Hi Everyone!! I wanted to do this post yesterday, but we were SO busy! The day started with Bruce getting his staples out ….. I’ll start from the beginning. Lol.

My husband and I were getting ready to go early in the morning. We like to be the first ones to the vet’s office, so our special boy can be seen as soon as possible. And yesterday was an important day! Bruce was getting his staples removed! As we were all walking to the car, my husband was adjusting Bruce so he could get a good handle on his body. (My husband is so strong! He can just lift up my 105 lb Bruce like it’s nothing). Well, Bruce surprised us both, by jumping into the car all by himself! And, he didn’t falter, or miss a step, he glided into the back like a pro! Now, when I say car, I really mean a Dodge Journey midsize crossover SUV. So, it’s not something that is super low to the ground. But, never-the-less, my boy just jumped right up there! I can’t believe how strong and agile he is, after just TWO weeks from his surgery!

We arrived at the vet’s office, and we were taken to a smaller examination room. I suspected it would take  awhile to remove the staples, I wasn’t sure … The nice nurse took my boy to the back, and Dr. O’Keefe came in. He wanted to tell us that Bruce has recovered remarkably well. We discussed Bruce’s “allergy” reaction to whatever the heck that was … and Bruce’s symptoms are practically gone. Dr. O’Keefe was pleased with the outcome. Next my husband and I were escorted out of the small examination room to the hallway, where we would wait for Bruce. It only took about 10-15 minutes to get all of his staples removed. It was a lot faster than I could have hoped. 🙂

So, back to the house we went. I was glad, because I still have a full time job … Yes, I still have to do the standard 9a – 5p work week. BUT, lucky for me, half of my work week is spent at home! So, even though I was busy with work yesterday, I still had time to cuddle with my Mighty Bruce throughout the day!

Later that evening (after I was through with work) we gave Bruce his first bath since his surgery. We had to wait until the staples were out. And, boy did he need it! Lol. He was getting quite stinky. Giving him a bath went just fine. Nothing traumatic happened, and he just stood in the tub and let us scrub his big body. Bruce never fusses when it’s time to take a bath, he enjoys it really. His most favorite part is AFTER the bath, when he gets a rub down with the towel from his mom (me!)! And this time was not any different! He really does like taking baths! And, when we’re all done, and his fur has been tussled up, he just looks SO darn cute!!

After the bath, we wrapped his elbow. His pressure sore is getting better. It is not as bruised. But, I still think we should keep it wrapped until it is fully healed. And, Bruce gets to have a different colored sock everyday! Today it is light blue! Lol. The colors are really just for my amusement. Haha! He looks so darn cute in them!

Bruce is so amazing! He is running in the yard now! He is playing again with all his toys; there are tennis balls, his baby rhino, a pink pig, and an elephant that also serves as his tugging toy! He is eating very healthy, and drinking water all the time. He is very close to being back to his old self. This whole event has gone so much better than I could have ever anticipated! I am so thankful! And, it does help to have an awesome dog who can adjust well, and quickly! Bruce is no longer on any pain meds. I am not sure if I should renew the tramadol precripion he was on …. My husband thinks we should wait a couple of days and see how Bruce does without it before making that decision. Besides that Bruce has a few more days of anti-biotic meds to take and then that will be all gone to!

Now that Bruce is getting back some of his energy, I am wondering how long should we wait to take him back to the park. It is not a dog park. It is just a stretch of a grassy area behind our house, within walking distance. And, there’s a little creek there as well. There is never anybody else in the park, and certainly no other dogs. Perhaps soon. I don’t want him to go and get SO tired that he doesn’t enjoy his time there. Maybe only take him for 15 minutes or so?? Anyway, I am looking forward to a trip to the park in the future.

Thank you all for reading. I know it is lengthy. I hope you enjoy the posts. I have a few more pictures, and a video! (I’ve never posted a video before, so hopefully I can figure it out! Lol.) I will post them probably later tonight. (I’m not actually home at the moment, so it’ll have to wait). Please keep commenting, and giving any advice you might have. This is all a learning process for us.

Love from Sabre and Bruce!

Hi Everybody! I wanted to give everyone an update before our appt tomorrow morning. It is Sunday evening, and Bruce is resting. We had a pretty un-eventful day.

I’ve posted on this blog, and in the forum, about Bruce’s elbow. He has developed some type of pressure sore there, and his callus is very moist, almost like a sponge. When we have Bruce’s appt in the morning we will have the vet look at it. In the meantime, here is what I’ve done …. We put antibiotic ointment on the scabby areas around the callus. We’ve put layers of gauze on top of the elbow, and have wrapped it with self adhesive wrap. We have covered that with a long sock. Lol. Bruce hops even a little bit more funny now with that on. But, for now, I am trying to protect the elbow as best I can. He seems to be able to relax a little better, so I’m hoping that having a little extra padding on his elbow is helping. Any other suggestions for this? I’ve added a picture below showing Bruce with his sock. He’s still so cute!

Well, tomorrow we have a follow up appt with Dr. O’Keefe. Bruce is getting his staples removed tomorrow! I am very excited about that! I am most looking forward to giving Bruce a bath. I know that sounds funny, but he needs one. Lol.

I also want to let everyone know how well Bruce is doing. He is such an awesome dog! He has masted standing and walking. We’ve even explored running a little. Now, when it is time to go outside for a potty break, he runs to the back door! I can’t believe it! He’s got to go through the kitchen to get to the back door. I want to assure everyone that we have bought runners the go the entire length of our kitchen. Fortunately for us it is the only floor in the house that required rugs, as our house is carpeted throughout.

As well as Bruce is doing, I do have a concern. Bruce has not been able to relax well. I am thinking it has to do with his elbow, as I mentioned above. But, in addition, Bruce still wakes up from a dead sleep screaming out. I am certain it is because of these phantom pains. Or perhaps, Bruce is expecting his leg to be there, and it is not. This happens often when he is trying to rest. And, because he is woken up by this he doesn’t sleep much. And, he pants heavily all the time. And, I can tell he wants to sleep … he droops his head lower and lower to the ground, and he closes his eyes … but he doesn’t sleep, because he cannot get comfortable. I’m not real sure what to do about that.

Enjoy the pictures! I will have an update tomorrow about how his appointment went! Thanks for everything!

Love from Sabre and Bruce!

H everyone! Here are some pictures from this week. One of my favorites, is the one where his eyes are closed. Lol. I take a lot of pictures, and he’s saying, “Mom! Enough with the flash! I can’t take it anymore!” Lol!

There’s one with his baby Rhino.

And, then a third of his happy, smiling face!

Hi Everyone! I have an update on my Mighty Bruce! Last post I described some allergic reaction symptoms to “something”.

Well, since we’ve went to see Dr. O’Keefe this past Thursday Bruce has improved greatly! I am so relieved! It is now Saturday morning. Bruce’s ears are not puffy anymore, and are back to normal. His nose has stopped dripping, and his saliva from his mouth is back under control. Earlier this week he was scratching/itching under his chin. That has now stopped. However, he does have a little scabby area under his chin that needs to heal fully, nothing a little anti-biotic ointment won’t heal. So, the additional meds we got from our doctor certainly helped!

Now, an update on why we joined this page, his amputation surgery. Lol. Bruce’s surgery site is healing super well! Dr. O’Keefe is very pleased, and quite frankly impressed, that the surgery site has healed SO well. There is no sign of deteriorating tissue around the site. The bruising is completely gone! This upcoming Monday, 4/20/15, Bruce will be getting his staples out! We are SO excited!

I really have to commend my dog, my Bruce. Besides being the cutest stud-muffin I’ve ever seen, he is VERY strong. And, I mean strong, in a way that this whole thing he is going through hasn’t gotten him down. Of course, having cancer doesn’t phase him, he doesn’t understand the concept. He is still my happy fur-baby that he has always been. He has such a good demeanor, he is very well behaved, and I think that helps. He’s just really mellow and chill, as he’s always been.

These first (almost) two weeks have been a little ruff, I’m not gonna lie. But, only because I understand what is happening to him. But, my job now is just to LOVE him, hold him, and squeeze him! I’m going to give him everything he needs, everything he wants! I’m going to make his life FULL! I want to thank everyone for their comments, advice and support! You all are the best!

Love from Sabre and Bruce!

Hi everyone! Just an update on my Bruce. It has been 11 days since Bruce has had his front left leg amputated. He has developed, what our vet thinks, is an allergic reaction to “something”. Dr. O’Keefe is not sure, and we certainly have no ideas.

Here are Bruce’s symptoms, which we first noticed Monday night:

1 – His ears puffed up, like they were filled with fluid.

2 – He began scratching underneath his chin, like he had an itch.

3 – His nose is running profusely.

4 – He has an excessive amount of saliva coming from his mouth, and it travels down his chin/neck, and we have to clean it often, because it really is gross.

5 – On a different note, his right elbow callus is swollen and feels like a sponge. It too is leaking fluid, and has to be cleaned often.

All of these things are very weird. Bruce had an appt on Thursday to have his drain tube removed, so of course his other symptoms were discussed while we were there. Dr. O’Keefe prescribed 3 additional meds to Bruce, hopefully to end this “reaction”. We will monitor Bruce over the weekend. We will take him back Monday morning to have his staples removed from the surgery site, and also to let Dr. O’Keefe re-evaluate his symptoms, and see if Bruce has improved. Oh, I hope so. It is scary seeing my fur-baby this way. All I can really do is care for him, which I LOVE to do anyway! 🙂