She's Home

We picked her up this morning at the Missouri University vet school.  We have quite a list of do's and dont's. It's going to be a challenge because she still hurts. She seems happiest on a firm flat surface. She has one of those cone type collars they said to prevent her from licking her stitches. I think it was also to prevent her from biting her handlers. Move her the wrong way and she hurts instantly. I quickly learned to support her belly when moving her. She had slipped off her pillow on the way home and was yelping in pain when Gretchen tried moving her. She would have bitten her again had it not been for the collar.

Moving her out of the van was a two person operation. She forgot that she hurts and tried jumping out of the van like she always does to go bark and pee. Restraining her caused her pain.I normally walk with a cane. When I picked Dolly up out of Gretchen's  lap she was not hurting. I had one hand under her belly and one on her chest. I said to hell with the cane because our dog was not hurting and I walked all the way inside the house with her in that position.

We purchased a rolling den for her at Petco. I need to go to Petco.com to see if they have belly slings for her. if I can't find them there I will go to Dr's Foster and Smith.com to see if they can be purchased there. MU's  Vet Ortho department would have provided one but they are shut down until mid January for New Years break and staff changes. I hope that their entire department is never affected by budget cuts because I am very (and I do mean very) impressed with them.

I gotta take a little time here to praise MU's vet clinic. Their discharge procedure is very good. Better than some hospitals for humans. Kristin our student was very good at breaking down what we needed to do at home with Dolly to where we could understand it and she was backed up very nicely by her instructor who was there to observe. When we told her she was good at it she stated that it was because she has good teachers. Had I thought of it I would have told her you have to be a good student also to accept the teachings of a good instructor.

Dolly was sedated when we picked her up. She was still able to wag her tail when she saw us and she had that I'm happy to see you look in her eyes. You can't miss that look. Right now she is in her crate sleeping. She will occasionally look up to see if I am still sitting here. I suspect that I won't be going much of anywhere in the next few weeks. If it upsets her to where she hurts if I am gone then so be it I will stay.

Our cats were alarmed at her return. They immediately spotted the cone collar and it was like OMG what did those humans do to that dog? They were very curious about the crate. Dolly started evil eyeing them so I shoo'd them away. After a few minutes they started treating it like it's been here for years. They will probably try jumping on it later and if it agitates Dolly they will learn to stay off. Dolly seemed very pleased that I had shoo'd them away. She does not like two of them and the third she seems to tolerate well. Probably because that one has never swatted her with claws out that i know of.

This whole thing is going to take some adjusting for all of us. What I am afraid of is dolly's personality might change after this is all over with. If she still has pain it will. I know my own personality changed over a period of years due to being disabled. I used to find humor in bad situations. I no longer do that. It was a  coping mechanism from work. It helps me to make other people laugh especially if the person who laughs is in a bad situation.