Life in a day of my Patou

Well, I never ever thought that we would be celebrating Patou’s 6th Birthday while in recovery from post amputation from bone cancer!! BUT… I am just glad that he is still here with me. I count everyday as a blessing whether it be challenging or not. I have to give a big THANK YOU out there to all the tripawd parents who have posted on my posts or blog as this whole process has been a scary and one full of obstacles. I could NOT have done this without the support of all of you. There have been many times where I thought and I KNOW for a fact that my vet and techs have thought that it’s just better and more humane to just put down my good companion, but as long as he still has fight left in him …. so do I!!! Of course the money might run out long before the fight !!!

    We have been dealing with a weak or injured L  back rear and only remaining back leg. It really kills me to watch him buckle that leg and try to drag himself halfheartedly through the door or trying to go out for a pee. I have ordered a Blue Dog harness like the one Fortis had and am anxiously awaiting it’s arrival here so that I can better aid Patou in his mobility. We have our second chemo tuesday and I am not sure how I am going to even get him there. We have an hour drive there and back.  Patou and I will both be exhausted before we get back home, I am sure of that. Patou just seems to want to sit/lay by my bed for the whole day. I try to get him out at least 3-4 times a day while I am home and of course he is out most of the days I am at work. His eyes are still bright and he still barks and seems interested in all that is around him. He just can’t get himself from point A to point B without help. I hope that like alot of you have posted that this is a minor setback or injury and that with time things will get better. I did read a couple of posts and now I can’t remember the dog’s name but it was a piece of cartilage that slipped in the back and left the animal pretty much paralized for the remainder of their fight with cancer. I hope and pray that it is not something like that. I just hope the harness gets here soon and that it helps with the mobility issue. We will see with time if we need to invest in a wheelchair. I don’t like the idea of one and I am sure that Patou will not either, but if it means more freedom with his mobility than I would consider anything. I feel as if Patou sitting by my bed all day is not getting him depressed. That is why I think it’s better he lay on his carpet on the front porch and can get the fresh air and see what is going on around him. He can still tease the neigbor border collie from his perch on his carpet!! I can hear him growling in his sleep again which is something that he just started after the amuptation. He does not normally growl at anything unless provoked by some curious little lab pup that wants to torment him to no end. I suppose it’s some sort of game of submission on the labrador’s part. It’s just shear aggravation on Patou’s end. I want to give a special thanks to Fortis’ dad Brett. On my dilemma with the harness and the decreased mobility issue, I was fortunate enough to have had a conversation with Brett all the way from Texas!! It was so nice to just sit and talk about our big breed dogs and their personalities and that big dog gentleness that seems to exude from the big dog breed. I am glad that Pattie and Brett are doing better and how nice to hear all the Fortis stories. Forits is one of my new heroes!!! What a big sweetie!!!  It also makes me feel not so alone in my special companionship that I share with my dog. I realize now that there are many people who share that special experience with the dogs in their lives, and usually there is that one special dog that lives in all of our hearts. It’s those special dogs that make us better people, better parents, spouses, workers, and better humanitarians. I was never ready to watch that movie, ‘Marley and Me’, because everyone that ever watched it told me to have a box of tissues handy,  but now I think I have the strength and power to do so. I realize that the book and movie was just a wonderful tribute to someone’s very special fur kid.  How wonderful that that dog inspired a book AND a movie. I think that all of our own ‘fur kids’ could inspire  their own inspirational stories.

  Happy 6th Birthday to my wonderful fur friend and companion Patou, and hope that we can celebrate your 7th together!!!!  Thank you for always being there for me… now it’s my turn.!!!!!!

Your mom,

Janet