Squee End

Well, everyone, it has been a wonderful experience helping Squee and getting to share her progress with all of you. This afternoon her new "momma", Holly Ray, came and picked Squee up. She's on her way to her new home where I know she will be cherished and have a fantastic life full of love, sunshine and horses! I'm going to miss her, but I couldn't have wished for a better home, and I'm honored to have played a part in getting her there. Thank you to everyone who participated on this journey, wished Squee well and brought her into your thoughts and your lives.

It's been a heck of a ride, and I'm so glad to have been able to share it with all of you.

Squee and Holly, new best buds. Just look at that smile!

Squee on the ride home!

Squeedom!

Squee went in for her next- and final- leg recheck! Her vet decided that as the pin was still solidly in place and was adding a tiny bit of stability to her leg, we might as well just leave it in. It may be that it will have to come out at some point in the future, but for now it will stay where it is. This means that Squee's leg is healed and she no longer needs check ups!!

Squee is walking on her leg more and more, and she tends to use all three when she's on bumpy or unfamiliar terrain or if she's not in a hurry (or wants to do a lot of sniffing). When she really wants to make tracks, especially if she's on familiar ground, she still swaps over to her back two legs which provide a lot more speed. It's likely that she will always swap back and forth from three to two as the situation warrants, but having a third, strong leg means she'll always have that option.

Our second piece of exciting news is that Squee has found a home! Her new owners have 25 acres of land and they own horses, cats and a couple other rescue dogs, including a rescue eskie! And best of all, her new "mom" is a veterinarian, so if Squee does need any further leg care or surgery in the future, she'll be in great hands! Squee will be going to her new home in the middle of the week, and it will be a bittersweet moment for me. She's been a part of my life for more than seven months, and we've been through a lot together. I'm going to miss her eskie smile, her fluffy "pantaloons" and the strange toddler-footfalls of Squee running pell-mell through the house on her back legs. But I am so thrilled that she's completed this step in her journey and that she's going to a wonderful home, rescued and repaired, and with a bright, healthy future ahead of her.

Thank you so much, everyone who has made this possible. Thank you, those of you who have donated to make her surgery possible. Thank you to those who have shared her story. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and has shared in this adventure. We couldn't have done it without you!

Lastly, here are several videos of Squee enjoying a sunny day outside, using both three legs and two.

Squee are Free!

The cast is off!!!

Squee went in for another recheck, today, and she is now cast-free! She still has a pin in her leg that will stay there for another three weeks. Then, that should be able to come out, and she may be all done going to the specialty vet! She's using her castless leg about as much as she was using it casted, right now (walking on her back 2 legs mostly, and using the third as support when she wants to drink water, eat, potty or sniff something on the ground). Her front leg is looking pretty awful at the moment. The fur on it is very short and reddish brown from having been wrapped up for so long, and it's a skinny little 'kickstand' that may always look a little funny and small.

But she can use it! She can stand on her own front foot! And she is one step closer to being fully healed!

Way to go, Squee!

Yet Another Squeecheck

Squee had her recheck and x-rays at the vet, today. We wanted to see how her bones were knitting and if she was ready for her cast to come off. Well, her bones are healing nicely, but they're not quite there, yet. She was able to stop wearing a splint, however, and now her leg is just wrapped in a stiff layer of cotton and wrap which is less clunky and seems more comfortable for her. She'll get looked at again in three weeks (or earlier, if the bandage begins to irritate) and we'll again see if she's ready to let her leg flap free in the wind.

It was a long morning, and when we got home, Squee was ready for a nap. Here are a few pictures and videos of the fuzzball post-recheck.

Go home, Squee. You're drunk.

Just Some Random Squee

There's nothing new to report, but I was able to give Squee a break from her e-collar tonight, and she really enjoyed having unrestricted access to her body, again.

First, she scratched alllll the itches.

And then she played with a toy, sorta.

And now she's asleep. :)

Another Squeecheck

We were at the specialty vet's again a couple days ago for Squee's next bandage change. Things are looking good, and hopefully she will be ready to be cast-free in a bit less than two weeks! Keeping the leg covered for so long is starting to irritate her skin a little, and I can tell she is getting sick of wearing wrapping and her splint. We had to upgrade the size of her e-collar, because she was managing to nibble at her wraps around the last one! Not much longer, now, Squee, just hang in there!

Here are a couple pictures of Squee dozing with a couple of her puppy pals here at my house.

Walk Like A Squeegyptian

Hey all! It's been a while since I've updated, as things have been a bit hectic here at Chez Squee. But, our fluffy, white heroine continues to do well. She had another recheck and bandage change last week, and her surgeon is very pleased with how her leg is progressing. Next week, she'll have another bandage change, and two weeks after that, she'll have an x-ray. If all of the bone grafts have fully fused together, she will then be cast-free!

Right now, her leg is very itchy. Whenever I take her e-collar off, she nibbles on her cast and itches at it with her foot. I suspect the combination of regrowing fur, fusing bone and healing incision is making her want to grab a spoon and stick it down her cast to scratch at her leg!

With all that itchiness, Squee has decided two legs are better than three, right now, so this is how she's been getting around the house. I'm hoping she'll begin using her front leg again, but I do have to admit, this is pretty awesome to watch and makes me confident that no matter what happens with her front leg, this gal is going to be just fine.

Squee Mine, Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! Since it's a day for thinking about loved ones, it seemed the right time for an update.

Squee got her bandages changed yesterday, and her leg continues to heal nicely. She'll wear the cast for five more weeks, and then she'll have an x-ray to see if the bone grafts from the surgery have successfully fused together. If so, she will be cast free! If not, she'll have to wear the cast a bit longer until the grafts have fused.  She'll have another recheck and bandage change in two weeks.

She's getting around very well and scooting about quite quickly on her three legs. Here are a few Squee-centric valentines to celebrate her continued healing.

Squee Are Cozy

Squee continues to do well. She's been out of her playpen for 2-6 hours each day since her recheck, and she's really gotten confident about scooting around on her bandaged leg. We're no longer using pain meds and she seems very comfortable, so I am hopeful that things continue to heal well!

Today we got a wonderful gift in the mail. Check out this gorgeous pup blanket that was made and donated by Sabrina Pasparage! Thank you so much, Sabrina. Squee loves how soft and comfy it is, and I love the colors and pattern!

Sabrina is making scarves and blankets to raise funds for her own dog, Duffy, who was recently diagnosed with eye issues and may be going blind. She's doing all she can to help him, so if you find Squee's blanket as stylish as I do, message Sabrina on Facebook and order a scarf of blanket of your own!

Squee Check

Squee had her first recheck and bandage change today, and everything is going well. The leg and incision are both healing nicely and so far her leg remains strong and straight. We'll go back again next week for another bandage change and possibly some x-rays.

Squee is getting a little sick of her playpen, so I let her down on the ground to say hello to all the other dogs. She and her buddy Pico had a nice little butt-sniff reunion and seemed glad to catch up with one another. Then she tuckered out again and went back into her playpen to enjoy a bully stick and a nap.

We picked a red wrap for Valentine's Day

"Psst, you're still more naked than me."

Look at how much straighter she can stand, now!

Om nom nom!

I am feeling really hopeful about the chances of her leg healing nice and straight. It's still early days, but so far, things are looking really good. Thank you so much, everyone who has donated to Squee's fund, so far. This couldn't have happened without all of you!

Squee Thank You #6

Squee continues to recover well after her surgery. She is sleeping a lot, in part due to the pain meds, I'm sure, and in part due to her body's need to rest and recuperate. She has a great appetite and is cheerful and tail-waggy when she wakes up. I'm sure she wants to know why her leg is all wrapped up and her top half is naked, but she seems in high spirits.

I want to thank those who have donated to help Squee since our last thank you post.

Thank you, Asuncion McConnell, Timothy Carter, Cindy K. Wolfe, Christine Chedwick, Bobbi Davis, Lisa Counts, Rebecca Coslay, Mary Mueller, Kathy Tunney, Rosemary J. Riley, Gale Haugh, Karon Stewart, Chad Cohen and Hilda Young!

Thank you so much for your generosity, we wouldn't be here without you!

The Pick Up

Squee is home! Her surgery went very well, and the vet was really pleased with the final result. Now Squee is on restricted movement for about 8 weeks, and she'll be in a cast for 3 weeks or so. She goes back to the vet next Friday for her first post-surgery check up, bandage change, and possibly some x-rays.

It has been storming off and on, today, and driving an hour there and back on the snow-covered freeway with limited visibility was a bit terrifying, but we have made it home safe and sound, and Squee has a regime of pain meds and antibiotics to keep her comfortable and healthy as she heals. She's actually in pretty high spirits, considering, has her normal, healthy appetite, and is full of slurpy Squee kisses.

Here are some pictures of her, post surgery. They shaved her whole upper torso, so she looks totally pathetic, and the incision where her small, 'chicken-wing' leg used to be is tidy but, understandably, quite large, so I think she looks worse than she feels.

It kind of looks like she's wearing shaggy pants, now.

Squee will be spending a lot of time in the playpen
while she's got to have resticted mobility.
As you can see, she's already getting visitors.

She couldn't seem to get comfortable,
so I put an old pillow in for added cushiness.
That seemed to do the trick.

So, now it's a matter of letting Squee rest, giving her body time to recover and hoping her leg stays strong and straight. Please keep Squee in your thoughts, and if you'd like to donate to help assist in the cost of her surgery or her follow up care, you can do so here.

The Drop

Squee is now at the vet clinic, awaiting her surgery. I should hear this afternoon how she's doing and how it went. Please keep Squee in your thoughts, today, and if you have been considering donating, it's not too late!

Here's Squee with the vet technician who took her back to her pre-surgery kennel.

Love you, Squee! Be brave, today!

Friday Is Go Day!

Squee had her appointment with her orthopedic surgeon today and we got new x-rays of her leg. The bones are looking healthy and strong, and the growth plates have mostly closed, so Squee is ready for surgery! This Friday, January 24th is the day! I will bring Squee to the vet's at 7:30am on Friday and she will undergo surgery to remove her folded-over front leg. Using bones from that limb, the surgeons are going to straighten and reshape her stronger front left leg and remove her mangled wrist joint. She will be in a cast for about 3 weeks, and then, if all goes well, she will be able to stand on the pad of her front foot for the very first time in her life!

Please keeping spreading the word and sharing links to this blog and Squee's youcaring site. If you have been thinking about donating to help Squee, now is the time! We are halfway to our goal, but time is running out. If we can make it to $4,000 by January 25th, Squee's actual surgery will be fully funded! The remaining $1,500 will go to cover post-surgery check ups, cast changes, x-rays and anything unforeseen that might crop up.

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to follow Squee's story, cheer her on and offer her support. Friday is the day! WOOHOO!

Squee Thank You #5

I am thrilled to say that while we had a stretch where I thought we weren't going to get any further donations, people have begun donating again and we are once more moving towards our goal! Thank you so very much to everyone who has donated, posted, crossposted and kept Squee in their thoughts! We are getting there!

Thank you, especially, to our most recent donors: Sabrina Pasparage, Barry Wauthier, Ronda Sweet, Kerrie Vivion, Jennifer Orr, Judith Aurin, Lisa Yank, Amber Kelly, Shane Stanis, Chris Morrison, Kristi Milligan, Nancy Lowrance, Jenny Maggiore, Christine Baker, Ann McHugh, Kate Hathway, and Vicky Rochna!