Dogs III - the return of the furbaby thread

[Lightning Lord]

Think I got it? This is her at her near-calmest. Sometimes she's completely asleep, which is moderately calmer.

[RhaenysBee]

On 8/2/2021 at 8:26 AM, Tears of Lys said:

We've tried, but it's been tough picking the right one.  I know it's unfair to compare any dog to Ben, but I loved him so much, I guess I'm trying to recreate the experience.  He was a mixed mutt - a bit of Boxer and Rhodesian Ridgeback and maybe some Lab somewhere.  

Ah I get it, it will never be the same with another dog. But it can be equally nice in a different way. Hope you find the right pup for you.

 

The Chancellor is doing perfectly. He seems a bit drowsy from the meds but that was to be expected. We are starting the second round of spot on treatment, which is almost halfway. Prince William seems quite perky and one can tell he’s okay now. Well for his age and all his general issues. I don’t know if it’s the diet or the lack of acute problems, I’m just happy for his vitality. We’ll do another round of blood work at the end of August to see if his kidney values improved. 

[Larry of the Lawn]

Said goodbye to Darcy today.  Like which Tyler said up thread, you're never ready.  

Been with this dog since I was an idiot 23 year old, we lived in a van, on a boat, on both coasts, in the woods.

I was working as a landscaper in San Diego and planting a bunch of shit at a some bougie dog rescue by Wind-and-Sea and she ran right up to me and followed me around all day and at the end of the day the woman who ran the rescue asked me if I wanted to take her for a couple days.  Does anyone ever bring the dog back? 

She swam in the Pacific and Atlantic and Great Lakes.  She climbed the highest mountains in the eastern US multiple times and was always chomping at the bit for more, was an amazing trail dog comfortable cowboy camping in the rain and sleeping next to a fire in subfreezing temps.   She didn't see snow until she was five years old, yet immediately knew the best thing to do was roll in it and thrash around.  Had a nasty run in with a porcupine that taught her absolutely nothing; a day later she went after one into he same location but was leashed this time.  Never saw a truck bed she wouldn't jump up into or a cat she wouldn't chase, though she lived peaceably with several felines in her later years.  At work she always wanted to stand on whatever wall I was building, and was comfortable climbing up and down the scaffolding.

So weird being in the house without her here.  I think I've spent more time with her than with any human.  Why have we not solved mortality in dogs yet?

[Which Tyler]

3 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

Said goodbye to Darcy today.  Like which Tyler said up thread, you're never ready.  

Been with this dog since I was an idiot 23 year old, we lived in a van, on a boat, on both coasts, in the woods.

I was working as a landscaper in San Diego and planting a bunch of shit at a some bougie dog rescue by Wind-and-Sea and she ran right up to me and followed me around all day and at the end of the day the woman who ran the rescue asked me if I wanted to take her for a couple days.  Does anyone ever bring the dog back? 

She swam in the Pacific and Atlantic and Great Lakes.  She climbed the highest mountains in the eastern US multiple times and was always chomping at the bit for more, was an amazing trail dog comfortable cowboy camping in the rain and sleeping next to a fire in subfreezing temps.   She didn't see snow until she was five years old, yet immediately knew the best thing to do was roll in it and thrash around.  Had a nasty run in with a porcupine that taught her absolutely nothing; a day later she went after one into he same location but was leashed this time.  Never saw a truck bed she wouldn't jump up into or a cat she wouldn't chase, though she lived peaceably with several felines in her later years.  At work she always wanted to stand on whatever wall I was building, and was comfortable climbing up and down the scaffolding.

So weird being in the house without her here.  I think I've spent more time with her than with any human.  Why have we not solved mortality in dogs yet?

Big hugs.

We've decided to bury Guinness' ashes next time the local nature reserve does a tree-planting drive (so probably in a couple of months). We'll try to grab an oak.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Which Tyler

[RhaenysBee]

13 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

Said goodbye to Darcy today.  Like which Tyler said up thread, you're never ready.  

Been with this dog since I was an idiot 23 year old, we lived in a van, on a boat, on both coasts, in the woods.

I was working as a landscaper in San Diego and planting a bunch of shit at a some bougie dog rescue by Wind-and-Sea and she ran right up to me and followed me around all day and at the end of the day the woman who ran the rescue asked me if I wanted to take her for a couple days.  Does anyone ever bring the dog back? 

She swam in the Pacific and Atlantic and Great Lakes.  She climbed the highest mountains in the eastern US multiple times and was always chomping at the bit for more, was an amazing trail dog comfortable cowboy camping in the rain and sleeping next to a fire in subfreezing temps.   She didn't see snow until she was five years old, yet immediately knew the best thing to do was roll in it and thrash around.  Had a nasty run in with a porcupine that taught her absolutely nothing; a day later she went after one into he same location but was leashed this time.  Never saw a truck bed she wouldn't jump up into or a cat she wouldn't chase, though she lived peaceably with several felines in her later years.  At work she always wanted to stand on whatever wall I was building, and was comfortable climbing up and down the scaffolding.

So weird being in the house without her here.  I think I've spent more time with her than with any human.  Why have we not solved mortality in dogs yet?

I’m so sorry  sounds like you had an incredible time together. Hugs. 

[Ran]

@larrytheimp

Very sorry for the loss. Yeah, you're never ready for it, in my experience. But what a joy they are, while we have them. As Rhaenys says, you had an incredible time together and those experiences will last.

[Lightning Lord]

I am so sorry, Larry. You gave Darcy the best life she could have had and gave her all the love she could handle - she sounds like she was the bestest girl. Hug and a scotch to her memory.

[Prince of the North]

@larrytheimp

Just want to add my condolences and thank you for sharing a bit of the beautiful story you and Darcy lived together.  I hope, if such a thing is even possible, the sharing helps ease your loss.

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Prince of the North

[RhaenysBee]

What a crime & mystery episode we had today. My mum came along for the evening walkies, we had all the free walking dogs, and they were all in high spirits because it’s finally not 35C, running around and frolicking. Then I wanted to check something on Chubby and noticed that there was an actual bleeding hole on her skin, about 2-2.5mm in diameter. So I went to catch up with my mum and called Chubby to show her the injury as well. But she (the dog) wouldn’t come, she just lay in the grass and kept licking this hole. For that one minute I thought she wouldn’t get up anymore and I’d carry her home in my arms.

And I kept wondering, was she shot? But when where and how? Then she decided to get up and ran ahead with the others, so the shot was out of the question, not that it made sense in the first place. All right, so was she bitten? Again, when where and by what? She was home all day and she wasn’t out of sight for 10 seconds during the walk.

Got home, fed everybody and my mum helped to inspect and sanitize Chubby’s wound. On closer look, it was shallow, the bleeding was shallow, barely pinkish/orangish, not the        crimson fresh, deep blood is. I cleaned it but that was the most we could do because it certainly doesn’t need stitches and a vet, but I also can’t quite stick a bandaid on her shoulder. We left her to it but I didn’t let her back out into the garden. She kept licking it, but it’s very clear that it doesn’t affect her movement or behavior/mood/appetite/cuddliness so she’s unlikely to be in relevant pain. That’s good news, still we had no idea how she procured this injury, which makes its severity difficult to judge. The plan was to check on her tomorrow and get our former, retired vet on a house call if something seems very wrong. (There’s a bank holiday this week, so 80% of the country closed, including the regular vet)

Later I was outside for some reason and some instinct led me to want to check on the Chancellor’s place in the utility garage. And that was when I saw that the wire fence separating his sleeping place from the water heater is pulled down with some raw edges sticking out - imagine, it’s a 2.5mm wire. I do love to solve a mystery, but I love the relief of knowing the source of a dog injury more. I’ll keep a close look on that thing and clean it regularly, but being poked by wire is not being shot or bitten, so she should be perfectly fine without professional assistance.

Oh and why and how they pulled the fence down from the wall? There was a storm last night, and both being quite scared of storms, the ladies probably felt the need to fight each other for the innermost corner. (And it’s loosely attached because the chancellor keeps pulling it down too and we keep patching it up) Moral of the story, the bloody wire fence either needs to be doubled in height and reinforced to the wall on both sides OR we need to get rid of it altogether… I’m just glad nothing worse happened to her. 

Edited August 17, 2021 by RhaenysBee

[Lightning Lord]

Anyone with experience caring for their furbaby post-spaying? I just got her back after an 8-day stay at the vet... it took 7 days for the wound to stop seeping. It's still red and ragged and hurts her. I was given an ointment to rub on it, but that obviously causes her a lot of pain and the language barrier made it impossible to know what it is supposed to do. The internet tells me "don't touch/rub stuff on the wound while it heals," but the vet says to?

 

I shouldn't have gone away from my normal vet. This one was rec'd to me by an animal lover with lots of experience bringing animals in. But my experience is way different. I want to help my girl recover. If that means hurting her with ointment, I'll do it...but at this stage, I think I want other experienced opinions.

[Which Tyler]

1 hour ago, Lightning Lord said:

Anyone with experience caring for their furbaby post-spaying? I just got her back after an 8-day stay at the vet... it took 7 days for the wound to stop seeping. It's still red and ragged and hurts her. I was given an ointment to rub on it, but that obviously causes her a lot of pain and the language barrier made it impossible to know what it is supposed to do. The internet tells me "don't touch/rub stuff on the wound while it heals," but the vet says to?

 

I shouldn't have gone away from my normal vet. This one was rec'd to me by an animal lover with lots of experience bringing animals in. But my experience is way different. I want to help my girl recover. If that means hurting her with ointment, I'll do it...but at this stage, I think I want other experienced opinions.

Jebus.
Sorry to here that LL; that's really not a normal reaction. Never had to wait longer than "later today" to collect from a spaying, or more than a couple of days in the cone of shame.
Can you phone your old vet? take her in there for a second opinion?

[Spockydog]

2 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

Jebus.
Sorry to here that LL; that's really not a normal reaction. Never had to wait longer than "later today" to collect from a spaying, or more than a couple of days in the cone of shame.
Can you phone your old vet? take her in there for a second opinion?

Absolutely second this. I've had four spayed females. Never have I had to wait longer than 'later same day' to collect them.

Something fishy about this.

Also, what about the cost? Seven days in doggie hospital ain't gonna be cheap. What have they said about that?

Edited August 25, 2021 by Spockydog

[Lightning Lord]

Thanks for the replies. The cost was perhaps part of their rationale - I wasn't happy to pay it. They did send updates, so I know they did the surgery when they claimed. Sadly, the aforementioned language barrier is because I am a non-local and some see my kind as... take-advantage-able.

The cone def seems necessary right now. She clearly wants to be scratching/licking/getting at the healing incision.

My previous vet is still an option for a check-in. Doggo doesn't like going there, though, and she's had a rough 10 days and I don't want to subject her to that unless it's necessary.

[Cas Stark]

6 hours ago, Lightning Lord said:

Thanks for the replies. The cost was perhaps part of their rationale - I wasn't happy to pay it. They did send updates, so I know they did the surgery when they claimed. Sadly, the aforementioned language barrier is because I am a non-local and some see my kind as... take-advantage-able.

The cone def seems necessary right now. She clearly wants to be scratching/licking/getting at the healing incision.

My previous vet is still an option for a check-in. Doggo doesn't like going there, though, and she's had a rough 10 days and I don't want to subject her to that unless it's necessary.

I would strongly advise you to take the dog back to the original vet where there is a history and no language barrier.  An 8 day stay after spaying is completely insane and out of the norm, it either means they were totally taking advantage of you or that something went drastically wrong w/the surgery and they've hidden it from you, in which case get the dog to a different vet ASAP to prevent an infection.

[JGP]

3 hours ago, Cas Stark said:

An 8 day stay after spaying is completely insane and out of the norm, it either means they were totally taking advantage of you or that something went drastically wrong w/the surgery and they've hidden it from you, in which case get the dog to a different vet ASAP to prevent an infection.

Yep, this. 

I've dad two dogs spayed over the last 15 years [soon to be three] and picked both up same day. Definitely sounds like something went wrong. Hope it wasn't too serious, and doesn't further impact her recovery. 

Edited August 25, 2021 by JEORDHl

[Lightning Lord]

Thanks for the replies. I've contacted my primary vet and am trying to get my dog there today.

The only reason I changed vets is that my main one recommends this other one for difficult surgeries. While my main vet does do spaying, I thought "well if they think the other place is better for major surgeries (albeit more expensive), then I should probably go for them, too, for the best care." And now I have a coned-up dog 10 days after her surgery, with the incision still obviously far from "healed."

They'll probably tell me I'm worrying over nothing. But better that than incessant mild panic on my part or a worse alternative of letting something slip by unchecked.

[Which Tyler]

4 hours ago, Lightning Lord said:

Thanks for the replies. I've contacted my primary vet and am trying to get my dog there today.

The only reason I changed vets is that my main one recommends this other one for difficult surgeries. While my main vet does do spaying, I thought "well if they think the other place is better for major surgeries (albeit more expensive), then I should probably go for them, too, for the best care." And now I have a coned-up dog 10 days after her surgery, with the incision still obviously far from "healed."

They'll probably tell me I'm worrying over nothing. But better that than incessant mild panic on my part or a worse alternative of letting something slip by unchecked.

Gpod luck
2nd opinion is definitely the right thing to do, even if all they do is provide reassurance, or can get closer to translating information into words you can kinda understand.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Which Tyler

[Lightning Lord]

Just returned.

Yep - they were shocked when I said it had been 10 days. The previous vet let it get infected and their after-care instructions were definitely inaccurate. Sorta gross:

Spoiler

They were able to drain out a lot of pus and liquid from the wound and clean it up.

My girl isn't going to like the antibiotics nor the cleansing spray, nor the wraps...but she'll get better.

Thanks to everyone here who pushed me towards the vet. I was on the fence and the push over was needed and it was very very obviously the right call.

[Which Tyler]

I'm just glad you got the right care, and the problem identified.

Then the question is whether to complain; but that's a question for when you've a clear head. My instinct would be to complain to the practice manager, and see where it goes. But if language difficuties play a part then it may not be worth it.

[Cas Stark]

That's great!!  What a weird story, I guess you will never know exactly what happened that they kept the dog for 8 days.  

I don't know where you are, I can say that if this happened to me in the US, I would at a minimum refuse to pay/stop payment on the first vet services, at least for the boarding cost.  You shouldn't have to pay for their mistake, whatever it was.   I'd probably also report the vet to whatever authority exists.