Our Intro from the Tripawd Forums
I thought I would just repost the intro I posted on the forums to introduce Kobe’s story:
A week ago our world took a drastic turn when our vet walked back into the room without Kobe (our 10 year-old lab/shepard mix) and told me that they believed he had an osteosarcoma in his rear right leg. I had no idea what that was but as she patiently explained what this all meant I struggled to focus. They had previously thought he had a soft tissue injury but when he didn’t get better, our vet decided to take more films. She referred us to a specialist who she felt could provide Kobe with the best possible care. We saw the specialist on Monday (August 2nd) and ended up scheduling the amputation for the next day. They applied a Fentanyl patch and we took Kobe home. Kobe hadn’t been sleeping because he was in a lot of pain and Monday night was no different – so as I sat with him at 2 am I started searching online and I found this website. I am so glad that I did!! Reading everyone’s personal stories has really helped my husband and I through this stressful time and helped to prepare us for possible outcomes.
Kobe’s surgery on Tuesday went very well and the doctors were pleased with the results. They told us he was getting around really well – which wasn’t a surprise because he had been basically only using 3 legs for about a week or so. This morning when they called they told us that he had found a way to reach his tongue around his e-collar and had managed to lick out one of his sutchers. They added a few staples and gave him a longer e-collar and told us we could pick him up this evening. I read on this site about staying positive when you first see your pet after the surgery and I was really nervous that I would cry (I have been so emotional since last Thursday that I thought for sure I would lose it) I tried to prepare myself by looking at the photographs that the site recommends and I do believe that really helped me. My husband and I both stayed very positive and were so happy to see Kobe and his wagging tail!! The wound has a lot of bruising and is a little swollen (the vet said it was some fluid – he had a name for it but I can’t remember what it is) and said that it should absorb back into his body. He has slept a lot since we got home – he is on quite a few medications – so it sounds like that is normal. We have a crate for him when I have to go back to work on Monday, but the e-collar makes it a bit difficult for him to turn around in it so we aren’t sure what we’ll do….
We don’t know yet if we are going to do chemo – the vet is going to take more chest films when they take his sutchers out and depending on the outcome discuss options. Again I just want to thank everyone for the sharing you’ve done on this site – it has really provided so much information and comfort to me in the past couple of days!
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