Tag: tripawd

Fall, Stitches and a Diagnosis

One of the positive outcomes of this entire experience has been finding the Tripawds community. Not only has it been helpful to read about others’ experiences, the support we have received from other tripawd parents has been amazing. Thank you to all who have read and sent messages full of positive and loving vibes. Now….time to give you an update on “El Rey Ziggy!”

Goodbye stitches!

Ziggy enjoying the outdoor breeze after coming back from the surgeon's office last Thursday.
Ziggy enjoying the outdoor breeze after coming back from the surgeon’s office last Thursday.

Last Thursday we saw the surgeon for the first time after surgery two weeks prior. Ziggy looked great, he had no concerns and was able to easily remove his stitches. All the incisions healed nicely and the scabbing hasn’t been bad. Dr. Ganjei (Ziggy’s surgeon) told us we should probably wait another two to three weeks before we get him groomed. We can’t wait…he’s getting a little hairy! The best part of getting the stitches removed was saying goodbye to the cone of shame. Our gentle giant is sooooo much more comfortable now. His new favorite thing is to go out on the deck and enjoy the nice cool breeze on his bed.

Ziggy is really digging the fall weather. This is his first real Fall!
Ziggy is really digging the fall weather. This is his first real Fall!

The Test Results

Last Thursday the surgeon confirmed that Ziggy’s test results came back positive for Osteosarcoma. We were ready for this though, it was nothing more than a confirmation just in case by some sort of miracle it wasn’t Osteosarcoma. That being said we are going back to the oncologist at the end of this week and he will likely receive his first chemotherapy treatment. I’m hoping he does well with the treatments and his hair doesn’t fall off. As long as he feels good and is happy. I have a feeling he’ll react well though. He impressed us so much after surgery.

Ziggy and Duke swap spots. Duke goes to the bed and Ziggy takes over the door.
Ziggy and Duke swap spots. Duke goes to the bed and Ziggy takes over the door.

Ending on a good note….

Ziggy’s Post Stitches Top 5:

  1. NOT wearing the cone!
  2. Sleeping in the room again with his humans and quad siblings. Now that he doesn’t have his cone of shame, Ziggy fits comfortably in his usual bedroom corner.
  3. Going on longer walks.
  4. Conquering stairs. Our largest set of stairs only has six steps, so stairs are not a terrible challenge but, he has been doing a great job going up. On his way down he needs our assistance with his harness but has been getting a lot more comfortable with it.
  5. Learning new poses…
One of his new favorite positions to hang out in.
One of his new favorite positions to hang out in.

Ziggy Updates: Days 4 & 5

Day 4: The Harness is here!

Day 4 was a bit more of the same as days 2 and 3 with the exception that we got Ziggy’s Help ‘Em Up harness. Wow – this harness is awesome! It was easy to fit and put on. having the harness is a boost in confidence for us and Ziggy. It’s a lot easier for us to lift him with control and not worry about hurting him. As for Ziggy, I think by feeling our support it motivates him to walk more. Again one of our biggest challenges was holding him back, he just wants to run with this thing on!

This harness makes things great for all of us.
This harness makes things great for all of us.
Ziggy KNEW this was his new "leash" and boy was he excited.
Ziggy KNEW this was his new “leash” and boy was he excited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and we decided it was time for Ziggy to sleep in the room with us again.

Day 5: Well…maybe that was too soon…we need more sleep!

Day five started early – like 2 a.m. early! We woke up to Ziggy’s cone hitting our dresser. He wouldn’t lay down, or sit and at one point he even whimpered. After 20 minutes we called it quits and decided maybe we should go downstairs to sleep with him. My mom slept the first two nights with him in the basement and he was happy (although apparently he was running around all night too…). He finally fell asleep at around 3 and woke up one more time after that. We found an old foam “egg crate” used as a mattress top and laid it out for him – he was out cold.

In the morning I noticed he was shaking a little bit so I called the vet and we decided to give him his Tylenol 3 times a day vice 2. Hopefully, tonight he will sleep a lot better and we won’t feel like we have a newborn waking up in the middle of the night.

Today was the first day back at work, luckily my mom is here and was able to stay with Ziggy while we were gone. In the evening we went for a quick little walk to the corner. Nothing too stressful but it took a bit longer than anticipated because atone point Ziggy just refused to move. John was able to lift him back easily. You could tell he was exhausted by the time he made it back. He’s been napping since then :-)…. we’ll see how tonight goes!

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