Here’s a video of Griffin from April 6:

Griffin has been recovering very well, peeing and pooping regularly, getting around better every day, and eating (with coaxing) each day.  However, the last 3 nights, he has been very restless and unable to settle down, panting but not seeming to be in pain.  Yesterday I emailed his surgeon to ask for help and he suggested taking Griffin off all of his meds (hydromorphone, galliprant, and gabapentin), so I did not give him the evening doses.  Last night was the worst, with shaking and heart pounding (similar to how he reacts during thunderstorms) until 4am.  [Side note – I found out several days later that there were fireworks being set off that night – not sure how I didn’t hear them, but it explains Griffin’s reaction since he is terrified of fireworks!  Poor boy!]  However, today is a different story and he has done well.  He was acting uncomfortable around noon and I gave him one gabapentin.  His surgeon agrees that keeping him on gabapentin every 12 hours might be the tweak to his meds that he needed.  Griffin had been on galliprant and gabapentin for 2 weeks prior to surgery, so I’m wondering if the hydromorphone (an opiate) was causing the issues.  Fingers crossed that we have an easy night tonight – I need some sleep!

Things in NYC are surreal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This was actually the perfect time for Griffin’s recovery as I am working from home and we are under orders to stay indoors except for occasional exercise, so I’m content to hang out with my boy 24/7 and binge on TV viewing.

xoxo Stacy

Griffin gets stronger and steadier each day!

Griffin’s incision is healing really nicely.  His surgeon used dissoluble stitches internally so that we wouldn’t have to return to the hospital just to have them removed.  I was surprised by the bruising that spread down his torso to his groin, but the surgeon said that is normal and is more noticeable on light colored dogs.

I know he is not supposed to climb on furniture, but Griffin has mastered getting up on the couch and my bed (which is fairly low to the ground) and I don’t have the heart to keep him off when he has always been allowed to snuggle.

Griffin was very restless overnight but today (3 days post-op) has been a good day.  Griffin has mostly been resting.  The first 2 days it seemed like he was still groggy from the meds given at the hospital, but after walking for a bit this morning, he knocked out for 3+ hours from exhaustion!  He has been moving around more in the house today, finding different spots to rest on the rugs.  I think he’s just tired of being in bed!  Griffin is not back to normal in terms of his appetite, but he is drinking lots of water and continues to take his meds.  He urinates regularly and pooped both this morning and afternoon.  He continues to practice how to get up and down – still a work in progress, but getting better each day.  He was interested in exploring a bit this morning and I have included a few videos for your enjoyment (please excuse him taking care of business a few times!).

xoxo Stacy

Griffin has done well during his second day home.  He is drinking lots of water and urinating regularly, pooped a little bit this morning, takes his meds without an issue, and ate a full meal for dinner tonight – yay!  He is getting around fairly well but seems to tire super quickly and then freezes while standing with his back legs trembling.  When that happens in the house, I encourage him back to his bed or if he is on a rug, to lay down there to rest.  We live in an apartment in NYC, so rather than tax him just by getting in/out of our building, I’ve been using a wagon to bring him to a grassy area close to our house and then letting him sniff around there.  When he freezes while we are outside, I stand close to let him lean on me and if after a few minutes he isn’t ready to walk again, I carry him back to the wagon.  I do have a support sling, but he doesn’t really need it when we are walking (either he walks well or stands frozen), but it is helpful for assisting him in standing from a down position.

Our surgeon, Dr. Daniel Spector at the Animal Medical Center, continues to be phenomenal!  In addition to calling me twice a day while Griffin was at AMC, he remains very accessible by email, often answering my emails after 9pm!  He sent an email last night to check up on Griffin’s first day back home, and then followed up again today (on a Saturday!) to see how he was doing and offer me encouragement.

Thanks to all for the continued support!

xoxo Stacy

Griffin is home!  I picked him up a few hours ago.  He is still a bit out of it and definitely very wobbly!  He peed a river on our way into our building and basically pulled me the whole way home from the parking garage even though I was trying to support him with a sling.  He took his meds with a bit of coaxing and just polished off a cheeseburger from a real burger joint.  He is resting comfortably but definitely perplexed as to why getting up, down, and around is so much different than before.  He’s already made the rookie mistake of rolling over onto his right side while laying down and then couldn’t get himself back up.

These last 2 days were such a relief because I know that the source of his pain is now gone.  I was absolutely confident in the ability of his surgeon and the AMC team as a whole.  Side note – I have insurance for Griffin that will cover 90% of his bills up to $20,000 for the year, but it was a nice surprise to see that his surgery was $2k less than the estimate ($4,200 vs $6,200).  I was expecting the bill to be a little lower since he didn’t stay a third day, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a third less.

In terms of setting up our home for tripawd life, Griffin has used elevated feeders his whole life, so we are set there.  I purchased a bunch of non-slip rugs to cover exposed areas of my hardwood floors and a new bed with bolsters (although he usually prefers the wood floors – go figure!) to make our home more comfortable for him.  I also bought an inexpensive sling to help him get around, especially when we are outside.  Living in an apartment in NYC will make bathroom breaks a bit more complicated, but we are up to the challenge!

Thanks to everyone for their words of support! I will continue to post updates and ridiculously cute photos of Griffin!

xoxo Stacy