What I've Learned from Noodle

We are now 2 weeks and 3 days post surgery for Noodle. It's unfortunate that we cannot say his recovery has been uneventful, because it has not been. I'll be honest, it has been exhausting and stressful, at least for his caretakers. I've never cared for a dog that had an amputation, so I wasn't sure what to expect or exactly what to do. But I quickly learned and found out. 

Here's what I have learned.

       ⚫ That a lot of draining, even from a small area of a surgery site is a reason to take off work and be at the vet's office when they open. A culture was done, and Noodle was put on an antibiotic (Baytril) which knocked out the infection. The stitches were removed this past Tuesday, and everything has healed as it should. 

        ⚫ I've learned that keeping that IV pole from about 10 years ago was a good thing to do because we needed it for the bag of IV fluids we used to flush/clean the infected area of Noodle's surgery site. 

       ⚫ That having a lot of extra dog towels for a wound that's draining is a good thing, even if they take up a lot of room. 

       ⚫ I have been reminded during Noodle's initial recovery that a perk of working in a dental office is that you can order sleeves of gauze at a fraction the cost, and the doctor lets you just take a box of gloves to have at home. 

       ⚫ The value of taking a strength training class has paid off - Lifting Noodle to get him outside and inside has been made easier because of them - At least I think they have.  

         ⚫ The big new comfy bed that we just got has been perfect for Noodle to sleep and recover on, and is easy for him to get onto and off of - He loves it and Ree agrees!! (Thank you Jean!) 

        ⚫ I've learned that getting a prescription for codeine for a dog is practically impossible in my county in Virginia. Most pharmacies don't carry it. It cannot be called or faxed in, it has to be a handwritten prescription. And one pharmacist wouldn't even consider filling the prescription at all because the written prescription had no last name on it for Noodle -- Even though I pointed out Noodle is a dog. It was very frustrating! But I will add that Noodle did just fine without the codeine. We simply increased the amount of gabapentin he is given. 

        ⚫ Through all of this, I've also learned what a sweet boy Noodle is. He has been so good during his recovery. He has never once objected when I was cleaning the infected area of his surgery site that I know was achy and tender. 

Finally, with the ups and downs, as worn out as I was, without a doubt, it has been totally worth it! Noodle is getting stronger every day. He has learned how to re-balance himself which makes him much steadier on his feet. I know Noodle is feeling better too. And now we wait for the final pathology report that should come in a few days, which will tell us what the next step in Noodle's journey will be. 

At the Top of Our June Pile

Here we are at the end of June. And, as always it has been quite a month that is now behind us. 

I don't think I even have to say that there is a lot going on behind the scenes. But for this post, I'll focus on what's at the top of our pile for the month of June, that at the moment is Noodle. 

He's had several vet appointment over the last few weeks. We've had x-rays and an ultrasound done to assess his leg to help decide a direction. 

The more detailed x-rays and an ultrasound did give us some good news, in that the cancer did not appear to have spread into his chest or other areas. 

That brought on the discussion of the benefits and risks of surgery to amputate Noodle's leg. I'll add that the vet did say that she didn't think euthanasia would be a bad consideration either. She added this because osteosarcoma or bone cancer with and even without amputation has a 4-5 month prognosis. Those that have the amputation surgery and get chemo afterwards have a little longer--maybe a year. The benefits for just doing the surgery would be that Noodle would ambulate better/more comfortably and hopefully be pain free. However, the expected recovery for him would be a little more difficult only in that he has lost muscle in his other leg. The downside of course was the cost and the question of could or should the Rescue's funds be put towards a dog with a better prognosis?  Those were all things that the Board of the rescue needed to discuss, consider and decide. Honestly, I didn't know what the best decision was, which is why I would of course support the Rescue's decision, whatever it would be. It was a tough decision. 

The Board of the rescue discussed and voted to go ahead with the surgery, without chemo, and give Noodle that chance to live pain-free for the time he has left. Noodle had surgery this past Thursday to amputate his leg. Of course everything is being biopsied and an oncologist has given us hope that maybe the cancer Noodle had was confined to the knee joint and was not osteosarcoma and would or could be curative. We'll find out this week when the test results are returned. 

All that aside, the surgery went as well as it could have given the condition of Noodle's leg, his atrophied muscles and his overall body condition -- it made cutting through the bone, nerves, etc., a bit of a challenge and so it meant the surgery took a little longer. Getting his body temp to regulate afterwards was also a little challenging because he has so little body fat. 

By about 5 o'clock, Noodle was awake and doing well and ready to be picked up. We'd been dealing with a power-outage from the night before, and thankfully the power came back on as I was leaving to pick Noodle up - YAY!! I was happy for us and so grateful that Noodle got to come home to a cool house. 

So far, Noodle has been a good post op patient. Even though he wasn't using his amputated leg to stand, he knew how to balance himself with it, and of course now, he is having to learn to rebalance himself without it. He needs a lot of help, but that's what we're here for -- And this morning it was good to see that he'd gotten up on his feet by himself. Progress!

So, today is day 3 of his recovery, and there is another level of healing that we've moved up to: The cone of shame because Noodle won't leave the surgery site alone - Something I was expecting and ready for. 

Noodle is such a sweet boy and this is all part of his healing journey and a story that I'm grateful gives him a chance at a good and pain free life for however long that may be. 

Dreams that Cannot Be

Thank you all for cheering and welcoming "Noodle the 'doodle." 

I will start this post by saying that we've been fostering since about 1999 - And each new foster always brings on hopes and dreams for them. More times than I can count, those hopes and dreams for them have been exceeded. The latest of course being Iva who truly found the best family to call her very own. 

~Iva, sporting a short summer cut~

On the flip side of that is that sometimes, the reality is, there are dreams that cannot be. Unfortunately it appears to be the case with Noodle. A vet visit on Friday that included x-rays shows that his leg that we thought was re-injured and atrophied is unfortunately bone cancer. The cancer appears to be only in his leg and not spread into his chest, which is the good news.  

~At the Vet~

We're not sure what the options are - the vet is going to ask other colleagues their thoughts as we wait for the results of his bloodwork. We've started Noodle on pain management that will help him, no matter what treatment is decided for him. 

I do have to be honest, it's hard to be hopeful at this moment -- Because I'm feeling a whole range of emotions from sadness and heartbreak to a bit of anger at the previous owner and vets for not being more proactive about Noodle's condition. 

~On the way home~

But as I was reminded yesterday, that changed last week when Noodle found his way to the rescue, and to us too. We've cared for 4 dogs that I can recall that had bone cancer -- Cougar, Chip, Hannah, Shelby -- So we know the care that's needed. I'm guessing the cosmos knew that when it brought Noodle to us. 

~I do love Noodle's smile~

Noodle Arrives at Golden Pines

Thank you to those who have stopped by and checked on us. We are okay ... At least I am ... now. In the past month I've missed 2 weeks of work because of a virus that really knocked me off my feet. I'm feeling much better now, and am back to work. Thankfully. 

As we all know, even when your world is at a standstill, life does continue around you. Just as I was getting back on my feet and trying to get back to work, we were asked to take a new addition. The timing of being asked wasn't much of a surprise, at least not to me. Because I had that feeling that with Iva having been adopted in March another dog was soon going to come to us. 

And I was right. Last Thursday, we welcomed an 8 year old Goldendoodle named Noodle -- a 'doodle named Noodle, how cute is that?!?! -- One reason we were asked to take Noodle is because we have no inside steps, and he has physical and mobility issues that will need to be sorted out. Noodle once belonged to someone who passed away about 8 months ago. The daughter took Noodle. However she lives in a small home, and with 2 dogs of her own, and a few other reasons, she was unable to care for him. 

Noodle had knee surgery at one point in his life. Sadly he reinjured his knee and he was never taken back to the vet to try and fix it again. So, he now holds his leg up close to his body, and uses his front legs to balance himself. Unfortunately, this has caused his rear-end muscles to atrophy. Added to that is that Noodle is also really underweight. His hip bones are painfully visible. Noodle once weighed 80 pounds, and he now weighs about 40. Given that, and that he doesn't move around much, there's no doubt that he doesn't feel well. 

This afternoon we're off to the vet for an exam and all the tests that will hopefully give us an idea about his overall health, and give us a direction and a plan going forward. Right now, I'm not sure what that plan will be. But what I do know, is I'm grateful that we get to know this sweet boy, and be part of his story. But I'm especially grateful and thankful that Noodle now has a chance and a bright future because he's found his way to the Golden Retriever Rescue.