After a traumatic first two days and discovering he had no idea what being housebroke was about, we wondered what we would find on the porch. We had not barricaded him in for the third night. He had not run off. Doc had told us to not give anymore prednisone or Benadryl. He said the swelling should be on its way down. We hadn't given the pred the evening before and we didn't give anything that morning. At lunch when I went out to feed him the whole side of his face was swollen up the size of a foot ball. His eye was swelled shut and he couldn't open his mouth.
I called Doc, he said he'd be out to the farm when the office closed. Hunny came home early to be here when doc got here. Doc pulled up and gasped when he saw the dog. I wish I had taken a picture of the dog, but the dog was not the only one traumatized. We all were. Pictures were not a priority.
Doc lowered the tail gate on the truck. I got some large towels. He said it looked like an infection of the salivary glands. All the needed supplies were lined up. We sat Boychik on a large beach towel and Doc gave him a shot to put him under. We used the towel, like a sling, to raise him up on the tailgate. Doc proceeded to lance the swelling at the soft spot (It felt and looked like a huge abscess). When he aspirated it hardly any off colored blood was there. He flushed the area inside and out with iodine and told me to keep it open and flush it 4 times a day.
He gave him a long acting penicillin shot and a cortisone shot, then a shot to wake him up. I was handed a bottle of pain killers, a bottle of cortisone, and a bottle of a antibiotic that is used for dental surgery. Boychik was in horrible pain.
That night the temperature was to drop below freezing and the daytime temp the next day was not supposed to get above 35. We were afraid Boychik would get chilled.
We thought the only solution was to bring him in the house. But the cut was dripping copious amounts of blood and the dog was not potty trained. We never thought about the crate. In fact we didn't even remember we had it (out of sight out of mind). We put him in the main bathroom. I figured at least all surfaces can be scrubbed down. I covered the floor with towels in case he decided to have and accident. Decided to, he decidedly did. In three hours I accumulated enough towels for a full load of wash. Oxyclean to the rescue, in the washer for one full wash cycle, then run the machine again with a soap wash and I have clean, sweet smelling towels.
It isn't punishment to be in our bathroom. It is very large, built to accommodate a wheelchair. In fact two wheelchairs can maneuver together in it. Even though it is large he was still afraid; being closed in , being in pain, and being alone.
The next morning when we greeted him he was happy and the swelling in his face had started to go down. You could at least see an eye and his mouth could open even though chewing he would bite the sides of his jaw. The swelling wasn't just in the face it went down the side of his neck and under his chin. It was literally the size of a foot ball. The bleeding had slowed to an occasional drip. Now it was time to try to get the first dose of pills down.
It wasn't difficult at all. He had not eaten supper because his face and throat were too swollen. So he was very hungry. I had some sliced cheese and proceeded to wrap the first pill in one. It was frustrate the human time. He ate the cheese held the pill in his mouth and spit it out. So I decided it was see if I could stuff the pill in the back of the throat and rub it down with a squirt of water. He didn't mind that at all. I gave him a cheese treat after he endured each "stuffing". I knew we would have to do this for the next five days, twice a day. plus flushing the "hole". I also had to give him Benadryl. The next 5 days are a repeat of these pills and procedures.
While writing this I realized how hard it will be to recreate on paper the last five weeks. I will instead pick out the most outstanding moments.
Back to the getting Boychik well. With everything the Vet did and all the meds we did not have a good feeling about the swelling. When we had thought it was just an abscess(before the face swelled up) treatment was to be fairly routine. When we realized there wasn't an abscess the treatment drastically changed. This Internet can be a big help but it also can cause worries to increase.
This was the case for me. This was a dog whom I wasn't going to keep. We were just waiting for when the owner saw the sign and inquired. We didn't know if the owner would want to invest all the money we were putting into the dog. Forget the time investment!
The Internet said SOP was operating and removing the glands. Geesh talk about expense. I had told the vet this dog was not a good fit for us. If we were going to get another dog we would get one who was a house dog. One who wasn't short haired (I don't care for the odor of a short haired canine.) The other thing, when winter comes this poor dog and his short hair would be out in the elements. I asked him if he knew anyone who might be a good home for him. He said he had had someone in mind but he would need a picture of the dog. He said he would come out day after tomorrow and picture him for her.
I breathed a sigh of relief, I'd get the dog well and find him a good home. Two days later the vet came and checked him out and pictured him. He was pleased with how the swelling had gone down. Wasn't thrilled with the pocket of swelling in his throat.
If you look at the left side of his face you can see the swelling. It is half the size it was. He couldn't close his mouth before.
At the time these pictures were taken he was able t eat and the only thing he dreaded was when I was coming with the iodine to flush the hole. After 4 weeks the hole is finally healed shut. I don't know if he will have a permanent scar but he sure does right now.
I called Doc, he said he'd be out to the farm when the office closed. Hunny came home early to be here when doc got here. Doc pulled up and gasped when he saw the dog. I wish I had taken a picture of the dog, but the dog was not the only one traumatized. We all were. Pictures were not a priority.
Doc lowered the tail gate on the truck. I got some large towels. He said it looked like an infection of the salivary glands. All the needed supplies were lined up. We sat Boychik on a large beach towel and Doc gave him a shot to put him under. We used the towel, like a sling, to raise him up on the tailgate. Doc proceeded to lance the swelling at the soft spot (It felt and looked like a huge abscess). When he aspirated it hardly any off colored blood was there. He flushed the area inside and out with iodine and told me to keep it open and flush it 4 times a day.
He gave him a long acting penicillin shot and a cortisone shot, then a shot to wake him up. I was handed a bottle of pain killers, a bottle of cortisone, and a bottle of a antibiotic that is used for dental surgery. Boychik was in horrible pain.
That night the temperature was to drop below freezing and the daytime temp the next day was not supposed to get above 35. We were afraid Boychik would get chilled.
We thought the only solution was to bring him in the house. But the cut was dripping copious amounts of blood and the dog was not potty trained. We never thought about the crate. In fact we didn't even remember we had it (out of sight out of mind). We put him in the main bathroom. I figured at least all surfaces can be scrubbed down. I covered the floor with towels in case he decided to have and accident. Decided to, he decidedly did. In three hours I accumulated enough towels for a full load of wash. Oxyclean to the rescue, in the washer for one full wash cycle, then run the machine again with a soap wash and I have clean, sweet smelling towels.
It isn't punishment to be in our bathroom. It is very large, built to accommodate a wheelchair. In fact two wheelchairs can maneuver together in it. Even though it is large he was still afraid; being closed in , being in pain, and being alone.
The next morning when we greeted him he was happy and the swelling in his face had started to go down. You could at least see an eye and his mouth could open even though chewing he would bite the sides of his jaw. The swelling wasn't just in the face it went down the side of his neck and under his chin. It was literally the size of a foot ball. The bleeding had slowed to an occasional drip. Now it was time to try to get the first dose of pills down.
It wasn't difficult at all. He had not eaten supper because his face and throat were too swollen. So he was very hungry. I had some sliced cheese and proceeded to wrap the first pill in one. It was frustrate the human time. He ate the cheese held the pill in his mouth and spit it out. So I decided it was see if I could stuff the pill in the back of the throat and rub it down with a squirt of water. He didn't mind that at all. I gave him a cheese treat after he endured each "stuffing". I knew we would have to do this for the next five days, twice a day. plus flushing the "hole". I also had to give him Benadryl. The next 5 days are a repeat of these pills and procedures.
While writing this I realized how hard it will be to recreate on paper the last five weeks. I will instead pick out the most outstanding moments.
Back to the getting Boychik well. With everything the Vet did and all the meds we did not have a good feeling about the swelling. When we had thought it was just an abscess(before the face swelled up) treatment was to be fairly routine. When we realized there wasn't an abscess the treatment drastically changed. This Internet can be a big help but it also can cause worries to increase.
This was the case for me. This was a dog whom I wasn't going to keep. We were just waiting for when the owner saw the sign and inquired. We didn't know if the owner would want to invest all the money we were putting into the dog. Forget the time investment!
The Internet said SOP was operating and removing the glands. Geesh talk about expense. I had told the vet this dog was not a good fit for us. If we were going to get another dog we would get one who was a house dog. One who wasn't short haired (I don't care for the odor of a short haired canine.) The other thing, when winter comes this poor dog and his short hair would be out in the elements. I asked him if he knew anyone who might be a good home for him. He said he had had someone in mind but he would need a picture of the dog. He said he would come out day after tomorrow and picture him for her.
If you look at the left side of his face you can see the swelling. It is half the size it was. He couldn't close his mouth before.
At the time these pictures were taken he was able t eat and the only thing he dreaded was when I was coming with the iodine to flush the hole. After 4 weeks the hole is finally healed shut. I don't know if he will have a permanent scar but he sure does right now.
During this recoup time we tried several times to potty train. At this time we hadn't thought of the "Cage". I wish we had because in two days it worked wonders. I haven't had an accident but I have also been very vigilant to read his facial signs. He is not a talker so vocal signals are non existent. When he first came here, I presumed he was nervous and just didn't understand. After we had him for a while I realized he didn't care. I've watched him when he is outside, when he is playing he just stops and goes. He doesn't sniff or look around for a place. This was exactly how he did in the house. Just stopped walking and tinkled. He is the supreme tinkler. Quarts at a time (He drinks that much water too)!
Which is another story. All water dishes in the house are recycled 2 lb. quart plastic cottage cheese containers. For the cats it was perfect, and we put out a large dish for him. The large dish has been removed. He shares the cats water. The water dishes are just the right size for a thirsty muzzle to fit in. This was a necessity. When he drinks in a large dish he wants to put his feet in it too. If it is large enough he will lay down on his tummy and put his whole head in it. He puts his nose underwater and blows bubbles. He has a wonderful time doing it. BTW, water does drain out of those flabby jaws! At least he isn't a slobber er.
He has survived and there have been no flare up of the glands (which is great I didn't want him to have to have an operation). Every time we give him meds or chemical treatments we give a prednisone a couple of hours before to protect against an allergic reaction. We have finally gotten him tick free (he did not come with fleas, but there was not an inch on him with out a tick). He gets his heart worm pill each month. The lady that might have wanted him, backed out because he wasn't house broke (Now that I have invested that time and energy she can't have him). Some how I think we have become attached to the "little boy".
He is potty trained right now, only because he wants to please us. He can't stand it when we make a motion that he interprets as being displeased with him, he melts at a raised voice.
I was really hoping to choose my own dog this time. We've had gimme dogs for 50 years. We've only been able to choose a couple of our dogs. I guess our guardian angle knows, we love to recycle and reuse. Just call me Second Hand Rose.
The following links are recycle articles on my other Blogs.
The garden blog has lots of recycled hints,
but none written in a single blog
Other blog sites by me:
A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind.
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind.
Where I have stories of my cats and other pets
a blog about my courtship with my husband,
and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.
A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.
blogs about the wildflowers on our farm
Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,
blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures
Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle
All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.
I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .
Please do not copy without permission
A good book to read is Second Hand Dog. It might give you some ideas on how to work with him.
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