In Loving Memory of The Trail Boss

Hello friends!

Today is a WONDERFUL day of celebration. Skyla’s one month ampuversary is here! This is such a milestone, and I’m sure many of you can relate. It’s that time that you imagined before surgery when everything would hopefully be back to a new normal. I’m pleased to say that new normal already came, but we are still seeing so much improvement! I look forward to every day with my best friend. She is such an inspiration and a true warrior.

We had a fantastic lake day over the weekend. A little dip in the water and some relaxation in the long grass. She was in heaven!

She also popped in for a visit to me at work (at a natural pet foods store) and got to check out all the delicious smells. Her human friends were amazed at how well she’s doing!

I think she knew today was special. She popped up onto our bench seat area to sit by me and watch for deer! This is quite a leap; higher than a normal couch. She did it like it was no big thing! She even helped herself down when I had stepped away. I would prefer she didn’t jump so far on her own, but a piece of me was blown away even more!

I’ll be back to write again soon. We’re taking an adventure to Ruffwear today to say thank you for all of their amazing assistance through this. We are fortunate enough to live in Bend, where Ruffwear is headquartered. We also connected with a gentleman and his lovely lab, who was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma via our holistic vet, and went through with the front leg amputation yesterday. I shared the Tripawds site with him, of course! I’m helping to transport her home this afternoon. I’ve been wanting to pay it forward as much as I can, and this is such an awesome way for me to do that, especially on such a memorable day for us. TRIPAWD POWER!

XOXO,

Rae & Skyla

Hi friends!

Skyla gives a big WOOF as well! This girl is in fine spirits these days. I’ve seen a little bit of play, some belly exposure for pets, tail wags, and working her tricks for treats once again (she loves “sit pretty” now since she’s so light up front! Ha!).

We went down to the Deschutes River and dipped our feet a few evenings ago. Boy, did she like that! She met a nice family who used to have a Tripawd as well, and they absolutely fell in love with her. After all that excitement, she was pretty wore out. ZZZZZs….

The summer heat has been pushing on, so I filled up the kiddy pool for the pups, which is the equivalent of a torture chamber in their minds. Silly dogs. I bribed them both in with treats somehow!

Our goal for this week is to go for a little (and I mean, LITTLE) walk of some sort every day. She doesn’t seem very motivated to leave our house on “paw,” so I may try driving her to a new spot as the smells and scenery change really do the trick. If nothing else, some treats intermittently are not a bad way of encouraging her along either 😉

I’m still a bit worried about her back left knee or leg. It seems she doesn’t put much weight on it; I can’t tell if I’m imagining things or if she over strained it at some point. I have some extra anti-inflammatory pills left, so I may try a little trial and see if that makes a difference. She moves so goofy now it is REALLY hard to tell!

We hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer days too!

XOXO,

Rae & Skyla

Howdy friends!

The weekend is here! Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks since surgery for Skyla girl. She is continuing to do great! Sure, the progress has slowed down compared to the first two weeks. but we still see our little victories every day.

Her mood has really picked up lately! She doesn’t seem “depressed” or as quiet as she was last week. I’m still trying to get her to play toys again, but I know it’ll come back eventually. She seems very comfortable, has her full appetite back, gets up and moves around freely, etc. My only concern as of late is it looks like one of her rear legs may be bothering her slightly since yesterday. I’m just keeping an eye on it at this point. It’s very subtle, or possibly just my imagination. We had an unexpected neighbor visitor yesterday, and both Skyla and her bro Clyde raceddown the driveway to check out the other dog. She may have pushed herself a little too hard then. 

I’m not sure if I mentioned it previously, but aside from owning an on and off-leash dog hiking business, I also work part time at a local natural pet food store. We just got in a new toy from West Paw Design called the Qwizl. I was really excited because I knew right away it would help her chew on bully sticks, etc. with only one front paw. Sure enough, works like a charm! If you’re interested, they are a fantastic US company who makes their toys right in Montana. They also have a one-time chew replacement guarantee! www.westpaw.com.

The week my goal is to get her out for a “walk” every morning and evening, encouraging her to go a little further each time. We are also going to go for a dip in a lake or river! With those staples out now, we are definitely ready to cool down in some water!

Have a wonderful rest of July!

Rae & Skyla

Hello friends!

We had a great weekend! Today marks 2 weeks since surgery, hooray! It feels so recent and yet so long ago. Skyla has made huge strides. Every day I feel like she “comes back” a little more. She’s getting smoother and more comfortable hopping around. That tail has been wagging more and more! She is completely off her pain meds now, and showing absolutely no signs of any pain. Wednesday she’ll get her staples removed. We can’t wait to show everyone how well she is doing!

We went camping a few nights ago, something I was a little nervous about taking her along for. However, this girl loves to just relax outside, and that’s all any of us were really hoping for. She did fantastic! She trekked all over to explore and really wore herself out. She sleeps so sound anyways, but she was REALLY relaxed after all that hard work! I think it is so good for her mentality to feel like she is not hindered.

We’ll be sure to share some updated incision pics once those pesky staples are old news.

Until then, XOXO!

Rae & Skyla

Hello again!

We had the best vet appointment in awhile on Tuesday – Skyla’s bandage got snipped! The doctor and I were both pleasantly surprised and even shocked at how well her incision looked just one week post-op. He asked to see her walk outside, and she was hopping along so fast I could hardly keep up. She showed him how she tackles steps, uneven terrain, and even took a potty squat to show off. She got an A++ report and the go-ahead to start tapering off pain meds. We also talked about when to take a peek at chest radiographs again. We are shooting for 6 months out, unless any concerning signs pop up sooner. Of course it worries me just thinking about that cancer spreading, but I’m trying to stay optimistic and focus on what’s just ahead of us: getting our Skyla feeling good and happy again.

We’ve seem some little glimmers of her spunk come back the last few days. She seems less hot and more comfortable resting now that the bandage is gone. She’s still resting lots and is not interested in getting up and doing much without a little encouragement. Her appetite is pretty much back to normal, always a good sign! Every day she treks a little further outside, this morning being the furthest yet. I’m such a proud mom :)) We got a lovely care package mailed from a friend, complete with an adorable super hero hedgehog. She hasn’t touched toys since before her surgery, so I had some work to do to gain her interest. She did catch it mid-air and hold it a few times, a serious victory!

The weekend ahead will bring one or two nights of camping, a big step for her. I think she’ll really love all the outside time and undivided attention. We’ll take it easy and let her enjoy all the sights and sounds of the woods.

We’ll report back soon! Fingers crossed we see some more spark out of her over the next few days.

XOXO,

Rae & Skyla