Barret's Story

I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks since Barret’s amputation! That means it’s been 6 weeks since diagnosis!  8 weeks from now I’ll have completed my first graduate class. Wow, time is flying!

The difference in the way Barret is acting between week 2 and week 3 is probably pretty mild from an outsider’s prospective, but to David and I it seems like he has improved by leaps and bounds. Keep in mind that from the start Barret has taken to 3 legs like a fish in water. He’s really great, hardly misses a beat.

We’re weaning off the Tramadol this week, so far so good. He’s got a little more interest in toys and bones, though he did have a little bit of a hard time figuring out how to hold the bone down, but we’re working on it. He still won’t walk farther than a few houses, his back left leg buckles. I don’t think he has quite mastered the tripod hop. He mostly tries to walk like he still has 4 legs, but I caught a glimpse of the hop last night and it seemed like an easier gait for him, though he didn’t keep it up for long 🙂

He had a visitor on Sunday (his Grammie, my mother-in-law). He was super excited to see her and it lifted his spirits greatly. It did tucker him out and he hid in Sara’s crate after about 10 minutes and slept the rest of the day.

The main challenge we’ve had during this whole process is night time pain and restlessness. Unfortunately, he is still very restless at night and I am still sleep deprived. Luckily, the sharp cries and whimpering have ceased. Last night was particularly draining since we had big thunderstorms and Sara likes to try to sleep on my head for comfort. Between Sara and Barret moving around I think I only got a few hours of restless sleep.

Sorry Sally, we haven’t brought the red ball out yet. Maybe for his 1 month ampuversary we will bring it out for a special treat!

I’m looking forward to seeing more and more of my Barret as the weeks go by. I’m really looking forward to having a good night’s sleep, hopefully I can report that next week! Thanks to everyone in this great community for your love and support!

-Heather & Barret

~ by BarretsMomHeather on July 2, 2013 .