Hudson joined GPPR on Saturday, July 13th, beginning the process to find his forever home. As he settled in, we realized this process will take much longer than anticipated due to an old, untreated injury. He had his rear leg amputated on August 9th and is almost completely healed! His foster home has decided to chronicle his journey, with the most recent update being at the top. If you would like to financially contribute to Hudson's care, you can donate here. 

Week 5 brought us two weeks post amputation and suture removal. A milestone, but healing continues. He is most interested in his incision area and had so much grooming to do. All the parts of his anatomy needed a good licking. Since he can't seem to hold his licker, he is still wearing a cone intermittently to protect the incision area. The areas where the scar is thicker seem to be a worry for him. So he's been a little out of sorts. Last week he wanted to play a limited game of fetch even with the cone on, this week not so much. Suture removal seemed like a sign healing was done, but it is just a part of the process as we go through this journey with Hudson. He did want to see if he could fit in my lap, cone and all, today. Laughable as it was, I saw it as a good sign! And, no, he didn't quite fit. 

Week 4 - 11 days post op for Hudson's amputation. Everything they say about dogs adjusting quickly to losing a limb is true from this experience. They recover quickly. 

His bruising and swelling have resolved. He's been a champ at taking his meds. He was hesitant to eat from a raised bowl, or even a bowl set on the floor. If his cone bumped it he freaked a little. A little improvisation and I had a solution. Poured his kibble on a small throw rug and he vacuumed it up. He never missed a morsel.

His incision looks great and sutures come out later this week. I think he and I are both more than ready to retire the cone. We started taking short leash walks and playing some fetch. He doesn't pivot on a dime like he used to, but he'd like to go all out. Won't be long until he can. 

So much progress this week!

Week 3 has been a significant one for Hudson. He really felt comfortable in his foster home. His playful side came out, even his willful side was showing. All signs that a pup feels safe in their new place. I love that he felt good about where he was and had some semblance of normal going for him.

Friday 8/9 was his surgery. The GPPR directors, and the veterinary team that GPPR relies upon, felt an amputation was in his best interest. Our goal was giving Hudson a pain free life. His surgery went smoothly, although a little longer than expected. It was confirmed that we definitely made the best decision for him. We are relieved it's over and he's on his way to a good recovery.

Within 48 hours of his surgery, he was moving well and checking out the perimeter of the yard. He is well medicated to keep him pain free and is on limited restrictions. It's amazing how swiftly he is adapting to being a tri-pawd. I've always heard this to be true, but to witness it is truly inspiring.

More on his recovery next week.

Week 2 - This week with Hudson has been fun to watch. Fosters really relax when they get to about this time in a new home. How does that manifest? He's figured out toys will be a constant. He was a little frantic about his Kong at first to the point I'd have to put it out of sight when play time was over. Now he'll take a snooze with it out. When he wants to play, we'll play. He knows what to expect, he's embraced the routine. He's eating well. It's amusing, he consistently will eat all but about the last dozen morsels of kibble. Much like a child eating a sandwich and leaving the crust.

Week 1 - We wrapped up Week 1 with Hudson. He continues to adjust to his foster home. He is really just a sweetie. He's quiet in a crate, enjoys the pack walks, and responds well to correction. He's good with kids, a fan of pup cups at Starbucks, a great passenger in the car. He's tall enough that he tried to taste test a sandwich on the table. Thankfully the sandwich was well supervised. Odds are he may try again, we can't be good all the time. 

He went in for a full evaluation on the knee injury he came into rescue with. The exam by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon was revealing. What we thought was going to be an ACL issue was much worse. X-rays and a CAT scan revealed he'd suffered an untreated fractured kneecap years ago. He has developed severe arthritis with lots of cartilage damage. Surgery is in his future. Our long-term goal is to make sure he is pain free so he can find his forever home and live his best life. We are accepting donations to assist with his medical needs.

He had the opportunity to visit one of our other foster homes over the weekend. Hudson is a fan of swimming pools. He's adding that to his dream home checklist. He is eating better now that his world is settling. All good signs a foster is feeling more at home.