ruthbrarian’s avatarruthbrarian’s Twitter Archive—№ 12,378

        1. The last few days have been really hard ones in the Tillman household, though right now the news is probably as good as it can be. Unless there's some kind of miracle in the test results, our little buddy will be losing one of his front legs next week.
          image from twitter
      1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
        He's had some limping problems for a bit, which we had thought was a soft tissue injury caused by a fall. But then a mass showed up and the vet now thinks that the underlying cancer may have caused the fall that caused the soft tissue injury.
    1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
      The good news: his chest X-ray was clear, so there's no sign at least that the cancer has moved everywhere else. His blood work is excellent for a senior dog. (He's ~14) His heart sounds great. Vet says that there are very good odds he'll be a healthy, happy tripod.
  1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
    Once we got the pain back under control, he's been very good at living in the moment. Couch snugs. Sun naps. Groundhog hunts. Yard hangouts.
    image from twitter
    1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
      currently, little dude is stoned off his gourd from the biopsy/chest x-ray. He just stepped into the bed and plopped. The bed is on top of the blankets so he can watch the back yard.
      image from twitter
      1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
        (we're keeping an eye on him and will put a cone on him when he wakes up, but he needs a comfy sleep right now)
        1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
          our hearts are hurting an awful lot. He's been the third member of our little family since early 2015. We're hoping that things go smoothly with the operation next Weds and that we get a few more good years with our snuggly little goof.
          1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
            it would be nice to get some kind of reprieve, although then he'd still need surgery to remove the mass because it's definitely messing up his leg.
            1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
              We'd also appreciate any tips if you've had a dog go through a front leg amputation. We're very glad it's not one of his back legs, which are his power legs.
              1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                Next week is also our anniversary--the only upside of which is that I'd already taken it all off. And Micah's summer schedule as a teacher involves planning but is flexible. So we can spent it taking care of all three of us.
                1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                  hoping for some tandem napping @ruthbrarian/1494884586442088451
                  1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                    Because his neck is so thick, cones don't work so we have this doughnut collar. Truly Shakespearean nobility -- "to pee or not to pee, that is the question!"
                    image from twitterimage from twitter
                    1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                      Once his dopiness wears off, we're gonna give him a piggy ear. We bought a whole stash of piggy ears for the coming weeks. This may set expectations but oh well, we want to give him some joy in the middle of all this and he LOVES a piggy ear.
                      1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                        currently wishing he liked toys or other things, but this pup is very food oriented at snuggle oriented at not at all toy oriented, so there's nothing we can get him ahead of time for playing with
                        1. …in reply to @ruthbrarian
                          "what am I gonna call you when I don't call you Mr. Legge any more?" I ask as Sterling limps into the room (Mr. Legge being his nickname when he's limping or holding it up) The pain he's in makes the prospect of amputation a comparatively positive one as we adjust to it.