Day 7 and can’t wait for Day 14! :)

Hurley actually laid and slept on his wound today which freaked me out when I saw him.  I let him sleep but was worried for the moment he tried to get up.  He whimpered a bit but I was happy to see him get up on his own from that position.  Most of the comfort problems have been from only being able to sleep on one side.

 

The hardest part for us is watching him be so melancholy or depressed when he is normally such a happy, goofy guy.  I know he’ll come back but getting through this portion is tough to watch.

 

Thanks again to all for your support, suggestions and empathy!

 

John, Alana, and Hurley

Hurley’s Journey Day 3 and Day 4

Day 3 seemed to go pretty smooth.

Hurley got down his ramp OK to go to the bathroom,  had a pretty good appetite, and pain seemed to be down a bit.

Even though the only time he went out was to go to the bathroom, he seemed to want to be up and about around the house which we tried to discourage but there is only so much you can do.

Day 4 definitely seems to hold a bit more pain in it.  He has started today with more whimpering and seems to be content with just laying down (which we are fine with).

First night out of the hospital

Not too bad, but not too great either.

Not a whole lot of whining or crying but just a dang hard time trying to get comfortable and figure out how to properly lay down with this new body.

Outside for 5 minutes at a time produces a couple hour nap today!

Today we are officially heading home which I think will make Hurley even that much more comfortable.

Heading Home

I was able to pick up Hurley today.  As soon as he saw me the ears perked up and the tail was waggin’.  A great site.

We arrived back at Alana’s parents house and are going to stay here for at least one night as it is closer to the hospital for us.  More than likely heading back to Sandpoint tomorrow.

 

His first photo as a Tripawd…

"let's get out of this place! - Limb stealers!"

Here we go…

This past Monday the 18th of April, Hurley was formally diagnosed with an aggressive Osteosarcoma (I really hate that word now) in his front right leg.  We are lucky to live close enough to the Washington State University Vet School which is one of the finest in the nation and have given us fantastic care and information.

Hurley’s infected leg has given him nothing but problems since birth.  It is slightly deformed and he has always favored it and it has been the source of soreness many a morning after a long walk or hike.

Once we found out that there was no other detectable areas of cancer and that he was a prime candidate for amputation, we gave the go ahead and yesterday, April 20th, Hurley had his right front leg removed.

We have found it very difficult to distinguish between rational and emotional decision making at this time, but after seeing so many stories of dogs living so happily with only three legs we felt we had no choice but to give him this shot.

We pray we made the right decision.