October 2024 – Annie had a really big surgery

October 2024, we made the decision to amputate Annie’s back leg. Well this month certainly did not play out as expected. (Do any of them really though?) Following my last update you guys know Lodi’s 15 year old dog Annie was diagnosed with bone cancer in her back right leg. Her prognosis was 6 months so we got her on pain meds and a regiment of a lot of spoiling. Unfortunately her lameness accelerated very very very quickly. Within just a couple of weeks she couldn’t use it at all. Her knee just about doubled in size, the entire leg became swollen and solid.

In October 2024 Our little Annie’s life was laying on her dog bed, struggling to get up to eat, drink and go to the bathroom before immediately returning to the bed. That was it. She wasn’t happy, nor comfortable.

Her back leg had became a painful dead weight. (Watching her drag it through the doggie door was horrible.)

We got her back into the vet asap and knew that that visit could very likely be us making the decision no dog owner wants to make.

Our vet recommended x-rays to see if the cancer had spread so, basically, if it had spread there was no point in surgery but, if she was healthy otherwise, they could remove the leg.

It hadn’t spread. She was healthy.

We decided to give our old girl the chance.

October 2024

I knew, realistically, that this could have been a shitty decision on our part. (No one wants to put their old sick dog through an expensive major surgery for no reason.)

But her decline happened so quickly and everything pointed to the leg being 100% to blame.

So – off with the leg!

What we expected to bring home after surgery removing an entire limb: Lethargic, wobbly, needing constant support and help going anywhere, old dog that mostly just wants to sleep the rest of her life but at least now with a lot less discomfort.

What we brought home after surgery removing an entire limb: Hangry, annoyed with being supported, really annoyed with being fussed over, just wants to go romp, utterly disgusted with the cone of shame and totally pissed she can’t lick her stitches.

We brought her home about three hours after surgery and the first thing she did was toddle around the yard to pee in several spots.

She gave Lodi about a million heart attacks with her almost topples but was very miffed when he tried to help her.

Once she was willing to come inside we assumed she would want to lay down and sleep after having major surgery and that is not what happened.

Annie planted all three paws in the middle of the kitchen and yelled at us, “JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW – AND I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW – I DID NOT GET BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER TODAY!”

The change in Annie was miraculous.

We never expected in a million years we would be having to keep her quiet!

The first couple of days were rough for everyone. As she’s a good girl, and just kept holding it because it was so hard for her to get outside before, she got a UTI… So guess what she wanted to do ALL the time?

And guess who we weren’t going to allow through the doggie door or down the back stairs by herself right after major surgery, missing a leg, with a giant incision and stitches!?

Lodi stayed home the first couple of days with her.

He slept on the couch so whenever she wanted to go out (constantly) he just went with her… he didn’t get much sleep the first night.

Initially we left the cone off and put an old tank top on backwards over her butt and it worked as long as we could keep an eye on her… The next morning Lodi was passed out and Annie was wearing the cone.

I took her cone off and fed the dogs like normal and then damned near had to tackle her to keep her from diving through the doggie door. I got the door open for her and then had a heart attack when she just jogged down the back three steps, wobbling and bouncing all the way.

October 2024

What?!

So, I just kept an eye on her and when she came back I asked if she needed any help back UP the stairs.

No she did not!

It was all of only the third day when Lodi just gave up trying to stop her from using the doggie door and going out on her own. On one hand yes we were really worried she was going to hurt herself but on the other hand she was adamant and we were all so happy for her that she wanted to and could.

Things worked out just fine and Annie’s stitches were taken out on the 18th.

No more cone of shame.

Our entire household celebrated.

I can’t even describe the amount of relief I’m feeling while writing this blog post.

Universe knows how this all could have gone very differently…

Initially I think Lodi was pretty horrified at the idea of removing Annie’s leg but I believe she’s convinced him otherwise now.

Not four days after her surgery Lodi made the mistake of leaving the gate open while he was working on a ramp in the dog kennel. He actually left it unlatched on purpose so he could use it but he didn’t account for the wind blowing it wide open when his back was turned…

All he saw was Annie’s tail bobbing along as she took off around the corner and down the road at a dead sprint… Of course our little dog (the totally brainless though very likable pomeranian chihuahua in our lives) was leading the charge.

I don’t think either one of us really thought we would ever see her run again. The resilience of dogs will never cease to amaze me.

(Annie’s “wrap” is the leg off of a pair of XXL women’s leggings cut lengthwise and also cut to tie. The doggie door would take it right off but it stopped her from messing with her stitches so we could take her cone off while we were around. Funny story: The vet said she suggested onesies for little dogs but there was no finding a onesie that would fit a 50 pound dog lol.)

October 2024