep him from licking it is a nightmare. He hates the t-shirt and the cone. Oh well, he’s gotta wear it!

His other legs are a little banged up, I think from stumbling the first day or two. He has some scrapes and scabs, but I think they are pretty minor.

He truly is amazing me. He is hopping right up on his mattress, and our bed. We have to keep an eye on him with the bed, we don’t want him hurting himself getting down, even though it is a low platform style bed….He goes in and out by himself, we finally got a bowel movement last night, HOORAY!!!

I do get a bit sad for him sometimes, I just hate to see him struggle, but every day he gets stronger. I can’t wait for the day when he can go to the beach and play again!

Alexander is doing really well. He has to stay one more night, but he ate for me today. He was VERY whiny, but I think it is a mix of excitement and pain meds. The good news is that he readily got up multiple time to keep greeting people. He was wobbly, but getting up! I think he is more unsure of himself laying back down!

This is going to be a long hard road. I keep looking at where his leg should be, but it’s not! Weird. It breaks my heart watching him struggle, but I think he is going to be up and going in no time.

Some pics from today:

Well, today is THE day. We woke up, if we even slept at 6 am. We brought him to the vets for his surgery, I promised I would only give him pawsitve vibes. So we sat there talking with the tech, asking the 100 questions on my mind, telling her about his RAW diet, then it was time to hand over the leash…..

The tech mentioned how calm and awesome my husband and I were being, I had to tell her how hard it was, we were holding everything in as Alexander feeds off other’s energy.

I bent down, got some big wet slobby kisses and told him to go on, have fun. He promptly dragged the vet tech over to the scale and jumped up. He stood there looking at us like, “Well, isn’t this what I am supposed to do here?” That certainly got a good laugh out of us!

It was a tough ride home, somehow I did not break down and cry! I got home, my husband went to work. As I sat there it felt like each hour added more weight to my chest. About 11am I had to take a Xanaxx to calm my nerves. I promptly fell asleep.

At 1:30, I got the call from the vet’s office. Alexander did beautifully. There was no problem with anesthesia, no complication with the surgery and he is now recovering. He is in ICU all night, they want to keep him calm and rested. We will be able to see him tomorrow!!!

I am so happy right now, it is ridiculous. I am anxious to see him, but I really am no longer nerous about seeing the leg. I just want to go get more slobby kisses!

Thank you ALL for being so supportive. I don’t know what I would have done without this wonderful outlet for everything!!!

Well, the good news is that we visited a different vet who believes that Alexander will do well as a tripawd. He is of good weight, his joints are good, but most of all his drive for life is strong.

The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, they will take him in, do the surgery, keep him for at least two nights to monitor his pain and stuff. If all goes well, then he will be coming home Thursday.

I know that we are making the right decision for him, it’s either his leg or his life, but I keep having anxiety attacks! I just start thinking about the complications from surgery, how it is going to be so startling to see him afterward, my baby in pain and everything else!

Of course the vets have to tell you all the risks for surgery, but all I hear is, “blah, blah, heart failure, blah blah, pneumonia, blah blah, bleeding” Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!

The vets also commented a couple of times that he needs to stay calm so as not to tear his stitches and other tissues, of course it makes me happy they think he’ll be so go, go, go, but now it makes me nervous he could hurt himself.

I am trying to prepare myself for the shock of seeing it for the first time, but I’m not sure you can do that. I am also trying to prepare myself for bringing home a doped up, in pain 165lb dog…..good thing my husband isn’t small…..

Well, I’ve vented enough. I hate that this is happening to him, I am so angry that he has to go through this, but I know that it is not as bad for them as it is us…..I just hate it.

So we went to the orthopedic surgeon today to determine if Alexander would be a candidate for amputation. The doctor basically looked at him and said, “Dogs over 100 lbs do not do well with amputation in the front.” He also told us that if we anticipated what we were getting into and the work we would have to put in, then he might be okay….

So, I asked him about the structural integrity of Xander’s other leg. His front feet turn out like a ballerina, not all the way, but enough to concern me with the integrity of the leg. The doctor said he wouldn’t know until after he amputated. He then told us we could try bandaging up the hurt leg and see how Alex does on three legs. They took him in the back, tied the leg up (completely heartbreaking to see) and let us come back. Alex was scared out of his mind, but upon me calling him, he came to me on the three legs, stood and even backed up a little….

My heart says he has the strength to do this, my head tells me he may suffer. If damage would be done to the remaining leg, I wonder if it would be over a course of years (which he doesn’t have) or months…..

Time for a second opinion, from someone versed in Giant breeds……