Toesies Tuesday

Today is the day pup Astrid goes in for her toe amputation, so as to remove the sarcoma on her paw pad. She had the tumor itself removed last week, as many of you already know, but the biopsy that revealed it to be a soft tissue sarcoma also revealed that not all of the margins were removed. Hence the toe amputation today.

That all being said, Astrid's paw has been in a bandage for about a week now. It seems that our days of bandages are not yet over, either. Perhaps that's why this is the Toesies Tuesday shot we're sharing with you today:

It took roughly half a second for the bandage to be covered in hair, 

in case you were wondering.

That there bandage is actually one that I put on Astrid's paw at home. The vet put on the first bandage after the surgery, and it was all pretty and blue. When I raided the first aid aisle at Walgreens to prepare for the at-home bandage changes, though, I found that their bandage selection was not as colorful. Astrid's paw looks like that of a mummy. I guess we know what she'll be dressing up as for Halloween this year.

We again want to thank you all for the love you've been sending Astrid's way! It truly means so much to us.

Needless to say, we cannot wait to have Astrid back home with us tonight and on the road to recovery.

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Our Doodle of the Day:

The second round of Astrid vs. Bandage will be airing soon.

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Our Tip of the Day:

Yesterday we talked about the importance of understanding and following at-home care instructions after a furbaby has undergone a procedure. Just as important, though, is making sure to follow all instructions prior to a procedure. One of the simple rules is that you should not feed your kitty or pup after 10 pm or so on the night prior to undergoing anesthesia. This is because a cat or dog should have an empty stomach when being anesthetized, in order to prevent issues such as aspiration. They can, however, still drink water. In addition to this, you should talk to your veterinarian about what medications should and should not be given prior to a procedure. In some cases, depending on the situation, your furbaby might need something such as an anti-inflammatory prior to surgery. This might be the case if a growth is being removed and inflammation needs to be at a minimum prior to surgery. In other cases, you might need to hold off on giving other medications, such as if your furbaby is on a pain medication that might be excessive with medications being given on the day of the procedure. For these reasons and more, always discuss with your veterinarian what is expected prior to surgery, so that everything can run as safely and smoothly as possibly during the procedure.