Yesterday, we dropped Dior off at Main Street Veterinary Clinic at 8 AM. I thought Iād be a wreckābut honestly, I felt this huge wave of peace. I knew he was in good hands, and for once, I didnāt feel the need to micromanage the moment. I figured Iād spend the whole day crying and panicking, but to my surpriseā¦ I didnāt.
When we got back home, there was a random Amazon package on the porchāwhich was weird, because weāve been saving every penny for Diorās treatment. Inside there was not one, not two, but THREE bags of treats! I thought I might know who sent them and sure enough, my sweet friend Karina messaged me and said she not only wanted to send some treatos to Dior, but she wanted Dolce to feel seen, too, and not forgotten in all of this. š„¹ That meant the world to me.
At exactly 10:56 AM, my phone lit up with āMain Street Veterinary Clinicā and I swear I felt every drop of blood leave my body. āHello, this is Dr. Ford with Main Street Veterinary Clinic, calling about Diorāis this Haley?ā In those four seconds, I could feel my stomach crawl into my throat. But then he said it: the surgery was complete and everything went perfectly. I donāt remember much after that because I was in such shock, but I could hear the smile in his voice. I didnāt expect to get that kind of news so soon.
And then? He kept calling me with updates. Five times total. First, Dior was totally knocked out, lounging across a setup of mats and blankets in a dog run (they donāt have a kennel big enough for him š). Then he was sitting up to greet people. By the third update, he was letting Dr. Ford rub near the incision site, which told us his pain was under control. Theyāve been keeping a close eye on some swelling near the incision, which is totally normal, and monitoring everything closely.
By the final update, Dr. Ford mentioned he might want to keep him an extra night. As someone whoās spent time observing surgeries during nursing school, I know those first 24ā48 hours after surgery are the most critical in terms of complications and infection. So even though I was sad, I agreed. I just want him to be safe.
I spent the day doing what I couldācleaning the house, doing laundry (& my neighbors since their washer stopped working š), and rearranging furniture. We moved our guest bed downstairs and reworked the living room so Dior wonāt have to deal with stairs once heās home. Diorās a stage-five clinger and always wants to be in the same room as me (even if itās the bathroom), so we made everything as easy as possible for him.
Dolce has been pretty quiet. She gets nervous with changes, and I could tell she was off all day. But she stayed downstairs with me anyway, curled up on her bedāeven though I know sheād rather be in our room upstairs where itās calm and quiet.
We tried to get out of the house and took our neighborās son fishing at the pond near us. I brought Dolce along and she was THRILLED to be going somewhere. That is, until she realized we weren’t going to pick up Dior and she almost refused to get out of the car. The ātripā lasted maybe 15 minutes before the heat, bugs and her *excessive* panting had us packing it up.
June 11, 2025
I didnāt sleep wellāeven with anxiety meds. I woke up multiple times looking at Diorās empty bed, or finding Dolce curled up in it.
Dr. Ford called at 7:36 AM with another update.
But the update was more good news: Dior had a great night, and the swelling looks the same (actually better than he expected). Dr. Ford confirmed theyāll be keeping him one more night, and I trust him 1000%.
He encouraged us to come visit todayāhe said Dior isnāt eating the wet or dry food theyāve offered (not shocking lol), so weāre packing up his favorite treats, a couple toys, and of course, his sister, to bring some love and comfort.
The clinic has been so incredible with updatesābetween the phone calls and the pictures, theyāve made this process way less scary and it further solidifies in my heart that we made the right decision.
Weāre headed there now, and Iāll update the blog later tonight after we see our stinky boy. If you want to follow along in real time, check my IG stories where I’ll be posting updates in real-time.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here with us. Dior is officially one step closer to beating Osteosarcoma! š
āHaley, Dior & Family
Update:
Today was everything I hoped for and more.
Dior was alert and sitting up when we got there, and the second he realized it was us, he lit up. His incision is still weeping a bit with too much movement, but there was no stopping him today.
He got a handful of treats (thank you Karina!) right there on the floor when we walked in ā his first real meal since Monday night ā and I was just glad to see him eating. They asked if we wanted to try taking him outside, and of course we said yes. The towel-under-the-belly lift wasnāt his favorite and seemed to put a little pressure on the incision, but he still made it out to the grass with no major issues (other than the tech not moving fast enough for his liking š).
We laid out in the grass for about 15 minutes until the weather started to turn, then we made our way back in. When he realized we were headed back toward his kennel, he tried to turn back around and go out the door. Canāt blame him.
Once he was back in his space, he curled up in the corner with his back to the wall and got comfortable. He ate all the dry food in his bowl, drank the full bowl of water, and even went back for more. Then, with a full belly, he did what he loves most: nap through a good thunderstorm.
The power went out for a bit, but Dolce slept curled up next to him the whole time. She was so calm and gentle with him.
When it was time to go, leaving him again wasnāt easy. The moment I stood up, he was up. Scooting to the edge of the bed, eventually standing on all three legs, tail wagging so hard it echoed through the walls.
Iām justā¦ speechless. So proud of him.
I donāt think Iāll ever be able to fully explain what it feels like to be his person. Heās handled every single part of this with strength and patience and that same old sparkle in his eye. No matter what, heās still Dior.
Dr. Ford (yes, the superhero surgeon AND orthopedic wizard) was technically “off” today performing spays and neuters for the local Humane Society ā but still made time to check on Dior this morning AND again this evening.
Right now, our biggest concern is infection. The incision is still weeping, and as long as the wound is open, thereās a risk of bacteria getting in. If the internal blood collects and gets infected, thatās a medical emergency ā and possibly life-threatening. The goal now is to keep him resting, keep the incision clean, and pray it scabs over and seals soon.
If youāre curious to see how his incision is healing or want a closer look at what a post-op amputation site really looks like, Iāve put together a dedicated photo journal here: View Diorās Incision Journal. Iāll be updating it regularly with notes, progress, and what weāre keeping an eye on. Viewer discretion advised.
Just to err on the side of caution, I had all his records sent to our usual 24/7 vet clinic so theyāre ready and up to speed in case of an emergency.
The house is ready. Weāre ready. And I have a feeling Diorās going to continue blowing us away with every single day that follows.
Thanks for being here with us.
Weāll keep updating you daily.
ā Haley, Dior & Family š¾
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