Long time no bark
I am going to claim December as the chaos it tends to be. Not that anyone is or should be keeping track but last I posted (exactly a month ago) we were headed back to the vet for back/coughing/not eating issues. In the true way of things, the cough cleared up a couple of days before our appointment and has not returned, thank goodness. We’re back on gabapentin and vetprophen (sp?) and that has helped her back immeasurably but not completely. Vet said he doesn’t want to do another cortisone shot until spring – I’ve no clue why. Because steroids cause cancer? The ways of veterinarians are quite mysterious (to me). The pain meds have helped with her appetite, mostly, so that explains that.
Her elbow on the other hand, lord have mercy. After a month of bandages and crossed fingers, on Monday he called me into the back to look at her owie – if anything it was worse! This has been going on since the middle of July! The vet’s comment: “She almost died. Who’d have thought she’d be doing so well?” I’m not entirely certain how to process that one. At any rate, the decision was made to put her under, make some small incisions and slide some skin down over the wound instead of continuing “conservative” management by squishing the sides together and hoping for the best. Done and done Tuesday this week. She was incredibly dopey when I picked her up that evening, always good for entertainment value.
We go back next Monday for a check. It’s a minor issue in the scheme of things but please everyone think good thoughts for her/us. In the meantime my plan is to scrounge some scrap foam from somewhere and create some padding that will (miraculously) stay on – that’s part of the problem, she’s heavy on her elbows. Seems like there’s a (bad) joke in there somewhere.
We had a quiet Christmas or I did. I built a fire in the fireplace which freaked her out so she hid in the garage, including once again going up the steps she swears she cannot negotiate without help. She looked at me like I had been beating her so I coaxed her back in and let the fire die out. It is now official, not that it wasn’t before. My life is ruled by my dog. It could be worse.
And because I’m liable to be exiled from the community if I post without pictures, here is evidence of our cozy winter nest:
or maybe it’s evidence of how thoroughly Isa is not a morning dog. I don’t think I got so much as an ear twitch when I took the picture.
I hope everyone had a lovely whichever-December-holiday you celebrate and wishing one and all and happy and healthy 2017!
woof!
UPDATE: Because I totally forgot to tell you! Of course they took a chest x-ray last month – identical to the one taken last July at diagnosis! Hooray!
