Before I start with the crazy puppy pictures, I want to give you a friendly warning so I thought I'd start with some pretty fabric photos instead of the pathetic puppy photos. LOL! I'm currently deciding on a pattern for quilt #3 using the above fabrics. Yummy!!!
The crazy puppy update before the photos and the warning: I took him across state yesterday to meet with the surgeon and we basically have 2 surgical options. The first is to put 3 pins in his leg to reattach the bone. (He broke his leg at the femoral head on the growth plate.) The second is to remove the femoral head altogether, allowing a false joint to form over time. Option one is what we're going with because the second option (FHO surgery for those who might know about these things) is not recommended for large dogs. However, there's a chance that option one won't work and we just won't know until the surgeon actually sees the bone. If that's the case, we simply will have to go with option two and hope for the best. I had to leave Sawyer yesterday and will pick him up on Wednesday if all goes well.
The sad part is that the crazy puppy will probably always have a limp and has a 100% chance of getting arthritis. The arthritis could end up being severe and painful but we're not going to worry about it now. We'll just have to see how he recovers. And, speaking of recovery, this is not going to be easy. I'm sure I will whine and complain and feel utterly trapped in my house over the next few months, but I am going to try my best to remember that we are grateful to have him in one piece.
Basically, he's not supposed to walk for 6-8 weeks. The first 2-3 weeks, he will probably have to be carried anywhere. After that, he has to be crated 99.9% of the time. :( They can't cast the bone and it needs to have as little movement as possible so he's going to be allowed out of his crate only to go to the bathroom and to get a bit of attention. It's basically bedrest for an almost 9-month-old puppy. I'm going to try and stay zen about it for now, but in a few weeks, I know I'm going to be going out of my mind dealing with a very sad and cooped-up puppy. I've lodged October 1st in my mind as his (and my) release date. LOL!
Sooooooo.......here's the invitation part. If you want to come visit, please do!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, come and visit because I'll be trapped. :p Bring kids, bring food, bring scrapping or quilting supplies and distract me. :)
And now it's time for the warning before you see the next photos. Actually, only one of the photos needs a warning. And, no, it's not a warning about anything yucky or the broken bone or anything like that. It's a warning about your heart breaking if you are a dog lover. Because this dog has the biggest, saddest, most pathetic puppy dog eyes you've ever seen. And the saddest part is that, at least in this circumstance, they are for real. He's not putting on a show for attention. He really was that sad and pathetic and confused about the pain and why he's got one leg that won't work. So, you've been warned. I'll save that photo for last so that you still have time to change your mind before your heart breaks. ;)
Basically, all Sawyer has done since Friday is lay on the floor with some heavy duty pain meds. We made him a bed by the wall and the kids' toys so that he would be out of the way, yet still involved. We weren't sure he'd make it outside to go to the bathroom so we laid a tarp under the blanket just in case. That's the blue you see under the blanket in this photo.
When he has to go to the bathroom, Tom has had to carry him outside. Which, by the way, I'm gonna have to learn how to do by tomorrow. He's almost 70 pounds and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to lift him, but I'll have to figure it out quickly. :p
The bandage you see is a sling that taped up his bad leg until his surgery.
By Sunday afternoon, he was perking up a bit and was being a bit of an attention hog. Even then, though, you can clearly see his sadness. Or maybe it was irritation with the girls bothering him. LOL!
We found out that it was easier for him to be alert when he had something to lean on, so we put him by the ottoman and the couch and he liked that much better. Plus, he was getting a lot more attention than he had up against the wall. LOL!
And, here's the picture that will break your heart. Don't say I didn't warn you! By Monday morning, he was trying to be active and would attempt to sit up for short periods of time. I think you'll be able to tell, though, that it wasn't the most comfortable thing for him to do.
My poor crazy puppy. :( We can't wait to have this whole ordeal over with.