Getting Ready

(Titan the day before his Surgery on his couch)

We have spent this weekend getting things ready for Titan's return home from surgery and for his recovery process.  One of the requirements for a good recovery is that Titan doesn't do stairs.  At least not for the first 4-6 weeks.  Well, that was an issue as the only way in and out of our house (both front and back) is with a set of 5 stairs.  We are very lucky to have such good friends who are always willing to help, and this time was no exception.  Peter and Kate were able to come out on Saturday and help build a ramp in the backyard for Titan.  I can't thank them enough for this amazing act of kindness on such short notice.  It will take some getting used to as Titan is a very "particular" dog but he has gone up and down it now with encouragement and praise.  We just had to make sure the ramp wasn't too steep (which is why there is one little step at the top) and that the ramp had good grip for his feet (which is why it has outdoor carpet on it).  Knowing he's willing to use the ramp got rid of a lot of stress.

(There was even some tail wags)

The next thing we had to worry about was where Titan would sleep.  Normally he climbs up onto his favorite spot, the couch.  But this is a big step up, and with him not able to do stairs we had to rethink this as well.  We already know that he will be staying on the carpet area in the living room, so we researched dog bed ideas and found out the best option (and a much cheaper option for a dog his size) was a baby mattress from Wal-Mart.  For $70 Titan had a new, comfortable, easy to clean, lightweight, all natural cotton bed.  I had read that sometimes the incision from the surgery can leak, and there could be accidents the first few weeks if the dog is unable to get up in time to use the bathroom, so we also invested in a waterproof and easy to clean mattress cover.  They also had some great little blankets to make the bed extra comfy at just $5 each.  So, we brought it all in and let Titan check out his new stuff.

All together we spent about $300 on the ramp and bed stuff.  

We also had to get our finances in order.  The vet told us that because this surgery is so expensive the specialist usually likes to get half of the payment when the dog is dropped off.  After being told they don't except American Express (our emergency card) we needed a little money help.  A huge thank you to my amazing sister Julie who came out to help me with this.  I don't know how I can ever repay these awesome people who support us and help us at times like these.  Knowing we have such wonderful family and friend support makes getting through this surgery and recovery process less stressful and much easier on everyone.  And Titan just loves his Aunts and Uncle visiting too.  

Although we are nervous about the surgery tomorrow, we plan to spend tonight all together (Titan, Dad, Mom, and Ares) in the living room enjoying what I'm sure will be the last "normal" night for a while, with lots of hugs and cuddles.