Month: September 2014

Having prepared ourselves for the results of the operation, we was overwhelmed with joy when we picked Buddy up from the vet. Only one day on from his operation and he walked himself down the stairs and back to the car for the ride home.

We were advised beforehand the visual impact is often worse than the physical and with his full limb removed it was a little emotional but seeing him smile again made everything worthwhile.

The cone around his neck made eating slightly difficult and our wooden floorboards required a bit of concentration, but within a matter of weeks, the old Buddy was back, just one foot shorter.

Our son needed no encouraging, he wanted to get down and play with Buddy and the feeling was mutual.

The excitement was present again

, but the stamina was noticeably less which the only obvious change in Buddy. We would usually go to the park for hours whereas now half an hour would pull us up. So be it. We just had to cut back on his food to prevent weight gain.

Life was good once more.

The location of the buckshot was deemed non-threatening, so the recommended course of action was based solely on the Spindle cell sarcoma.

The tumour was contained to the leg and the vet was confident that removal of the limb would be a long term solution.

Panic set in and I reached out online to find out more about three legged dogs and kept finding results for tripawds.com.

A wealth of knowledge all from people sharing experiences of their own with people like me; Scared about what to do and not knowing whether it was the right thing or not.

The resource material available proved to be invaluable, in particular Three Legs and a Spare. After downloading a copy, I printed it and had it bound.

I kept it handy which allowed me to read at all hours of the day to make sure that if we opted for the surgery, it would be an easy transition for our faithful furry friend.

There seemed to be endless series of questions, but with Three Legs and a Spare in my possession, the answers were never far.

When the dust settled and sense prevailed, there was only one option, so a theatre was booked.

 

 

We were now on a first name basis with all the staff and trips to the local supermarket were always met with, “How’s Buddy?”, “Is he due in again this week?”.

He spent another day in the clinic being assessed to check the full extent of his condition.

I received a call at work and was brought to tears.

“Mr. Chapman, do you go hunting with Buddy?” “I don’t hunt. Why?” “We’ve taken some x-rays and he’s got pellets through his chest from where he’s been shot.”

Suddenly we understood why he was unclaimed at the animal shelter. He wasn’t wanted.

8 weeks Buddy had remained unclaimed. No one bothered to look for him.

This of course is what led to my wife and I adopting him so in every sense of the phrase, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

We had no basis to go on and no reason to second guess our vet, so we continued to base our actions on Buddy and he still showed no signs out of the ordinary but gradually, running took on a slightly altered technique. So, another trip to the vet was required.

Still nothing unusual returned from the tests so we continued on the same check as necessary nature.

After returning from interstate in August, the lump had grown noticeably larger during my absence so another vet consult beckoned.

This time things went differently.

Some “not too good” cells were present in the sample taken and after some further tests; the outcome had me going straight to Google.

Spindle cell sarcoma.

What were the options? How far had the cells spread? Questions that could only be answered after more time at the vet.

Another trip to the vet. And then another.

Some anti-inflammatory drugs and only light exercise, but still to no avail.

In March, when the swelling was still not getting any better so further tests were done to help confirm the initial diagnosis.

Nothing unusual was found with the consensus being that the only option would be to remove the lump surgically.

Due to the location relative to the joint, the vet advised that it would prove difficult to heal and possibly end in the loss of the limp.

One thing that people always said that Buddy was such a happy dog.

This was still the case and as it wasn’t causing any pain or discomfort, the decision was made to leave the lump be for now and check again if necessary.

Our new life was just peachy.

We had all adjusted to the new regime of a little one and then in November 2011, a simple mishap while out for our regular run resulted in Buddy suffering what would eventually lead us to the Tripawds community.

I was always cautious with the dogs as we ran around our neighbourhood and kept them on leads to help ensure their safety. While running we made a u-turn and Buddy got tangled around my feet with his front right leg bending outwards.

A lump literally appeared right before our eyes on the outside of his leg. We rang our vet immediately and took him straight in for assessing.

With some relief, the vet diagnosed soft tissue damage and we were sent on our way with instructions on how best to treat the injury with the expectation that the swelling should subside over the next few days.

It didn’t.

Like most of the world, my wife and I fell in love with John Grogan’s Marley & Me.

I bought her a copy for Valentine’s Day and in turn I received a copy for Christmas.

The tale of a young couple and the trials and tribulations of starting a family rang all too true with us and reading Marley & Me became somewhat like a checklist of things we’d also experienced with our canine companions, Buddy mostly. Some things had us a little uneasy though as we were yet to add wall eating to our own list. Thankfully we never did but with two cats also, the litter tray often proved to be a temptation.

Marley & Me is the only book since my school years that I can claim to have read numerous times and all though I’m familiar with the story, I enjoy the ride.

Like John and Jenny, my wife and I found ourselves expecting and thanks to the education given by having two cumbersome beasts, we were confident.

It was 2011 and we enlisted the help of a good friend to help document the stages of our first pregnancy through photos.

The day before our little bundle arrived, our final session caught a beautiful photo of our then family – mum and dad to be, Buddy, Honey and one baby bump ready to hatch.

Our son came home in July and a newborn crying was a sound soon adapted to by all members of the family with the knowledge of another set of hands to pet with safe in the back of two certain minds.