January 27-29
First, following the neuter, dear Sweet Rhyn managed to lick his 'exterior' stitching apart (it was sealed with Vet-Bond, a type of veterinarian glue very similar to Super Glue) and by the end of the weekend of January 28th, his surgical site was infected. Saturday, it didn't look bad; by Sunday, it looked like ... well, hamburger. Or something like.
To be fair, the folks at Uptown Vet Clinic did offer to send a regular plastic cone-type 'Elizabethan collar' home with him, but I never ... <regret> <hind-sight is 20-20> Not all dogs lick their surgical sites! Arrgghh!!!
So, I spent the weekend scouring the Internet, trying to find any information at all that would be helpful. I did manage to glean that this was not a life-threatening problem, but I still managed to make myself hysterical about it. My puppy! My little doggy boy! Oh my gosh! <rampant hysteria> <mother mode full on!>
Sunday the 29th we bought a Kong Cloud e-collar (the first time I've ever used 'same day delivery with Amazon) and the e-collar was delivered at 9 p.m., right on the dot. I don't think the Amazon delivery guy expected such a warm welcome. Heck, if I hadn't retained some semblance of my sanity I think I would have invited him in, but I stopped myself just in time. I was just so relieved to get something to keep Rhyn from licking himself.
We ripped open the package, quickly read the instructions, and ran downstairs to get our boy. Rhyn had been 'put to bed' (he goes in his crate, which is in the basement, about 8 or 8:30 in the evening); so cute to see his bleary-eyed self wake up and look at us with deep affront. Out he came, we removed his collar and threaded it through the Kong Cloud, and fitted it all around his neck, and then we all slept a little easier that night...
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| Rhyn in his Kong Cloud e-collar |
Monday I spent most of the morning still fruitlessly searching the Internet, wanted somebody to tell me something to magically make this problem go away. I alternated between hysteria and acceptance, and finally, I realized the phone! THE PHONE! I could USE it to call our vet and see what they thought! Talk to real live people! So I did. Eagan Pet Clinic had an appointment available at 4, and I can tell you we were almost 30 minutes early! End result: Rhyn had an infection (and he weighs 47 pounds now). He was given 10 days worth of Clavamox, and a bottle of Chlorhexidine 2% Otic solution and a Ziploc of gauze wipes to wipe his would twice a day, with instructions to come back on Wednesday for a recheck.
It was easy to give Rhyn his pills - just stick them in a bit of peanut butter and down they went. He didn't mind me wiping his 'owee' twice a day either.
Wednesday, February 1
Rhyn checks out great (i.e., he's healing), and EPC doesn't charge for this quick look-see. We're instructed to come back Saturday morning...
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| Rhyn's got Zoey's crate, while Zoey enjoys the bed |
Saturday, February 4
Another quick no-charge look-see and Dr. Schowalter gives Rhyn a clean bill of health. We're to finish out the antibiotic and keep up with the wipes.
By Wednesday, February 8, Rhyn was completely healed, and the e-collar came off about noon that day.
So, morals of this story:
If your pet has surgery, keep a close eye on him or her and make sure there's no licking of the wound going on. If there is, get the e-collar. I recommend the Kong Cloud e-collar, as it gives a much better range of motion for the dog, but keeps it from licking what it shouldn't.
The Internet (which has now become 'Google', really) doesn't have all the answers. The only firm solid answer is one given in-person; this holds true for just about all things. What you'll find on the 'net are educated guesses and opinions, and lots of cyber shouting and noise-making.
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| Rhyn getting his neck scratched after the e-collar was taken off |
