Becoming a Tripawd – A Special Point of View

Hello everyone! Rachael, here, writing instead of my beloved Sprite who is spending the night at the vet hospital.

A little about me for those who don’t know. I am a groomer at a wonderful veterinary services clinic in Washington state. I volunteered there for six months and then took a job! It’s a wonderful place to work with other that truly care about the pets and the clients we are helping! I am also a Bengal cat breeder. I have five adult Bengals and have 1-2 litters a year. I am TICA registered, vaccinate and spay/neuter all kittens that leave my home, and socialize the heck outta my kittens. We also have a beautiful chocolate and tan Dachshund named Bimmer (that BEAM-er) and of course, Sprite. Taylor is my boyfriend and we have been together since 2011. Any man that can tolerate that many cute and furry things and help me take care of them is a keeper, no?!

In any case, I’ve got an interesting point of view on becoming a Tripawd since I also work at the vet where my pets are treated. I will warn you, however, that I intend to be fairly descriptive and this may or may not help you with the thoughts and fear you may have about YOUR pet’s amputation. I plan to share my own thoughts and feelings and questions and answers that I’ve found. Tripawds is one of the BEST resources I’ve found for anything EVER. So many kind and truly helpful people!! I also plan to share the entire story, ups and downs. I hope this will maybe relieve some of your fears and questions about what actually happens to a pet when they become a Tripawd.  What I mean is, I’d like to share with you our story from the injury to surgery to recovery from behind the scenes, so to speak. Because I volunteered for such a long time as a vet assistant, I often help with the medical side of the clinic and when it’s MY babies, I always assist!

There are a lot of questions that are hard to answer unless you’ve been there. I will say before that through this, Sprite and I are amazingly close. I’ve NEVER had a pet be so happy to see me when I wake up or come home to her waiting patiently in her kennel. Although injuries and amputations are terrifying, I find comfort in knowing that this journey has made Sprite and I bond like nothing else could. I can see the trust in her eyes… and that is something I treasure deep in my heart. That’s why we say KEEP ON WAGGIN’ – because no matter what happens if you stay positive, you can get through anything! The experiences and methods described below are from our experience with Sprite and our veterinarian. Your experience may differ a little or completely! Please feel free to leave a comment or send us a message!

 

So, welcome. This is our story.

Super Sprite is a beautiful tri-color mixed breed puppy. We think she may be part Alaskan Husky and perhaps something short-haired that comes in tri-color. There’s a link to pictures of her at the end of this blog! Anyway, Sprite and her brother and sister were dropped off at the clinic when a kind older couple found them one morning on their porch! We looked them over and estimated them to be about 7 weeks old. It was love at first site and Sprite came home that night! The brother, Kovu, lives with one of our vet techs and the sister, Nova, lives with a friend of mine in Canada! We placed their birthday at or around April 20, 2013 and began routine vaccines and worming and potty training!

All was going good and Sprite was learning and growing quickly. Well, a few weeks later when she was just under 3 months old, she suffered a tragic accident. She was run over when a friend’s dog was chasing her and the friend was moving their car. I tried to grab her but it was too late. I cannot put into words the feeling of seeing your sweet baby pinned beneath the wheel of a car… I didn’t have time to cry. I yelled at the drive the move the car NOW. When the car was moved off of her, I called to her. She was not whining. She was just looking at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. I couldn’t reach her, so I called her again. She came, slowly and dragging her back legs. When I grabbed her, I checked her gums for color. They were pale, very white. I knew she was in shock. One glance at her leg dangling there so sad and already bruised, I knew it was broken. I  called the vet and told him I was coming. We had just left work on our way home (Sprite always goes to work with me) which is about 45 minutes away and now we were rushing back. I looked at the clock as I left and when I got there…. only 15 minutes had passed.  I remember thinking on the way that if a cop tried to pull me over I would call 911 and tell them to let him know I was rushing my dog to the hospital and that he could give me a ticket when I got there!! I turned the heater on to keep her warm, even though I was sweating! She only cried one time the whole way there when she tried to move. That’s where “Super Sprite” came from. This little girl won’t let ANYTHING stop her. Thankfully, at the time she was riding in a kennel whenever she was in the car as she was so little and it was nice to have her contained while I drove.

When we arrived, I called the vet again and he was nearly there. I got out and went to look at her since we had to wait a few minutes. I took her out of the kennel. And I cried. I made myself not cry the whole drive… but when I saw those sad eyes again, I just couldn’t hold back. I told her how sorry I was. That I really tried to grab her… I started to think that if she had just listened to me when I called her… but that big dog was chasing her. She must have been terrified. So, I told her it wasn’t her fault and that Mommy and the vet would make it all better. I don’t know if she could understand me or not, but she licked my face as I cried. And in that moment, I knew what love was. Even though she was badly hurt and in shock, she knew that I needed her kisses… Super Sprite.

The vet immediately started an IV and gave her something for pain. Her temperature was a little low. We put a heater in the kennel below her so the bottom of her kennel would be warm and make her bed nice and cozy. Her left rear leg was surely broken. There was no sign of internal bleeding or swelling and only a small scrape on the outside. We got her stabilized and let her rest. She would have to wait for x-rays til the morning when the rest of the staff was available to help. The vet promised to come check on her in a few hours and told me to go get something to eat. It was then that I was finally feeling the shock. The adrenaline was gone and I felt exhausted. I looked at her, lying in the kennel… those sad eyes again. I went in to tell her I would come back in the morning. I hugged her close and she licked me some more. I waited until she started to fall asleep and I went to eat.

I walked into the Dairy Queen and a kind couple allowed me ahead of them. After I ordered, I turned to them and  said thank you, honestly, I’m not having the best night.  I briefly told them what had happened. They smiled and told me it would be ok. I thanked them again and then sat down to eat. When I sat down, I started feeling sick to my stomach. Would it be ok? The truth was settling in. My puppy was broken. She was lying in a kennel alone, scared and hurt, and there was nothing more I could do to help her until morning. I felt like I was broken… wished it were me instead of her. I could hardly stomach my favorite meal. I needed a kind voice. So, I called the vet tech, who is a good friend of mine and told her what happened.

She came to the restaurant and told me that I could stay at her house instead of driving back home. It was nearly 10 pm by that time and I was feeling exhausted. I went to her house and called my boyfriend and told him what happened. He was angry. And that was hard to handle at such a devastating time. I explained everything as best I could and told him I was staying the night. He was upset, but he understood. I had a very hard time falling asleep. Morning couldn’t come fast enough.

When I woke, I rushed to get ready. We went to check on Sprite and she was doing ok. It was time for x-rays. We sedated her to minimize pain and get the best picture of the damage. When the x-rays were developed, we saw that her femur was broken and both sides of her pelvis fractured. According to the vet, the pelvis rarely (he may have said never) fractures only on one side. After some conversation, we decided to pin the fracture the next day. The pin would go through the top of her hip down into the femur to pull the two pieces together and allow them to bridge (grow back together). The surgery would be the next day.

The pinning surgery went very well. Text book perfect, the vet told me. We took x-rays again to make sure the pin was in the right place. I could hardly even see the break! Back to the kennel she went and stayed overnight. I picked her up the next day and she was so happy to see me!! She had a sling on and her entire back end was shaved on both sides up to her mid-section. She looked very silly, but thankfully, hair grows back!

For four weeks after the pinning surgery, I worked with her leg every day to keep it moving. We did stretches four times a day a least. We did hydrotherapy to reduce the swelling. We even tried aqua therapy (swimming). I started her on glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM supplement. I bought special puppy food, gave her pro-biotics, and fed her three times a day. I did everything the vet said and did research online to find more I could do. Well, at the end of the four weeks , we found it had all been in vain. Her ankle and knee were frozen. The vet guesses that she had nerve damage that caused her muscles to stop being able to contract and move. I started to noticed that Sprite had stopped trying to use the leg. She was getting stuck on grass and the bed and all kinds of things. She seemed to be getting frustrated and more and more upset.

After lots of conversation and research and talking to specialists and other vets around… we decided that based on Sprite’s age, personality, and specific injury, amputation would be the best option for her. Then, I found Tripawds…. after reading the stories and experiences, I knew this was the right decision for Sprite.

Taylor remained unconvinced.  This was probably the hardest part of my decision. It was so hard to have someone tell me I was making the WRONG one. I kept researching and telling him stories about other Tripawds and showing him pictures of them living normal lives. I watched her struggle day after day and kept trying to convince him. Well,  one Saturday, I asked him to take her out to potty. The grass was pretty long around the edges of the yard and that’s where she likes to potty best. As he watched her get stuck and struggle to get her foot out of the grass so she could keep walking, I saw his face change. When he came back inside and told me that he’d changed his mind! That made my day. A weight had been lifted from my shoulders and we could now go forward in helping Sprite!!

In the days leading up to the surgery, Sprite seemed very sad. The weather had changed from sunny and warm to dark and rainy. I wondered if her body hurt more when it was raining too? I was so nervous when the day  came! I was nervous and excited and scared and hopeful… every emotion I know crashed over me all at once.

When the time came, I took a couple deep breaths and composed myself. I took Sprite out of her kennel and held her for the IV and catheter. I told her the whole time she was going to sleep that she was going to be just fine. I watched for about 30 seconds as the surgery started and had to walk away. Unfortunately, I still had grooms to finish and had to get back to work.

Surgery went very well and just as planned. I was a little overwhelmed when I walked out of the groom room (from which you can see into surgery through the window over the scrub sink) and saw the final cut and the leg come off… I don’t know how the vet does it! Perhaps it had more to do with the fact that it was MY baby in there, I don’t know. I’ve watched many surgeries, but I cannot watch my own babies in surgery! Well, I did assist with the neuter of one of my stud males when he was retired… but a cat neuter is pretty much the most simple and least invasive surgery other than a skin tag removal which most of the time is painless and the pet can actually be awake for and not even notice it’s been done)!

In any case, it was a bit disturbing, but I managed to compose myself before she woke up. Watched the vet tech carry her to the kennel and she started to wake up. I let her be and went to grab lunch (the vet tech was keeping an eye on her). When I came back and had eaten lunch, she was still pretty groggy. She was shaking all over and her now stub of a leg was twitching.  When she was awake enough to see me, she started whining. I went in to see her and she GOT UP to make sure I was ok!! Then she just wanted to be held. She still looked very sad, which was pretty heart breaking. The incision was really long and lots of stitches. There was no bruising, but it was odd to see it twitch. She lay back down and kept looking at it suddenly and would lay her head back down.  I loved on her for a while and then told her to rest and I would come get her in the morning.

I went home and drank a little to celebrate a new beginning for Sprite!!! Went to bed early, almost like Christmas, because I wanted to wake up and go get her!! When I arrived she knew I was there before I even saw her! She started barking and whining and waggin her whole body!!! She was so happy to see me. And she was bright eyed, not a sign of the sadness in her eyes that there was before. She was a whole new dog!!

I was so relieved to see how happy she was!! And the harness a fellow Tripawd community member sent to me fit her PERFECTLY! The Tripawds Angel Exchange is a true blessing!! She was quiet and content all the way home! I gave her a “busy toy” in her kennel and let her settle in.

Now recovery begins! At the time of this posting, we’re one day in to Tripawd life and I think we’re doing really well. Sprite seems to be very conscious of her balance and where her legs are. She hasn’t fallen and the Ruffwear harness is truly pawesome!

I am so glad that we went through the decision to amputate Sprite’s useless leg. I am so impressed with her recovery already! And her attitude is just amazing! That’s why I call her Super Sprite. She is the happiest, most amazing dog I have ever had the privileged to know.

With all that has happened Super Sprite always says:

KEEP ON WAGGIN’

<3 Rachael ( & Super Sprite )

 

 

Pictures of Sprite: https://www.facebook.com/nemerabengals/media_set?set=a.440352912729385.1073741831.100002640400500&type=3