Ranger's Stories

Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking about doing this post for quite some time now, and hope this will help those of you who worry about getting your pet to eat after surgery and during chemo. One thing I want to say is – DON’T PANIC. It’s ok if they don’t eat very much sometimes, and it’s ok if their favorite thing in the world does not even appeal to them.

When we brought Ranger home after surgery, we were sent with a can of Royal Canin intestinal food (prescription only) and a jar of Beechnut turkey baby food. Ranger LOVED the Royal Canin (since he was on dry Science Diet, this probably seemed like living like a king!) I could get him to at least take his pills by putting them in a “meatball” of this stuff. The baby food was helpful because a couple of spoonfuls of that smell in his dish helped that nasty old dry stuff go down pretty smoothly. I also think the baby food was helpful in getting his bowels moving in the right direction, so keep that in mind, too.

During the course of chemo, I used Royal Canin and/or a canned Science Diet along with baby food or Fresh Pet when he was not eating as much as he should be. I also cooked some plain chicken and rice at one point which he happily lapped up. He didn’t like everything I tried, but his sister Libby was very happy to woof up whatever he didn’t like.

On his last night, he was not eating anything. I was concerned because we had been told a couple of days prior that we would only have 2 or 3 months more with him. I knew that a lack of eating would be my first signal of the end, so I was desperate. I think I tried everything that could possibly appeal to a dog, and at last I decided to scramble an egg for him. He ate that and part of another one, so I’m happy to have provided a “hot” meal that night. Looking back, I wish I would have thought of scrambled eggs earlier – might have saved me some stress.

I hope your journey lasts longer than ours, and if you have any questions or other helpful hints, please let me know. Our Libby (Ranger’s sister) is now battling her own cancer, but I gotta say I have a lot of hope because that girl will still eat anything that she thinks is even remotely edible. Except lettuce.

Thought I would get to some serious work here and offer some tips on getting your home ready for a Tripawd.  In the few days before surgery, my husband and I tried to think of every scenario, but there is always something you wish you knew earlier.

We have a 1956 mid-century modern home, and that means we have a lot of terrazzo.  Our first thought was to make it easy for Ranger to get his footing, especially when he wasn’t feeling well.  Because we have so much terrazzo, we opted to buy rug runner by the yard at Home Depot.  This enabled us to have several long solid pieces, and to cut angles where needed to fit a longer piece in with something smaller.  It was easy to clean, too.  I could use a broom, or vacuum on the floor setting.  I also have a stick vacuum that I could use on either the floor or carpet setting.  I also want to add that this was cheaper than buying a boat load of area rugs, but the flexibility with the runner was perfect for us.

We do have a couple of steps going out to the yard, but those were already carpeted with outdoor carpet for the humans.  We worried about Ranger negotiating those steps, but he rarely had an issue with them.  I think if they are familiar with steps they will adjust.

Ranger was 72 pounds, so a rather large dog.  We also thought his feeding & water dish should be elevated (I had wanted to do that anyway) to make it easier for him to keep his balance while eating or drinking.  I looked at several elevated food bowls, but just didn’t find anything I liked.  So, for his food, I used a small step stool and put some rubber feet on it to hold the bowl in place.  For the water, I used a small storage crate I’d had for years that raised it a few inches (here I had to be careful because his sister uses the same water bowl, and she is not as big as Ranger).

When we brought him home, he was not walking.  To get him in the house from the car, my husband cleared off a work cart he had in the garage and we lifted Ranger from the car to the cart and then rolled him in.

We always made sure Ranger was on a clean towel, which means I was washing towels every day, but that’s OK, right?  Heck yeah.

When moving Ranger, we each grabbed an end, counted 1 – 2 – 3, and lifted him up.  Remember to bend your knees and watch your back!  Ranger did not walk for 9 days, so we were doing this a lot.  Get your pup outside in line with his/her normal routine, whether they “go” or not.  Just getting them back into their usual environment makes a huge difference.

We live in Houston, and it was late fall so we had a lot of days where we had to contend with rain and/or wet grass.  I had some old plastic beach mats that I would put down so he did not get wet from the grass (especially important when keeping the wound dry).  We would then put Ranger on the mat when we took him out.  You could use a shower curtain, or a drop cloth for painting, or anything really that would prevent moisture from seeping through the towel.  If it was actively raining, I had a big umbrella I would put over him, but I have to say he was not a big fan of it.  You know how some dogs are – love the rain, but hate baths.

On his beds (yes, plural, don’t get my husband started!), I put a pee pad, then an old sheet, then the towel we carried him on.  I never really needed the pee pads because he was such a good boy, but I didn’t know how much he might move around.  And having the sheet on top of the pad just helped keep it in place.  Yes, I washed a lot of sheets as well.  Heck yeah.

Hope all this helps, and if you have other things you did to accommodate your big dog, please share!

You will notice that in some of the earlier pictures, Libby wears a red collar.  Ranger kept on chewing off her collars, but the final decision to have her go collar-less was when I caught him dragging her across the floor by her collar.  Didn’t bother her a bit, but I’d rather spend money on dog food!

The journey with Ranger still seems surreal, and we have a big hole in our hearts that is mending ever so slowly.  As I write this, we are now awaiting an oncology referral for Libby.  Last week, she was in for her annual teeth cleaning, and due to some abnormal levels in her blood work, the vet decided to do a scan.  She found 2 masses on Libby’s liver.  We don’t know what the future will bring at this point, but I know this:  Ranger is waiting for his sissy at the end of that bridge.

 

Thanks everyone for asking about Libby.  She is OK, but really misses her “bobo”.  In the next few pics, you will see more of both of them.

We’re just trying to give her a lot of attention and hugs and rubs.  I think we may have gone overboard on the treats, but will reel that back in. 🙂