It's been just about two months since Grover had back surgery and I figured it was time for an update.
You may remember my near meltdown when Grover's back legs just stopped working and then he just stopped moving. I realized this morning that the post never updated, so here's a link to a recap of what was a terrible weekend.
After his surgery, poor bud was loopy and mostly just slept for a few days. I stayed home from work for a day or two just to make sure he was okay and because I just couldn't tear myself away from him.
It was a long week or two of shoving pills down his throat and handfuls of rice since he wouldn't eat for awhile. Grover is a master at eating around pills. If you put it in peanut butter, he'll lick all the butter and spit the pill back out. He's got skills.
Grover was absolutely not allowed to play or run or climb stairs or jump on furniture for six weeks. It was next to impossible to keep this pup still.
We put our mattress on the floor so he could still snuggle with us and sleep on the bed during the day the way he likes to without jumping. We kept the basement door closed so he couldn't go down the stairs. M's mom was here for December so we kept the guest room door closed so he wouldn't jump on that bed. He had to be on a leash to go outside for six weeks. In snow, rain, wind, subzero temps.
Grover and Moxie would start to play and then get yelled at. They'd look at us like "what? We're just playing!" Moxie went to puppy day care more often so she could get her energy out without tempting Grover.
Christmas week, I let Grover climb on the couch with me. Something was scaring him, I think M working on the kitchen counter, and he wanted to lay in my lap. That was just about the six week mark, so I figured he'd be fine. Slowly we started to let him off his leash out back and to start playing with Moxie again. We've had to train him to take the ramp side down the deck so he doesn't take flying leaps off the step side, which is likely a part of how he got into this situation in the first place.
Today, I'm taking him to puppy day care with Moxie. It's been almost eight weeks so he should be pretty well healed but of course I'm still nervous about it. Grover will be ecstatic to play with his puppy friends again I'm sure.
When we let him run and play out back, you can seriously see joy on his face that he can stretch his legs and explore. Grover loves to run and play and sniff everything. Keeping him from that was a special kind of torture, but there's no sense in fixing his back and not letting it heal properly.
I want many years of fun and puppy snuggles and seeing that joy on his face from the simple act of running outside. He's the best pup and he's back to his normal self, maybe just a bit slower, but I love him all the same.
Thanks to all of you for the sweet thoughts and support the weekend he was having surgery. I was definitely a mess, but you all helped keep my spirits up and Grover sends his love!
You may remember my near meltdown when Grover's back legs just stopped working and then he just stopped moving. I realized this morning that the post never updated, so here's a link to a recap of what was a terrible weekend.
After his surgery, poor bud was loopy and mostly just slept for a few days. I stayed home from work for a day or two just to make sure he was okay and because I just couldn't tear myself away from him.
It was a long week or two of shoving pills down his throat and handfuls of rice since he wouldn't eat for awhile. Grover is a master at eating around pills. If you put it in peanut butter, he'll lick all the butter and spit the pill back out. He's got skills.
Grover was absolutely not allowed to play or run or climb stairs or jump on furniture for six weeks. It was next to impossible to keep this pup still.
We put our mattress on the floor so he could still snuggle with us and sleep on the bed during the day the way he likes to without jumping. We kept the basement door closed so he couldn't go down the stairs. M's mom was here for December so we kept the guest room door closed so he wouldn't jump on that bed. He had to be on a leash to go outside for six weeks. In snow, rain, wind, subzero temps.
Grover and Moxie would start to play and then get yelled at. They'd look at us like "what? We're just playing!" Moxie went to puppy day care more often so she could get her energy out without tempting Grover.
Christmas week, I let Grover climb on the couch with me. Something was scaring him, I think M working on the kitchen counter, and he wanted to lay in my lap. That was just about the six week mark, so I figured he'd be fine. Slowly we started to let him off his leash out back and to start playing with Moxie again. We've had to train him to take the ramp side down the deck so he doesn't take flying leaps off the step side, which is likely a part of how he got into this situation in the first place.
Today, I'm taking him to puppy day care with Moxie. It's been almost eight weeks so he should be pretty well healed but of course I'm still nervous about it. Grover will be ecstatic to play with his puppy friends again I'm sure.
When we let him run and play out back, you can seriously see joy on his face that he can stretch his legs and explore. Grover loves to run and play and sniff everything. Keeping him from that was a special kind of torture, but there's no sense in fixing his back and not letting it heal properly.
I want many years of fun and puppy snuggles and seeing that joy on his face from the simple act of running outside. He's the best pup and he's back to his normal self, maybe just a bit slower, but I love him all the same.
Thanks to all of you for the sweet thoughts and support the weekend he was having surgery. I was definitely a mess, but you all helped keep my spirits up and Grover sends his love!
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