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Dog roller coaster
So yesterday after Milo recovered from his surgery, I watched him like a hawk. I slept next to him to make sure he was breathing, and checked his stitches rather obsessively. I was on him like white on rice, and each and every time I caught him sniffing his stitches, I told him no and he stopped.
Then we went to mass, were gone a total of 2 hours, and when we got back, he'd torn them all open again. So around 9 PM, we headed back to the Animal Emergency Hospital where we waited 2.5 hours to be seen and, after evaluating our options had him stitched up again. This time he went home with an Elizabethan collar which, in addition to the anesthetic, disoriented him. Almost as soon as we got in the door, he started doing his business all over the carpet, tile, and wood floor. This was at 1:30 AM. I cleaned all this up, then tried to get him to lay down, a concept he was slow to absorb. I wound up sleeping on the porch and waking up every so often to check that he was breathing and not in distress. Sometime in early morning we all moved clumsily into my bedroom and fell asleep for good.
I am so tired.
This week has been one dog stressor after the next. First Rosie does her Death's Door impression, then Milo gets into trouble and more trouble. I'm finding it hard not to fall into full worry mode just now - about these dogs, about money, about the possibility of having to go back to work. I also hated bringing Milo to the hospital both nights. From his demeanor you couldn't tell anything was wrong. He was in very high spirits. Then he in for surgery and came out disoriented and in pain. Rosie met us at the back door the first night, and as she sniffed him, I could imagine her inner dialogue: "So they did it to you too, huh, Golden Boy? You thought everything was okay, then they took you to that place and you come home a gimpy wreck. Welcome to the club."
I'm hoping that this last batch of stitches will do us. I don't think I can put myself through all that again right away, including seeing all the other suffering pets at the animal hospital. Cross you fingers for us, please.
Big hugs to you, Rachel! Poor Milo. Ella had to wear the E. collar when
she was spayed. My daughter and I slept in the living room with her for
two weeks while she recovered...luckily we have a comfortable sectional
sofa. :) Ella had trouble with her stitches as well resulting in extra vet
visits. Sending you wishes for a speedy recovery. Most importantly, take
the first moment you get to take care of yourself!
Thanks for the hugs, Margaret! Stitches are a bear, aren't they? I'm
becoming neurotic about them. I have a feeling other people are wondering
why I'm looking at Milo's undercarriage so often, but that little piece of
string was expensive, and I want to make sure it's still there!
aw, poor milo. His problem is much more serious. And he doesn't have the
peripheral vision Sooz does with her clear cone.