Last night, the first night home for Quinta, he did not sleep very well. Several times during the night, Quita woke up panting. Worried that he was feeling too hot, I turned on the air conditioner and he went back to sleep. This morning, we tried to follow our usual routine as much as possible. We went outside just for a few minutes (as it was apparent that Quinta did not want to go far) for Quinta to pee, came back into the house and went to the kitchen to fix everyone (Quinta & cats)’s breakfast. He waited in my bedroom while I showered and dressed, and we went back up to the living room. We had some visitors this morning and this seemed to brighten up Quinta’s spirits. He is now sleeping quietly on his favorite bed by the window.
Ever since Quinta became family, we would look forward to March/April of each year when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. It is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year in Japan, when it is not too cool/cold or too warm/hot. On our usual walks, Quinta and I would stop and admire the cherry blossoms. I do not think Quinta can walk that far any more, so I got him a buggy. It is too hot in Tokyo now to go out on buggy excursions, but when it gets cooler, I want to take him around the neighborhood so that he can visit his friends. Our goal is at least to make it until next March/April so that I can take him to see the cherry blossoms again. Having this one goal — however small — helps to keep focused and positive and look forward to so many more wonderful days that Quinta and I plan to spend together.
Such a handsome fella’. Nice back drop for your photo shoot Quinta—lovely cherry blossoms.
Yeah, panting is usually a sign of pain and he may esperience that for another week…more or less. It is, indeed a major surgery and sometmes it’s quite a balancing act getting the right pain meds spaced out so the pain doesn’t get a head start. Glad the a/c helped settle him some. So he’s eatng, pooping, peeing and drinking?? Good job Quinta!
You have a lot of good quality time coming your way! I know it’s hard to visualize now, but it’s coming!! Sometimes the simple things like you did today..having visitors…can bring back a ittle sparkle:-)
Being home is good for both of you!
Look forward to your updates! You are doing a wonderful job! It sounds like you have a right optimistic outlook and that’s very important in Quinta’s healing! Good job mom!
I’ve been following your blog. Both our dogs had surgery the same week but it was interesting that the post-op care was so different. I wished they had kept our dog an extra day or two just to watch him closely but he did fine anyway. I realize that we haven’t set any goals yet. We’re waiting for the biopsy report to know what is reasonable. I think Spring ’14 is a good goal for you. I would like to hope for next summer as Porter loves to swim and we won’t visit the lake until Fall this year. Time will tell… Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!
Glad to hear your boy is back home with you and on the road to recovery. I agree with Sally: the panting could be a sign of pain, so make sure you keep in touch with his docs to adjust the levels as necessary. You have a very handsome boy there. He looks beautiful with the cherry blossoms! Sending positive thoughts to Quinta for a speedy recovery!
Hi, what a handsome devil Quinta is and what a great idea about the cherry blossoms! I got your lovely message on my JD account but I was traveling and think I forgot to respond, so I just wanted to send good thoughts from Ajax.
I don’t know what others will say about this, but immediately post op I definitely interpreted panting as a sign of pain. Eventually, however, I grew used to the fact that he just pants now. I don’t know if he’s hot, or tired, or older, or spoiled – but there is definitely more panting than before the surgery.
And I’ll throw my 2 cents in – visitors absolutely cheered Ajax up when he was recovering. I think it may be a Lab thing!
Best of luck, sending all good thoughts and a big hug for your handsome fellow -love the photo!
Kathleen and Ajax