OMG!! Freckles…N-o-o-o

I have not blogged for a while. It was about 2 weeks after the procedure. I finally accepted a one day job…leaving Freckles and my other dog and 2 cats at home alone. I had purchased a “no bite” collar and it was working well. I thought I had no worries. BUT, when I got home, she did not meet me at the door. Next, I found the “no bite” collar on the floor in a hallway. When I did find Freckles, it was plain that she was trying to avoid me. Then, I SAW WHY…she had been licking her “stitches” all day and the area around them was beet red and raw. She was just a couple of days from having them removed! I immediately called the surgeon who directed me to bring her in immediately so she could assess the damage. That has been a couple of weeks ago now. I am taking her to the vet every 2 or three days where they medicate and change her dressing. She is also back on antibiotics for 2 weeks. I so hoped we were finished with pills…she HATES them so! Now we take one each morning and 3 in the evening. The vet said that giving her Benedryl and Prednison daily could extend her life 2 or 3 months. So, I had started giving her these once daily. Now, 2 weeks of antibiotics as well…she is not a happy camper. Each visit, they replace a multi-layered dressing of medication/packing over the spot around the stitches and cover it all with a blue plastic-like patch that is stapled to her hide. She only tolerated this for a few times…now they use anesthetics because placing the staples hurts her so. Everyone in the clinic knew when they were doing it – she would whine and cry out so loudly it filled the clinic. Now when I pick her up she is very groggy most of the day. Still, she is eating well. We go on some short walks in the morning when it is cool. And though I have not seen “the area” covered by the bandage, the docs assure me that a nice scab has formed and all is going well. So…by my experience…avoid the plastic “no bite” type collars. They are sold by width (from bottom of ear to shoulder bone) and length (Freckles has a 16 inch neck diameter). The width was 4 inches, however she is very stocky. The only collar they sold that was 4 inches wide was also only 18 inches long. I could barely fasten the velcro strip without it being too tight. So… she easily removed it after working on in while I was away. I now use the dreaded “cone of shame” with a blow up no bite collar behind it (as suggested by my vet) when I have to leave her alone at home. I wish I had done this in the first place. When I am home, I use the blow up collar and watch her closely. But, when I have to leave her alone, I put on the cone and then the “blow up” on the base of her neck. She has not been able to “chew or lick” the area since then. We have to go back to the vet in 3 days…and again 3 days later. She now whines when she realizes where we are going in the morning. I will be so glad when this phase is over and they can take out the stitches. I am sure Freckles will be too. She still gives me kisses and loves me despite it all. I wish she could be around forever.