Hopefully these work! This is Domino playing ball this morning and having a blast. He’s getting much better at catching it!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152432389634765&l=3380517966988590940
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152432388469765&l=9143721026084238184
No, it’s not Superman, it’s the amazing Domino! I desperately need to get a video of him playing now. We bought him a Toy’s R Us brand tennis ball shooter from Petsmart and he LOVES it! He’ll chase a ball for a good 20 minutes straight until he can barely stand. His confidence is definitely growing, he’s learning how to stop and turn properly so that he doesn’t wipe out. I’m considering looking into Orthopets for a brace for his remaining front leg…. any thoughts?
On another note, Domino started obedience class this past Friday and he is a show off! It’s only him and a boxer mix in the class, but Domino is excelling for sure.
I hope he continues to do this well! I will try my best to get a new video of him up soon.
Cassie and Domino
It’s incredibly hard to believe that one month ago on May 13th that I was just bringing Domino home the evening of his surgery. It was a long sleepless night, but it was worth every second. If you told me that night that he would be where he is today I doubt I would have believed you… He’s doing amazing. He runs, he plays, he’s learning some new tricks, and he cuddles with the best of them. I guess I got lucky, I absolutely feared the worst, knowing I would be bringing home a new tripawd, but also a completely new pet. He didn’t know me, didn’t know the house, the smells, the other dogs, and it couldn’t have gone better. We’ve had our tiny problems (some unwanted humping and an accident in the house), but overall its been a smooth transition. We had a tiny health scare this week, I noticed Domino’s left eye was reflecting red in light (dogs and cats should reflect green/yellow), so I took him to work with me to see his Doc and everything seems fine. There is no retina damage or problem with the lens, just either a damaged tapetum or a missing tapetum, we’re unsure if he was born this way or it happened in his initial accident. Just something to keep an extra eye on. We start basic obedience classes a week from today. I can’t wait! The trainer is a very good friend of mine and has had a hand in training all of my puppers. I have a feeling Domino will excel, he’s by far one of the smartest dogs I’ve owned.
Recovery wise all is well, his stitches are out from his neuter site. His amp site is looking great. You almost can’t tell, his hair is getting longer and there is barely a scar. Just reassures me that he was meant to be this way. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen. Him and my big boy Finn absolutely love each other. Finn still hasn’t quite learned to be easy, so playtime outside is always monitored since he can get a bit rambunctious. But inside, they’re inseparable. The love to lick each others faces and ears and love to play tug of war together. Domino has even taken to running into Finn’s crate with him when it’s time for me to leave for work! They look super cute cuddled in there together.
All in all I couldn’t have asked for a better dog. It’s crazy to think that just 5 short weeks ago he was scheduled for certain death. The plans were made and the pink juice already making it’s way into the syringe. I can’t imagine how boring my life would have been if I hadn’t spoken up. But I knew it was meant to be. He’s one of a kind. I may have saved his life. But he’ll never know how much he has enriched mine. Made me laugh. Made me cry. Make me so excited to come home in the evenings just to see his butt wiggle. We’re celebrating this ampuversary with some much needed cuddle time. I can’t thank you all enough for your support. Without this website I wouldn’t have gotten through it all nearly as easy as I have.
Love from
Cassie and Domino
Cuddle time on his one month milestone!
Wow. It’s been 3 weeks since Domino’s surgery. He’s doing amazing, I couldn’t have asked for better. He gets his stitches out from his neuter this weekend. Which is good, because he is in desperate need of a bath!
As far as adjusting, it’s been wonderful. His adjustment to the amputation is great. He’s getting around like he has never known anything different. His now distinguishable “hop” is becoming the cutest thing ever. His adjustment to the new house and family is going just as well. He is on the same schedule as my other puppers and fitting in good. Him and Finn are slowly becoming best friends and love to run and play together.
In the future we have lots of exciting things planned. We start beginner obedience June 20th, which I think will be a great bonding experience for us. I’m also going to get him registered with the AKC PAL program. We’re also looking at getting into some therapy work with a local therapy dog group. They do visits to local schools, hospitals, nursing homes and universities.
For now, our bonding continues, and we’re having a blast!
Cassie and Domino
Domino with his favorite toy
Domino is now 11 days after surgery and doing amazing! He’s still right on track with his recovery and we’re slowly increasing his activity which he is very happy for. The video is him today finally getting in some exercise. We went outside for a couple of minutes and I tossed his rope toy once or twice. I can only hope the rest of his recovery goes this well!
Not much to post today, but we are now 9 days post amputation. Domino is still right on course with recovery. I’m taking his staples out tonight after I get home and taking him in tomorrow for some more laser therapy. He still wants to run so bad, and my big boy Finn and him want to play! They still don’t understand why they can’t. I’ll try to get some pictures of Domino’s incision after we remove the staples if he’ll sit still.
Cassie and Domino
8 days post op. Man it’s flying by! We’re at a frustrating part of recovery. Domino feels great, and thinks he can do anything!! He wants to run so bad. Yesterday when I took him out to potty we went into our fenced in yard and I let him off leash like I always do (he poops quicker this way), well after he finished his business I called him to come to me from across the yard, and you’d think he’d been shot out of a gun! Boy was he fast. I leashed him right away to keep him from doing any damage. But now that he knows he can run, he wants to go back out and try it again so bad. He’s ready for it, and I know my other dogs are ready to play, but his incision and muscles aren’t ready for that much activity yet. Staples come out in two days, thank goodness! They sure are getting itchy. We’re giving Benadryl as needed to help with the itching. So other than him being frustrated it’s all going very well! We’re also hoping to make a trip to the groomer after he gets his staples out and before he gets neutered. He definitely needs a good brush out and bath. Until next time!
Cassie and Domino
Today marks 1 week after amputation for Domino! And the first week has gone much better than I expected. Dom had his recheck yesterday just to make sure everything was healing well. And he got a thumbs up from his vet. The only thing about the incision he didn’t like was a “dog ear” at the top of his incision, but it is solely a cosmetic issue. Towards the end of Domino’s surgery his heart rate started to drop and the vets biggest concern was to get him out of anesthesia. So closed him as quickly as possible, but this resulted in some extra skin towards the top, giving a “dog ear” appearance. Since Domino is going back for his castration on the 30th, the vet is just going to do some small plastic surgery and nip and tuck that place to make it conform to his body better. I also found a small lump on Domino’s face last Saturday, completely unrelated to his amp. The vet checked it out, and was unsure of what it was. So I’m supposed to monitor it at home, and we may consider removing it during his castration as well.
So far so good. Our first week together has flown by. Domino gets his staples out on Friday, which I’ll probably just do at home, and has another recheck next week! I’m still up in the air if I want to take him to a rehab clinic. There is one about 45 mins away from us that I’ve heard great things about, but it’s also not cheap. So I’m wondering if I can do most of his rehab at home… Until next time!
Cassie and Domino
Hi everyone! It has been 6 days since Domino’s amputation. Our weekend went very well. Domino is bonding with us and his new “pack” like a champ. He still wants to be by my side alot, but it seems to be getting better. His panting and nerves seem to be getting better as well. He’s getting around very well, he has no problems yet in that department. He has a recheck today at the vet to recheck his incision and judge when his staples need to come out. Which is a good thing, I noticed a small amount of blood tinged serous fluid leak from a small portion of his incision this morning. So hopefully all goes well. Other than that all is well! He’s still not wanting to eat much, but that was pretty common with him before surgery as well. He’s not losing any weight so we’re not too concerned. Until next time!
Cassie and Domino
Domino 6 days post op
So, Domino has been home with us since Thursday night. He is now 4 days post amputation and doing amazing! He still has his bandage on due to some slight swelling on the bottom of his incision, but it should come off tomorrow. He’s still getting along great with my other two dogs. We haven’t left them unsupervised at all since he’s still recovering. The only “problem” we’ve had is Domino has been very clingy. Recovery wise he’s great, he’s walking outside on his own, eating fine, Im barely having to help him get around. But he always wants to be next to me. If Im in my bedroom he wants to be on the bed with me. If I sit on the couch he wants to get in my lap. When we walk, he has to be right on my hip. And Im trying not to baby him, I don’t pick him up, I encourage him to lay on his bed in the living room. But the only time he seems comfortable and not panting constantly, is when he’s with me. So for now we’re doing a bit of tough love and a bit of comforting. Again, his recovery is coming along very well. His ruffwear webmaster harness has already shipped and is on the way. And we’re looking at life vests now. He can’t swim for a while, he gets his staples out late next week, but then has an appointment to get neutered on the 30th. So he’ll still be out of commission for a couple extra weeks. All in all things are looking up. Everyone at the clinic that has helped take care of him for the past week and a half has marveled not only at his fast recovery time, but how much happier he seems to be since his amputation. Hopefully things continue to go this well! Bye for now!
Cassie and Domino
Domino sporting his baseball jersey to keep his incision clean