Day 6 Post Op –and Hitting a Speed Bump

Day 6

Day 6 started out with unrelenting whining . . . at 1:00 AM.  For the next six hours I was on the floor next to Aiden trying to reassure him through the whining.  After speaking with the vet, it was decided to adjust his pain medication to Gabapentin three times a day and Tramadol before bedtime.

He slept most of the morning, but by the afternoon he seemed to be feeling like his old self again.  He sat in my lap for an hour watching landscapers put in new flowerbeds in the front of the house, barking every once and awhile to let them know he was watching.  He is also showing his dominance again–stealing a chew toy from Sydney with a bark and the snorting, bear-like growl he does.

We got good news from the vet.  The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of osteosarcoma (which we expected) but the lymph node they removed from the shoulder showed no obvious signs of cancer.  Of course we know that there are cells wandering around his body, but we are going to begin the attack on those cells next Tuesday.  The sutures will be removed two days earlier than we anticipated and we will begin the immunotherapy on Christmas Eve.  What a great Christmas present for both of us!!

I let Riley in the “infirmary” with Aiden this evening just to see how she would react. She wagged her tail and walked carefully by then lay down about 6 feet behind him.  I don’t think she was too sure of what to think about it all.  When I went to the gate about ten minutes later she wanted out.  Cooper is dying to get behind the gate, but he and Aiden–although they never fight–do a lot of growling and posturing with each other. . . they have ever since they were puppies.  I think they both can do without all of that until next week.

Aiden seemed comfortable all afternoon.  He went out several times, making it look so easy maneuvering on 3 legs.  His appetite continues to be normal.  I’ve given him two doses of Gabapentin and will give him a 3rd before bedtime along with the Tramadol.  Hopefully he will sleep through the night.

Observations on the Whining

About 6:30 tonight Aiden started whining again.  I was sitting in the study and he was laying in the hallway about 8 feet away.  The vet said she was surprised by the whining five days after surgery, so it got me to thinking that there might be another reason for the vocalization–Aiden has always been a vocalizer when he wants something and either can’t have it or can’t get to it.  Tonight I noticed that he was only whining when I was nearby.  When I went into the kitchen, he quit whining–something I don’t think he’d do if he was really in pain. He’s been isolated from the pack for 5 days now so I wondered if he was showing his frustration.

Tonight when he started the whining, I whined back.  The more he talked, the more I talked back.  In a few minutes he got up and hopped into the study and started wagging his tail and butting me with his nose–things he always does when he’s in a playful mood.  After some snuggle time, he curled up beside my chair and went to sleep.  He’s been quiet for the last three hours.

I think pain probably was part of the reason for the whining early this morning, but I think maybe he’s getting just a bit tired of the isolation and the lack of freedom. I may try some more socializing over the next few days to help him out.

Six more days, Aiden, and things will start to look up for you!