Doggy Danger ...part 4

Hi everyone!  
I've so missed being able to keep up with you!  I had Internet problems galore and had to get repairs three times since I previously wrote.  

My notes today are about the hazards of dogs with stitches.  I thought I was so smart with the pink pants on Power.  He didn't mind having them on and I was so relaxed and assured that all was well.

Well, of course he didn't mind having them on...he knew that as soon as I turned my back that he could get his long skinny nose and tongue under the edge of the pants, and he could chew the stitches out, pull the pant fabric back into place, take a nap, and Mom would be blissfully unaware!  He ripped those stitches out one day post surgery and had to have everything repeated.

After putting him and my checkbook through the second surgery, I determined to try to outwit him (Power).  I have a Vet who hates the big plastic collars, so I did a bit of research and decided on a large bath towel wrapped snugly around his neck .  The idea was to keep him from being able to bend his neck to lick his hip. 

towel around neck, shoestring to shorts

towel, pink retainer band, shoestring to shorts, grey shorts

 It worked great while he was still somewhat sedated, but as soon as his brain cells reactivated, I saw that his tongue was going after those stitches like a heat-seeking missile!

I decided to sacrifice a pair of my old biking shorts to the cause and so I then cut small holes in the waistband so that a shoestring could be threaded through the waist and tied snugly to keep the shorts up around his waist.  I then tied the shoestring to the bandanna around his neck so that the shorts would not fall off. "Senor Houdini" has tried to get to the stitches but so far he has not succeeded.  He gets a lot of laughs from neighbors but I don't mind that.  I have to remember to take them off when I am letting him go out in the yard for potty breaks, or he will pee in the pants ( not having any other choice).  I learned that too the hard way. The day I forgot them and he wet the shorts, I had to put a different pair on him while I laundered the first pair.  He didn't like the nylon material of the second pair and had them ripped off in short order, along with the neck towel.  When I put the original cotton shorts back on him, he left them alone.

The vet wanted the stitches in place for two weeks, because the thin skin of the greyhound pulls apart easily if not well healed.  As the two weeks progressed, I had to learn ways to distract Power from eating the cotton shorts, chewing out the shoestring, and generally working  on removing the stitches.  The towel was partially effective around his neck to keep him from bending his neck to get to his hip.  He figured out how to pull the safety pins out of the towel and then whipped it off.  So I taped the towel with duct tape, and the next am he had duct tape all over his face and very little on the (now removed) towel!

Stitches

Power survived all the clothing craziness!


Waiting for hair to grow back.  All is well!

Doggy Danger ...Part 3

Today Power had surgery to fix the tear in his skin.  While he was there I got out an old sweatshirt, cut the sleeves off, and made a strap to tie over his hips .  When I went to the Vet's office to pick him up, he was still sleepy, and yet he was able to walk with a bit of help.  He had a rather vacant look in his eyes!  The vet lifted him into my car, but when I got home to the motorhome, my friend Carol came over to help me get him out of the car and into the motorhome.  I did most of the lifting, but needed help holding doors, leashes, etc.  Power was a real sweety.  He didn't make things more difficult by screaming, kicking, biting, or collapsing.  I've had other dogs do those things.



After getting him inside, I put his sweatshirt pants on him and he tolerated them well.

I hoped that the strap over the back would keep them from sliding off, but found that after about an hour he was having them slip.

Perhaps I will be able to keep them up with a modification.

Doggy Danger...Part 2

Today Power went to the Vet, who told me that I should have found an emergency vet Friday when the skin was torn.  I felt about 2 inches tall, but replied that previous vets had told me not to sew skin tears.  

He gave me antibiotics to give Power, and the scheduled surgery for tomorrow at 8 am.  

Sweet Power was calm and sweet throughout.  He is such a dear. 

The Vet in Quartzsite is open a half day three days a week.  He's a real sweet guy and his office staff is a great lady who gets to bring her poodle to work each day ( my kind of job).  When I drove to the office, the parking lot was already nearly full. I did find a spot, and left Fleur to guard( ha!) the car. 
As I walked to the office, a lady walked up to me and said "You're number 9!"
I chuckled, because there is always a group of people waiting to get in the waiting room.  Today all the dogs were very well behaved except one Min-pin who tried to kill every one who got within 10 feet of the dog. 

I have decided to make a one legged pant for Power to wear while healing so that he can't pull his stitches out.  I have a sweat jacket that will be sacrificed for the project.