Night before the big day...

So I'm sitting here with man-man while he chews on a Busy Bone. I love those things. They are work-at-home lifesavers... without them, he'd be like a child pulling on his mom's legs, "play with me, play with me" all the time. So, thank you whatever-company-that-makes-busy-bones. Much appreciated.

Anyhow, Otis goes into surgery in the morning. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive. But I'm also more confident than ever that this is the right decision to make for his future. I suppose we're lucky that we can give him the treatment he needs--not everyone would be able to do so. Struggling with the decision is probably the component of this surgery that is most overlooked when you research the process. I, of course, went along with the doctor's recommendations on this option, but that decision followed the expectation that it would come down to this (and hours of online research). Even as prepared as I was, I wasn't 100% sure that we were doing the right thing. And regardless of the facts you know, you sometimes can't keep your emotions from telling you that (a) it's your fault or (b) there has to be another way to "fix" him. My husband and I talked a lot over the past week, and I think we're invested in our decision and ready for what comes next. We're going to try our best not to be distracted by the pain that he's feeling or the frustration that comes from being restricted--and we're going to try to remember that you do what's best for the creatures under your care, even if they don't like it.

Tomorrow night will be the first night since we got Otis that I'll be away from him, and we won't be able to visit until we pick him up on Sunday night (the doctor doesn't want him to get too excited). In the meantime, I'll be preparing the house for his recovery--cleaning, buying a rug to cover the slippery floor, etc.--while trying to ignore my worries. I'll be anxiously awaiting news from my favorite vet techs in the meantime and trying to mentally prepare for the hard work ahead of us.

When he comes home, we'll be trying our best to follow the immortal words of Cesar Millan: "live in the moment." We'll take every day one day at a time...and by the summer he'll be swimming in the lake with mom and dad. I'll sign off now, until then, enjoy some more pictures from last weekend.