Mischief Managed – Page 2 – Rascal is putting it lightly

1 Month Post-Op!

Hello Tripawds!

So today we hit a month! Feels weird, like it happened yesterday instead of 4 weeks ago!

38dfe7bf-f650-47ca-a821-10577d4d2746 — Propositioned for playtime!

The good news: Rascal is doing fantastic! From taking himself out to potty to jumping up onto the couch and playing with our other pets! He’s returning to some of his normal routines from before and it’s been such a relief to see. Hops right on over to his old spot for food instead of sticking to the area rug where he’s been since surgery! The little things y’know?

The bad news: Rascal has grown accustomed to the spoiling that took place early post-op and now makes silly demands. He’ll take himself out to do something, but will then bark until someone comes to get him because he doesn’t want to bring himself back in. Or he’ll be chillin’ out on the couch and will huff until one of us brings a small water bowl to him for a drink versus jumping down to go get a drink himself.

Trying to break Rascal of these quickly formed habits has been like pulling teeth! We make him walk when he doesn’t want to because we can differentiate between laziness and true fatigue, and he’ll pout the whole way. We help him off the couch and tell him to get his own water from the giant bowl that everyone else uses, and again with the huffing and the pouting! It’s equal parts frustrating and hilarious!

Today was a good day though, we left him truly alone for the first time since his surgery to go to a wedding! We puppy-proofed the house and locked them in, and then we all left! Fast forward a few hours and it’s as normal as prior to surgery, everyone’s happy we’re home but no disasters to speak of! If anything they just seemed bored.

Overall it feels great to have come this far, and for life to be resuming with hardly any hitch in our giddy-up! I actually have less pictures and less to say because now all that’s left is for his hair to finish growing in and things will be mostly back to normal!

Celebrating one more success for the Tripawd Nation,

Rascal and Co.

More Dog or The Week in Photos

So it’s picture dump time!

I never mentioned what we did when we took Rascal to Home Depot! We picked out paint colors! It’s been a long time since we’ve done the exterior of our home, and we decided to figure it out! We’re starting with one chunk at a time, working our way up to the entire house. We decided on doing the house/decking grey and all the trim purple! We’re eccentric, we can pull off purple.

I caught a candid shot of Rascal one afternoon enjoying a car ride in his dapper bow tie. His neck-skin is so loose it sort of hangs over his fashionable accessory, especially when he’s as relaxed as he is in this photo! He had accompanied me to a quick hair job for a friend of mine. He frolicked in her yard, enjoyed a nap on her carpet, and flirted his little heart out with her! No vet visits for this dog! Only sunshine and fun times! His little lady back home is definitely getting jealous that he’s hogging all the car rides and going out all the time without her! Dual dog park trips will have to be implemented.

Soon after that we enjoyed some yoga on the front deck. He loves just spending time out there, smelling the breeze and soaking up sunshine, I can try and make him walk around but he usually settles somewhere and just gives me imperious glances. As seen in this shot we’ve both got a leg out!

Rascal hasn’t gotten back into the swing of bedtime cuddles, but he is all about the day time chair sharing! Caught this candid image when he was napping beside the Queen of the house, his human’s mom! She puts down a little pillow and everything for him, so he always enjoys his time sharing a chair with her. As we can see here, out like a light! He enjoys tucking his back legs up against us, he tends to just drop off to dreamland if his back legs are digging into our sides!

In an effort to be more dog, I have just dumped all the random photos to do with the master of mischief himself, even if there’s no particular theme or reason behind them! Soon to come, pictures of Rascal chilling out on the deck while we try and paint it around him!

Wishing the Tripawd Nation all the best, you wonderful dogs you,

Rascal and Co.

Confessions

So this is going to be a weird post, anyone who has read Rascal’s journey will know that it’s gone remarkably well.

I want the community to know that all our good days haven’t completely prevented the not so good human feelings. I don’t think this is exclusive to having an old dog, but I think in my situation there’s something to it. During the days Rascal is energetic and makes do demanding kingly treatment to make up for his still recuperating mobility.

It’s the nights that we struggle. Rascal always used to rest his head on his front paws, and I see him look for the paw that isn’t there to pillow his head anymore. He’ll give me this look, this simultaneously knowing and questioning look. I know I’m reading too much into it, but I’ve come to dread that look. It makes me feel so guilty, despite knowing we had no other option. It brings all these questions I have to the forefront of my mind.

He hasn’t cuddled up to me to sleep since the surgery. He’s been achy despite all the massages. I also see his muscles pull and twitch in the shoulder, knowing he’s trying to pull my hand to his chest for pets. The vet said leaving his scapula in was for the best, given his age and stout gait. That it would be a less stressful amount of damage and was in his best interest. I almost wish it wasn’t there for me to see the clear would-be movement he keeps up despite knowing the leg is gone. I think indistinct movement that wasn’t so recognizable would be easier for me to deal with. Now back to those burning questions/worries.

See, I’m a college student that lives with my lower middle class parents. We scrounged up enough money for his surgeries and his medications, my well off brother helped us buy the Farabloc and a new harness. I worry about what the regrowing tumor on his leg actually was. And I worry for any other lump I find on his body even after the vet tells me not to worry, that it’s just a benign fatty tumor. He’s got new ones since the surgery I haven’t been able to have checked out.

My family is never going to be able to afford seeing a veterinary oncologist or have extensive testing, especially considering my tuition costs and his age. I feel very guilty about how much more care I’d like to provide for him, but can’t seem to manage. I have severe anxiety, so I am definitely a worry-wart. I know a lot of this is just me, the human, being ridiculous. I am glad to be doing my best for my best bud, and that the smaller amount of surgical damage has meant a lovely recovery. I don’t resent having to go through this, I just worry and hope for a lot more time with my dog.

I don’t even know what I’m hoping to accomplish with writing all this down, but perhaps its just for the catharsis.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart Tripawd Nation for going through this before me, with me.

Rascal and Co.

2 Weeks Post-Op!

Another week bites the dust in the face of Rascal’s gumption!

20150713_103921_resized — No stitches or staples!

Just this morning Rascal made his latest scary trip to the vet’s and had his stitches removed, smoothly and with no trouble at all. That’s my good boy!

For some fun we took Rascal with us on the rest of our errands, we have a summer project in the works and he got to ride around in the cart through Home Depot! Failed to get a picture since he was so pumped there wasn’t a moment of holding still. His human’s arms are exhausted since his exciting day out ended with a half hour drive home in which his human held him through a nice soothing car nap. Rascal sure loves those long car rides! Windows down, wind in his hair, portable water bowl, and bow tie style! He actually begins jumping around and getting excited the minute the bow tie goes on!

20150710_152915_resized — Puppy girl has a hoarding problem.

He continues to charm all the people he meets and is even trying to play with our 70 lb puppy when they’re both in the yard together. Just yesterday he was chasing her and got going so fast he nearly face-planted into the grass! Neither dog wants to listen to those blasted humans telling them to mellow out. Just goes to show how strong this little guy is that he’s still wanting to rough-house with a dog four times his size!

Since the family has been more vigilant about keeping the stairs off limits we have fortunately not had any new sneak attacks trying to go where he’s not currently allowed; but he is getting a bit more exercise now that he’s been weened off of his heavy-duty pain medications. Just the other day he walked a good way unassisted to get to the front yard for his outside time where he proceeded to chase birds, roll about in the grass and get a little sun.

20150712_161729_resized — True love is smushing your face into your human.

He’s still milking the whole experience for treats and extra affection, god forbid we leave him alone in a room! He’ll bark until someone comes to get him! He either comes with us wherever we’re going, or we stay put near him. He simply will not tolerate being stuck somewhere by himself.

Overall it’s been a really good week, he’s healing well and behaving as best as he can. He’s even lost a little weight from the leaner diet we switched him to the week before surgery! So much loose skin! It’s all squishy and makes him extra fun to cuddle.

Wishing the Tripawd Nation all the best things,

Rascal and Co.

Morning Blurb

Rascal and Co. had a lovely morning today, and I feel like sharing. We live in a circle of 100 ft. trees which we are very grateful for during these summer heat waves. It also means we have a few hours in the morning when everything is shaded and we can get some landscape maintenance done.

Ultimately I just want an excuse to share this photo. It’s one thing to say they make a cute dog couple and another to see it in action. Ebbie is the only animal Rascal will let that close to his incision. So with all of us out gardening or just enjoying the fresh air, Rascal himself couldn’t stay behind in the house! This porch swing faces the flowerbeds and is as clean as it’s gonna get so we decided to settle him there for a soft surface and a gentle rocking motion. Soon enough his adorable dog wife joined him and they contentedly laid there while we sat on the ground digging in the dirt. What a role reversal!

Hoping the Tripawd Nation is keeping cool!

Rascal and Co.