Day 9
Well, my hopes for a solid night’s sleep were dashed. Fionn got up and headed for the dog door which I decided to lock because he still needs some assistance going down the stairs. Front amps have trouble going down, rear have trouble going up. Fionn can go up like a BOSS. He seemed a bit out of it so I grabbed the sling. I usually just hold on to his collar to help support him in front and control his speed. He finally decided to go down and, again, I’m not sure if it was something I did or what, but he cried out on the first step. Stood shaking a bit at the bottom, but did manage to pee. He wanted to lay down on the concrete, but it had rained all day and, even though it is a covered area, the concrete was wet in spots. I didn’t want him to get his incision wet, so I had to lift his butt from behind and semi force him up the stairs.
He got up again a few hours later, and got onto the landing, but did NOT want to go down the stairs. I don’t blame him for being reluctant after the pain he obviously had the last time. He laid on the landing, but I didn’t want to leave him there so out came the chicken and I tried to convince him to go out the front instead. He hasn’t used those stairs in days and has no pain associated with them that I know of. He didn’t want to go farther than just outside the door, so I left him on the deck for the rest of the night. I blocked the stairs and kept my window open so I could hear him if he headed that way.
He made no attempt at the stairs and got up (without whining) about 7 am and came inside. He has another episode of yelping and crying as he walked in the house. I was not touching him so it definitely wasn’t me this time! It took a minute for him to stop crying though- such a sad sound. He did hop over to his food bowl and have breakfast and a drink. After a rest, he wanted to go out again and I took him out front with a trail of chicken bits. He would not go all the way to the stairs, so he is now sleeping on the deck again. I’m icing his incision while he is flat. I massaged his incision which does not hurt him and massaged and stretched his right hind leg. He also got brushed. Waiting for him to lay on the other side to get the other legs.
I decided to call his regular vet to see if I could add any supplements like fish oil etc that might act as a substitute for an anti inflammatory. My gut tells me this is not pain from the surgery, but muscle, joint or spine pain. He did not want to recommend anything since he is scheduled for chemo next week. He wants me to ask the oncology doctors who will not be in until Monday. He did recommend I start hot packing the incision which I have done once, but will now alternate with the ice. We will have to soldier through the weekend. I feel like things will be better once I can use the harness again. I’m sure I am hurting him by not being able to support him correctly.
**Note- something else I bought in preparation was a hot/cold pack. Rather than a heating pad that needs to be plugged in, I found a pack that can be used hot OR cold. It is a clay substance that is reusable and has a cloth cover. It is 6×12 inches and very flexible/mold-able. I kept it in the freezer in the beginning and am now using it for heat- heating it in the microwave. I use a bag of peas for icing since heating it up once it has been in the freezer takes too long. I should have bought 2, but the peas work. The heat lasts for quite awhile and feels very nice on my neck too!
He’s just so sleepy all the time still. Did not get up from about 8 am until 1 pm. I had to encourage him with chicken, but he did go down the stairs from the deck. There are only 3, but they are taller and steeper than the back stairs. I made sure he went slowly and there was more chicken when he got down. He went and had a good pee, but no poop and headed back to the stairs which he managed fine. We went back inside for lunch and I added some pumpkin again. I would love to get him out again for a bit more of a walk before it rains again tonight. He’s at least laying on his other side so I can massage and stretch the other legs.
I got him out again around 5 pm for a potty and a walk around the house. Basically out one door and around the front and in the other door. He flat out refused to use the ramp to go up the front stairs, but he can go up stairs just fine anyway. The ramp is really best for going down. Later in the evening this happened again 
It’s really sad because he wants to lay on the couch the way he used to and can’t. That face says it all. And, he ends up getting stuck on the couch for hours. It’s super easy for him to get up there, not at all easy to get down. The last time he yelped so loud I’m sure the neighbors heard him This time, when I reached for his butt to just slide it over a bit, he yelped/whined and rolled his eyes at me and I didn’t even touch him! He made sure I understood NOT to help him. I resorted to wiggling the couch a bit to encourage him to try and then propping pillows behind him to keep him from rolling back. eventually, and by that I mean at least another hour, he got himself organized with his front leg close to the edge and with some encouragement I got the sling under him and helped him down without any yelping. NO MORE COUCH FOR FIONN. Maybe when he’s stronger.
I got him out to potty around 10:30 and we settled in my bedroom at 11:00. I kept my window open so he could be cool. It’s still raining and cool so I think he was more comfortable. Let’s hope for a full night’s sleep!
