Comments on: Destra Goes Home!!! http://blogs.belgian-shepherds.com/rescue/destras-surgery/destra-goes-home/ Stories of Foster and Adopted Rescued Malinois Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:28:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Becky Maddock http://blogs.belgian-shepherds.com/rescue/destras-surgery/destra-goes-home/comment-page-1/#comment-1324 Becky Maddock Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:06:08 +0000 http://blogs.belgian-shepherds.com/rescue/?p=121#comment-1324 Milady Destra came home last night ... She almost towed me through the door of the vet hospital in her eagerness to get out of there! I had to remind her that I had only two legs to her three, and she needed to slow down a little for me! Before discharging her, her wonderful vet, Kathy Batdorf, told me, "I know it will be impossible to keep her completely quiet, so keep the wound clean, let her run when she really needs to, and get her to take it easy when you can over the next few days. And she can't actually damage anything ... The worst she can do is make herself sore from over-exertion." Well ... one thing Destra has never been allowed to do is run from the gate to the house when we get home in the car. I've always felt 600 feet of gravel driveway - or even a hard run on pasture, celebrating the astonishing event of our arrival with the rest of the pack - would smash up her foot way too much. She's always had to sit in the back seat, whining in frustration, while the other dogs ran. So last night I decided to let her celebrate her return home, and allowed her to get out of the car when I opened the gate. She was THRILLED! She took off at a gallop, then turned to look at me in disbelief as if to say, "Can I REALLY do this?" and then took off again. Needless to say, only three days after major surgery, she was faster on her three legs than any of the other dogs was on four. And yes, she needed a dose of Rimadyl later, and she spent the rest of the evening on my bed ... but it was just so great to be able to give her that freedom. It was worth a few aches and pains later. What an amazing girl she is! Valerie Milady Destra came home last night … She almost towed me through the
door of the vet hospital in her eagerness to get out of there! I had
to remind her that I had only two legs to her three, and she needed to
slow down a little for me! Before discharging her, her wonderful vet,
Kathy Batdorf, told me, “I know it will be impossible to keep her
completely quiet, so keep the wound clean, let her run when she really
needs to, and get her to take it easy when you can over the next few
days. And she can’t actually damage anything … The worst she can do
is make herself sore from over-exertion.”

Well … one thing Destra has never been allowed to do is run from the
gate to the house when we get home in the car. I’ve always felt 600
feet of gravel driveway – or even a hard run on pasture, celebrating
the astonishing event of our arrival with the rest of the pack – would
smash up her foot way too much. She’s always had to sit in the back
seat, whining in frustration, while the other dogs ran. So last night
I decided to let her celebrate her return home, and allowed her to get
out of the car when I opened the gate. She was THRILLED! She took off
at a gallop, then turned to look at me in disbelief as if to say, “Can
I REALLY do this?” and then took off again. Needless to say, only
three days after major surgery, she was faster on her three legs than
any of the other dogs was on four.

And yes, she needed a dose of Rimadyl later, and she spent the rest of
the evening on my bed … but it was just so great to be able to give
her that freedom. It was worth a few aches and pains later. What an
amazing girl she is!

Valerie

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