Cha Cha has poor timing. She hurt herself on a holiday. I'd just finished doing a wonderful job inside and out on the Peamite when Chachie started hollering like she was going to die. She had been playing chase with Bruno and ran a sharp piece of cut stock panel through her flank. It just tore a large flap of skin. She was actually hung by the skin on the stock panel. It could have been way worse but she thought that she was going to die from it. I knew that I couldn't fix it myself and that it would be a bad idea to try to clean it and wrap it and wait until morning when I could take her to my normal vet, so off we went.
They'll give her Dormator which is a inject able anesthetic, clean the wound, and suture her up. I'll go back in and pick her up when they call in a couple of hours and cage her until she wakes up. I was wanting to paint but now I'm out of the mood.
I was so proud of my growing stash of cash, but the emergency vet but a hurtin' on it. Oh well, when you have animals you have to do right by them. She didn't hurt herself on a holiday on purpose.
...poor pup.....hope she heals quickly...
I know, things like that only seem to happen on weekends and holidays.
I became compulsive about bending over the ends of fence wires, ever since my 2-year old son walked into a wire end and cut his eye on it.
The vet called me at 2:30. They were done with surgery but wanted to keep her until 6. I convinced the vet to let me go get her right away. The damage was more extensive than I or they initially thought. Once they knocked her out and cleaned up they saw that muscle tissue had been penetrated so they put a penrose drain in. They had to remove a good size flap of skin and had to stretch the remaining skin together. (flaps can't be sewn back on. Not enough blood supply to keep the flap alive.) This injury is on a part of her that moves when she moves. She cannot run. She cannot jump. All she can do it be with me, which is her heart's desire anyway. She has an e-collar because otherwise she'd rip everything out. She needs to go back to my regular vet Thursday
The vet did excellent work. I looked him in the eye and said so while the tech stood there holding Cha Cha as he spoke to me. Then as I was paying for the e-collar the tech and I gossiped about the vets I used to work with. That was fun.
Now this is cool... Even though had to do more than they thought they were going to have to, and though I walked up saying that I knew it would cost more, the lady said that she made it come out the same. Could be because I made a good impression. Likely it's because I paid after I dropped Cha Cha off and gave them hard cash. Vets get screwed on their bills so often that they must have to add a pit of padding to their bills.
..poor pup.....your vet sounds like a good person... 8)
He was a guy I'd never met before but I like him. I like the ladies who work for him, too.
Either we have a large number of good vets in Hattiesburg or I'm just lucky when it comes to vets. I've worked with good ones and bad ones. I can tell the difference fast. I guess the good ones can tell that I don't know nothing. These folks treated me with respect. They didn't treat me some crazy old lady who called and then came in with untamed hair, no bra, blood on her T-shirt, and an injured dog cradled in her arms. On the other hand, it could have been because I walked in with a wad of hundred dollar bills. (I hope they don't think that I get 100's because I'm a crazy old lady high priced hooker :P)
...I'm happy for you and CHA CHA that it turned into a good situation...
This dog is going to be the worst patient I have ever delt with. Every time she moves it hurts and every time it hurts she screams. Even with the cone she's trying to pull out the drain. She won't eat or drink yet, although she did take her 3 meds on a finger full of cream cheese. It's gonna be a looong 10 days.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 05, 2017, 07:07:42 AM
This dog is going to be the worst patient I have ever delt with. Every time she moves it hurts and every time it hurts she screams. Even with the cone she's trying to pull out the drain. She won't eat or drink yet, although she did take her 3 meds on a finger full of cream cheese. It's gonna be a looong 10 days.
..poor thing is going through a lot.....isn't there something the pup can take for the pain?....or to help her rest/sleep better during this early part of the healing..?.....
She got a big shot of Rimadyl from the emergency vet as well as pills of it to give her twice a day. I called my normal vet this morning. I told her that the injury was not the end of the world but the dog believed it was. She told me that just as some people can handle pain and some can't, dogs are the same. She said that for Cha Cha it really is the end of the world. Karen called a scrip in to the pharmacy for Tramidol, an opioid.
I bought a couple of cans of dog food today. When I got home I gave Cha Cha some mixed with water. She scarfed it. I know that she hurts but she is blowing this injury way out of proportion. Damn dog is a drama queen.
That's a nasty looking cut. I might do a little whining if I had that on my butt. Do you have to take her to work with you?
Yes. I'm afraid not to. Even though I have the cone snugged up as high as I can get it she will still try to get to her sutures. I put her in a cage where I can see her. When I see her going for the sutures I yell at her to stop and she stops. Luckily after her small meal and get high and zonk drug she's asleep.
I have had dogs who have undergone amputations. I've had dogs that had cancer and never showed any pain until they crashed and had to been put to sleep. Cha Cha has no guts what soever. I'm not fond of wimps but I have found myself the owner of a wimp. But she's my wimp and I'll cater to her because she's mine.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 05, 2017, 03:50:59 PM
Yes. I'm afraid not to. Even though I have the cone snugged up as high as I can get it she will still try to get to her sutures. I put her in a cage where I can see her. When I see her going for the sutures I yell at her to stop and she stops. Luckily after her small meal and get high and zonk drug she's asleep.
I have had dogs who have undergone amputations. I've had dogs that had cancer and never showed any pain until they crashed and had to been put to sleep. Cha Cha has no guts what soever. I'm not fond of wimps but I have found myself the owner of a wimp. But she's my wimp and I'll cater to her because she's mine.
..... ;)....good job...
...everybody...human or otherwise...handles pain differently... You're good to take care of her |^|....so please don't talk so hard about her... huh
Sorry to hear of Cha-Cha's unfortunate accident. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
...is she feeling a bit better today ?....hope so |^|
Thanks to hard drugs she and I got a good night's sleep last night. I spoke to the vet one more time yesterday. I just didn't think that the skin was knitting together right. Karen told me to bring her in when they opened at 7:30 and we'd look at it together before normal clients started coming in. She said that I was right. Cha Cha will need a second surgery. There is no infection, but some of the places where the skin was sewn together were necrotic and would have to be removed, the skin tacked down to the muscle and reattached. Since the skin has already been pulled tight there will be some gaps that will have to heal on their own as the skin grows together. Healing will be a long process and it won't be pretty.
I was told to take a pic of the wound Friday after work and email it to her so she could make sure that Cha Cha could get in Saturday if it was necessary. That keeps me from having me to run back and forth to Hattiesburg and save me having to go back to the emergency clinic if Cha Cha needed to be seen.
It'll be another week to 10 days before they'll do surgery. Most of the wound is healing well and she wants it to heal completely where it can before they go cutting on her.
She's feeling much better. She peed for the first time since this happened this morning. She's starting to walk around a bit. She doesn't scream every time she moves.
...progress...
Glad she is recovering so well! Makes your life a bit easier now.
Barb
Chachie was doing well enough Wed. that I felt comfortable leaving her caged at home while Bruno and I went to training. She was great Thurs. until late evening when areas around the incision started looking angry. I took a pic of it and emailed it to my vet who had seen her just 2 days before. I said that I would drop Cha Cha off before work Friday morning. Friday night Cha Cha was sleeping in bed next to me. I felt her body temperature rise and then she had a seizure. She's get normal and then it would happen again, and again, and again. Thinking the worst, I thought septic shock but I wasn't about to take her back to the emergency vet because this should not have been happening. I put the poor dog in her bed and locked her in the office because it was like 2 am. and I needed to get sleep.
Next morning my real vets saw her. They called to say that her temp was normal and her blood work was perfect and that she was looking normal except for the incision area. They did a second surgery. Dr. Jennifer said that when she opened up the incision the subcutaneous tissue smelled bad but the muscle was perfect. She scraped off all the bad stuff, cleaned it well, and sewed it back up. They put a honey bandage over the wound and sent her home with a wrap around it. I was given another pain med in addition to the two she was already on. That plus 2 antibiotics makes 5 pills twice a day!! Dr Jennifer said that she did leave some of the inflamed skin. She said that the small area of inflamed skin might or might not recover. My instructions were to bring her back Wed. or sooner if the incision like didn't look right.
I was told to remove the wrap and bandage today and I did. The surgery was much more tidy this time. I can see the area of questionable skin. I'll watch it like a hawk and put the cream on it that Karen gave me the first time I took her in. If that questionable area of skin doesn't die healing won't take all that long. If not, Chachie will need a third surgery to cut the skin back to where it's healthy and I'll have to wrap it every day until good living skin found it's way to the other good living skin. Healing will be a long process.
This should never have happened. This shouldn't have been such an ordeal. I asked Dr. Jennifer if he (the emergency vet) had tacked the skin to the muscle. All she said is, "We generally do in cases like this. The sutures may have already dissolved." In other words she saw no evidence of them. I have a feeling that she didn't want to trash a another veterinarian, but I know what I feel about that emergency vet.
Here's a pic of how the injury looks now. Compare it to the emergency vet's job.
That looks better. Maybe she went briefly septic, spiked a fever, and then her immune system got the upper hand by morning.
...the poor pup.....I hope this is the last of those ordeals for her, and she heals quickly... |^|
(https://i.imgur.com/a6MhQQl.gif)
Ron, I know it makes you feel bad when I say harsh things about Cha Cha, but despite the cone the bitch ripped out her skin sutures last night some time. I heard and felt her chewing but I didn't think that she could get to them. I was wrong. Healing had already started and Dr. Jennifer must have tacked the skin to the muscle very close to the external suture line so nothing is gapped open. I put what I had left of her old wrap back on her but I'll still have to take her back to the vet tomorrow. They have two choices. One to knock her out and put in metal sutures or knock her out and show me exactly how I should wrap the injury. (She's such a pussy that I'm sure that she'll scream if they do the wrap with her awake) I think they'll decide to have me wrap it and re-wrap it twice a day so I can take a look at it as it heals and put on the derma-clens cream. But it's a hard area to wrap so I'm not sure what they'll do. Damn dog does nothing but foil me at every turn but I love her nonetheless.
Could she be learning? I don't know. She's not the teachable type. May be.
I gave Cha Cha her 2nd 1/3rd of a can of dog food with all her pills tucked in. She's good at taking meds in food. Then I unwrapped her wrap, but DermaClens on it and wrapped her back up. She has not messed with the wrap at all. It's still right where I put it. This is a first. It would be nice if I could make this dog less like a spoiled brat and more like a dog.
She's the polar opposite of Bruno. She's all about herself. She really is a terrible dog. She doesn't let me see her soul through her eyes like Bruno But she's mine and I love her. She's just a challenge because she's so un-doglike.
My little shit head is back at the vet getting sewn up again. They'll be putting a larger cone on her.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 11, 2017, 11:33:44 AM
My little shit head is back at the vet getting sewn up again. They'll be putting a larger cone on her.
...spunky little pup...wow!
Shit head is back home. When Dr. Karen examined her she wanted to see how Cha Cha could defeat the cone so we took the wrap off and she saw it with her own eyes. She was nice. She only charged me for the drugs and the new e-collar. No charge for the time she took sewing her back together.
Cha Cha is pissed off. She knows that she can't get to her injury. She tried to force it over her head with her little front legs. That didn't work either. This dog is very smart and very resourceful and very hard headed. But I am smarter, even more resourceful, and can be as bull headed as I have to be.
Hi Liz, so sorry about all this, I will call you soon.
Barb
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 11, 2017, 05:36:49 PM
Shit head is back home. When Dr. Karen examined her she wanted to see how Cha Cha could defeat the cone so we took the wrap off and she saw it with her own eyes. She was nice. She only charged me for the drugs and the new e-collar. No charge for the time she took sewing her back together.
Cha Cha is pissed off. She knows that she can't get to her injury. She tried to force it over her head with her little front legs. That didn't work either. This dog is very smart and very resourceful and very hard headed. But I am smarter, even more resourceful, and can be as bull headed as I have to be.
...the war of wills continues................... ;)
If all goes well sutures will come out in two weeks and this ordeal will be nothing but a bad memory.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 11, 2017, 06:07:28 PM
If all goes well sutures will come out in two weeks and this ordeal will be nothing but a bad memory.
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..how's the pup doing?...better?...
She's doing OK. some of the suture line is gapping open again. I took a pic and sent it to my vet. She'll see it when she gets home from work. I hope I don't have to take her in early tomorrow.
..looks like it's shrinking a bit as it heals....wound looks good..
I'm not crazy about the way it looks. We'll see what Dr. Karen says.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 13, 2017, 03:29:53 PM
I'm not crazy about the way it looks. We'll see what Dr. Karen says.
I can understand that.....
Quote from: Mugwump on September 13, 2017, 03:32:53 PM
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 13, 2017, 03:29:53 PM
I'm not crazy about the way it looks. We'll see what Dr. Karen says.
I can understand that.....
It seems to look better than before but photos are often deceiving.
Just got back from training class with Bruno and checked my email. I was right. The sutures aren't holding. Dr Jenifer told me that there was a questionable area of skin. Turns out that it was in the exact place where Chachi pulled out her sutures after Dr Jennifer's beautiful job.
Karen said for me to feed her in the morning and bring her in early afternoon after I do the 4 dogs I have on the books. Karen is going to consult with Jennifer. Karen thinks thinks that they'll put in walking sutures. That's a time consuming job. I thought they's have to use gas and would want her empty. Chachie is small so it I guess they'll be able to do it under the referable injection.
I'd heard of walking sutures but never knew what they were so I looked it up. the pictures tell the story of what they do and why it works. The video shows how it is done. It's hard! http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/walking-sutures-step-3a
I don't think I would have lived through raising human kids. I understand that they cause more worry than dogs!
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 13, 2017, 09:16:56 PM
Just got back from training class with Bruno and checked my email. I was right. The sutures aren't holding. Dr Jenifer told me that there was a questionable area of skin. Turns out that it was in the exact place where Chachi pulled out her sutures after Dr Jennifer's beautiful job.
Karen said for me to feed her in the morning and bring her in early afternoon after I do the 4 dogs I have on the books. Karen is going to consult with Jennifer. Karen thinks thinks that they'll put in walking sutures. That's a time consuming job. I thought they's have to use gas and would want her empty. Chachie is small so it I guess they'll be able to do it under the referable injection.
I'd heard of walking sutures but never knew what they were so I looked it up. the pictures tell the story of what they do and why it works. The video shows how it is done. It's hard! http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/walking-sutures-step-3a
I don't think I would have lived through raising human kids. I understand that they cause more worry than dogs!
....I think our three boys had a contest to see who could get the most stitches......really.
Quote from: Mugwump on September 14, 2017, 05:17:51 AM
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 13, 2017, 09:16:56 PM
Just got back from training class with Bruno and checked my email. I was right. The sutures aren't holding. Dr Jenifer told me that there was a questionable area of skin. Turns out that it was in the exact place where Chachi pulled out her sutures after Dr Jennifer's beautiful job.
Karen said for me to feed her in the morning and bring her in early afternoon after I do the 4 dogs I have on the books. Karen is going to consult with Jennifer. Karen thinks thinks that they'll put in walking sutures. That's a time consuming job. I thought they's have to use gas and would want her empty. Chachie is small so it I guess they'll be able to do it under the referable injection.
I'd heard of walking sutures but never knew what they were so I looked it up. the pictures tell the story of what they do and why it works. The video shows how it is done. It's hard! http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/walking-sutures-step-3a
I don't think I would have lived through raising human kids. I understand that they cause more worry than dogs!
....I think our three boys had a contest to see who could get the most stitches......really.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
As worrisome as pets are, believe me when I say kids are multiple times worse. And you know what I am talking about, right?
Barb
Finally a bit of good news. We went to the vet and the injury was looking much better!
Cha cha's previous owner visited her yesterday and brought a tube of colloidal silver gel. She swore by it but she's something of a quack. I figured that it couldn't hurt and might help so I slathered some on twice yesterday. That's the only thing I did differently. The vet said although she has had no experience with it for me to keep it up.
Quote from: Barb on September 14, 2017, 01:00:39 PM
As worrisome as pets are, believe me when I say kids are multiple times worse. And you know what I am talking about, right?
Barb
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Quote from: Mugwump on September 14, 2017, 04:49:51 PM
Quote from: Barb on September 14, 2017, 01:00:39 PM
As worrisome as pets are, believe me when I say kids are multiple times worse. And you know what I am talking about, right?
Barb
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+1
I can't believe it. I took the cone off to allow Chachie to eat without making a huge mess. She didn't immediately go for the suture line as she always had. I had to be there while she ate so I could turn her head back to the food when she went for her. I doctored the wound with the quack stuff. She whimpered, but she didn't scream. She didn't turn to lick the injury. It took her a bit to realize that she had her peripheral vision back. That was interesting for me. I should have expected it, but I didn't. Then she jumped on her bed which I keep on top of two fish boxes and has peaceful since. Thank you God or the Fates, or my good luck for this sudden turnaround.
She's still wearing the flat color when she defeated her 15" cone which I didn't tell you about because all I ever gave you was more bad news...the collar is just like these. They don't for in most situations but they do in a few. It's good for a vet to keep some for when they're needed. They're letting me borrow this one because they trust me. http://www.practicalpaw.com/wp-content/uploads/41yEK7uACL.jpg
I think I'll let her sleep cone-less tonight. If she turns and licks I will feel it and hear it. She sleeps on the bed right next to me. The cone will be on the bed side table if I need it.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 15, 2017, 08:07:58 PM
I can't believe it. I took the cone off to allow Chachie to eat without making a huge mess. She didn't immediately go for the suture line as she always had. I had to be there while she ate so I could turn her head back to the food when she went for her. I doctored the wound with the quack stuff. She whimpered, but she didn't scream. She didn't turn to lick the injury. It took her a bit to realize that she had her peripheral vision back. That was interesting for me. I should have expected it, but I didn't. Then she jumped on her bed which I keep on top of two fish boxes and has peaceful since. Thank you God or the Fates, or my good luck for this sudden turnaround.
She's still wearing the flat color when she defeated her 15" cone which I didn't tell you about because all I ever gave you was more bad news...the collar is just like these. They don't for in most situations but they do in a few. It's good for a vet to keep some for when they're needed. They're letting me borrow this one because they trust me. http://www.practicalpaw.com/wp-content/uploads/41yEK7uACL.jpg
I think I'll let her sleep cone-less tonight. If she turns and licks I will feel it and hear it. She sleeps on the bed right next to me. The cone will be on the bed side table if I need it.
... |^|....good
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 15, 2017, 08:07:58 PM
I can't believe it. I took the cone off to allow Chachie to eat without making a huge mess. She didn't immediately go for the suture line as she always had. I had to be there while she ate so I could turn her head back to the food when she went for her. I doctored the wound with the quack stuff. She whimpered, but she didn't scream. She didn't turn to lick the injury. It took her a bit to realize that she had her peripheral vision back. That was interesting for me. I should have expected it, but I didn't. Then she jumped on her bed which I keep on top of two fish boxes and has peaceful since. Thank you God or the Fates, or my good luck for this sudden turnaround.
She's still wearing the flat color when she defeated her 15" cone which I didn't tell you about because all I ever gave you was more bad news...the collar is just like these. They don't for in most situations but they do in a few. It's good for a vet to keep some for when they're needed. They're letting me borrow this one because they trust me. http://www.practicalpaw.com/wp-content/uploads/41yEK7uACL.jpg
I think I'll let her sleep cone-less tonight. If she turns and licks I will feel it and hear it. She sleeps on the bed right next to me. The cone will be on the bed side table if I need it.
Well, Liz, how did it go?
She did great until around 4 am. when I felt her turn and heard her lick, I put it back on then but at least she had several hours of not having to wear the damn thing.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 17, 2017, 08:44:28 AM
She did great until around 4 am. when I felt her turn and heard her lick, I put it back on then but at least she had several hours of not having to wear the damn thing.
..isn't there a topical that will stop the itching a bit ?.....even Bactine spray helps with insect bite itching....and it might work.... huh
She's going back to the vet tomorrow so they can clean the wound and check on how she's progressing, I'll ask. Right now her e collars are off and she's leaving it alone but I don't dare take my eyes off her.
Does this not beat all? I've been wanting to bathe Chachie but I know that I shouldn't until she's well healed. So what does she do yesterday? I'm out feeding the dots and snots in the container outside. Cha Cha is with me, or course. She leaps into the container where I grow my mosquito larvae and swims around in the green water that is full of decaying leaves. Then this morning as I'm loading the dish washer she gets into the water bowl and wallows around in it. If she's doing things like that I don't guess a bath will do her any harm. What a dog...
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 17, 2017, 11:16:22 AM
Does this not beat all? I've been wanting to bathe Chachie but I know that I shouldn't until she's well healed. So what does she do yesterday? I'm out feeding the dots and snots in the container outside. Cha Cha is with me, or course. She leaps into the container where I grow my mosquito larvae and swims around in the green water that is full of decaying leaves. Then this morning as I'm loading the dish washer she gets into the water bowl and wallows around in it. If she's doing things like that I don't guess a bath will do her any harm. What a dog...
..she's trying anything to stop that itch...but if the sutures are 'gut'...they may shrink....?
she has some staples and some sutures. The sutures are something man made, not gut.
Quote from: LizStreithorst on September 17, 2017, 11:44:09 AM
she has some staples and some sutures. The sutures are something man made, not gut.
...bathe away..... |^|
Cha Cha woke up with me this morning. We went to feed the fish. She immediately jumped into the mosquito container and had a nice swim in the nasty water. The swim always makes the injury feel better. She was sleeping hard when it was time to go to the vet. In the car she managed to get her 3-collar off. If there is a way, she will find it. Thank God she did no damage. When she got home she jumped into the water bowl and wallowed ar
The wound is healing well but the itching is driving both of us crazy. I asked Karen about something to ease the itching. She said that steroids would help but we couldn't use them. She said that the solution would be to board her if I could afford it, which I can't. (well, I could if it was really necessary for my sanity. It's not. I'd rather suffer) Even though Karen told me not to, I stopped and picked up a bottle of gel with lidocane which also has a topical steroid in it.
She woke up when I got up from her long hard nap after her dip in the water bowl. When we went out to watch the chickens I put the anti-itch gel on it even against instructions from a real vet. She's sleeping again, thank God. I know that she's as worn out over this as much as I am. I will use the banned product only when she starts going crazy. I hope I only have to use it once a day.
Long...sorry...
..if she feels better use it.....you both need the rest.. 8)
Yes. BTW she is awake now but calm. She's resting comfortably.
You're right we both need the rest. She has to rest before I can.
The Continuing Saga of the Non Life Changing Injury
Dog did great yesterday. I finally ate enough to keep me alive. I anticipated the best when I should not have. I gave her the sleep causing pain med. I thought that I could cut her down to one a day. That was a mistake...
She went crazy in the car on the way to work. She was in the back, in the front on the floor and gave out yelps of pain. She was shaking her head. When we got to the shop I took off the e-collar. She had inflamed but not broken skin behind each ear. I adjusted the collar so it would sit a little lower. I had it like way before but she found a way to defeat it.
The leg injury is doing great. It no longer drives her crazy itching. Sutures will come out Monday and the e-collars will come off. It will be such a joy to have her back to her normal demanding self.
page 5.
I hate to keep the poor dog drugged out but I have no choice. I need two doses of Tramadol daily to keep her doing well. She doesn't go crazy and drive me crazy consistently. She has her up and about happy being a dog times a couple of times a day. Mostly she sleeps because she's drugged up. If she is to heal and I am to keep my sanity she'll have to spend most of her time in lala land. It's a shame but it's the best choice for both of us.