Riley has had remarkable improvement since her surgery. She is navigating very well on three legs. Going up stairs is still very hard for her, so we put her Webmaster harness on at bedtime and lug her upstairs. The handle on the harness is great – she is like a big, furry suitcase that we wrestle up the stairs! Riley zips down the stairs on her own with no trouble. Next week, we see a physical therapist, so maybe she can rebuild her strength. Riley has never been much for water, so I don’t see her being a fan of an underwater treadmill, but there are other things that the rehab center offers. While she is intermittently active, it also seems that she is sleeping a lot. But, overall, she is pretty much back to her old self. Riley is alert and loving, and has a renewed interest in chew toys.
We started chemo on Thursday, with possible five dose total. The oncologist wants Riley to have a CBC next week, so that future dosages can be adjusted, if need be. When the doc told us what to expect from the chemo, we were a little blindsided to hear that we need to be careful around her poop and pee for a few days. Apparently, she will be excreting the chemo chemicals, and they are dangerous. It makes you wonder why we give such nasty chemicals to a dog who is already sick…
Good Job Riley! I’m so happy to hear that she is doing well with her recovery and chemo. I loved the “big, furry suitcase” description! She is such a pretty girl.
My dog, Rusty is also 12 1/2 and had his right rear leg amputated 2 weeks ago so it is fun to track Riley’s progress. Rusty’s sister, Lucy went through chemo and you’re right, the idea that the chemo is so toxic you can’t handle it seems crazy. She did IV chemo and also the pills which would arrive shipped with caution tape and hazard warnings and had to be handled with gloves – “Here you go sweet girl, swallow this down…” but I will say she handled the chemo very well. Her white blood count behaved and she would be a little sluggish with lack of appetite for a day and a half or two and then she bounced right back so hopefully Riley will have a similar experience.
Rusty is sleeping a lot just like you described, those surgeries must take a lot of their juice.
Give Riley a hug from us!
Amy & Rusty
Thanks for commenting Amy and Rusty. I just read Rusty’s story. He is sure a cutie, and he looked wonderful in his pants! How did you do that? We bought a post-surgical garment for Riley. It was like a giant onesie, but did the same job.
When Riley has a day where she sleeps a lot, it’s hard to determine if it’s still post-surgical tiredness (and she’s had two surgeries since February), her age – 12 1/2, or now chemo. Whatever, she can nap as much as she likes. Some days, we nap together, and those are the best.