On the Road to Recovery

Gabe's surgery went well and I was able to pick him up earlier than expected. Chris and I picked him up first thing in the morning on Wednesday and he was really excited to see both of us. Here he is in the car ready and very happy to go home:

You can see the little patch of skin that was shaved off on his front leg. I think this is where they put his IV.

Once we got home, Gabe and I went straight to the guest room where I had set up a nice comfy bed for him with lots of blankets, a couple bones, and some water. He immediately got comfortable, sprawled out, and quickly passed out. I think he was just happy to be back in his own home where he could finally relax.

His leg was and still is so swollen! I had to put an ice pack on it the first day and he didn't like it at all. It's painful just looking at it.

I worked from home so I could keep an eye on Gabe, so I was right by his side the whole day. We put up a little gate in the doorway and left the door open so the other dogs could come visit him. The first day they were very concerned about Gabe and most of them just laid on the other side of the gate for several hours.

After I fed all the dogs their dinner and loaded Gabe up on his antibiotics and pain medicine, Chris constructed a little area for him in the living room so he could hangout with everyone, watch TV, but not get stepped on by the other dogs. He was SO happy to watch TV!

Watching an intense episode of "Seas of Life"

You can see his big smile through his cone in this picture.

 When Gabe was distracted by the TV, I was finally able to get some close up pictures of his nasty incision. It goes up the majority of his leg and is stapled shut. He also has bruises all over. Poor guy :(

Thanks to his pain meds and watching hours of TV, Gabe was in better spirits than I expected on the first day home! (He probably also didn't mind the extra attention, extra treats, and the occasional spoonful of peanut butter.)

Our whole family was so happy to have Gabe home and on the road to recovery! The house just isn't the same when one of the dogs is gone.

For the next nine weeks Gabe won't be able to do much activity which includes going for walks. Next week we will start his physical therapy exercises and on June 1 he will get his staples removed. It's going to be a long process but one that is well worth it. Once he is able to start walking and running again our next goal will be to knock off the 15 pounds he gained since his first surgery!

On a sidenote: If you haven't purchased pet insurance for your dog, especially large breeds like Gabe, you REALLY should do it! My only out of pocket expense for this surgery was my $200 deductible. We use Petplan. Check it out, it is well worth it and will help out with emergency expenses with your favorite pooch!