Friday 1-22-10

4 am - OMG why do her haunches creak? or is something wrong?

Gigi was exhausted when she got settled into bed, and then slept soundly until 3 30 am when she started whining.  Water - yes please, no thank on food, didn't make any attempt to get up when we offered "out" - now she is sounding like a screech owl.... woooooooooooooooooooo,, wooowowwoooowoooowoowooooooo.

She's been on one side for the entire time - seems like I should let her shift position but then again will she do that on her own?

Ironies of all ironies - I shave her down to 1 inch all over EXCEPT for the surgery leg, because I figured they would shave that to the skin.  Oh no.  They opened her up on the inside of the leg.  So now I have a dog who won’t want someone fussing on her leg with hair now getting more matted by the breath...  I'll wait until the next dose of pain killers and then trim her down.  Poor baby.

So what about this creaking stuff - she sounds like an antique chair.  The vet tech doesn’t know and will relay the question to the vet.

9 am - Lesson #1:  Don't bother to undress:  Go to bed "all standing".  If you wait for her to stand up before you get dressed to take her outside, she will have changed her mind by the time you get your shoes on.  This morning it looked like a chinese firedrill as we scrambled into action when she started scrabbling around.

We headed for the door and I could see the dawn of recognition in her eyes - stairs down and up - no thanks.  I’m not gonna pee.  Nope.  Not a chance.

So we took the bottom tray out of a giant rabbit cage, put it on the porch and filled it with leaves.  Maybe she'll agree to use that.  If I can't get her outside later, I'll move the tray inside and if THAT doesn't work, I'll demonstrate...

She drank a lot of water when she came home last night, and again this morning.  Ate a little last night but nothing yet today.  I have to get something into her so I can give her the antibiotics.  She swallowed the pain pills with tapioca this morning but it was more my idea than hers.

She's zonked right now.  I'll wait till she stirs before trying out the pan idea.  I'm cooking bacon.  Maybe that will tempt her to rouse up.  She's been on her good side almost the whole time - only an hour or two on the other side.  But she's on a dense foam pad and not the cold floor.

Pirate is being the consummate tender.  Comes and tells me if she moves.  He doesn't like her being behind the baby gate and protests every time I put it up.  Since she isn't moving, I left it down and Pirate's much happier.   Wait till he sees the collar on her...  We bought a Bite Not collar – thought that would be more humane than an Elizabethan collar when the urge to chew sets in.

12 pm - We've got 1/2 inch of ice on the drive and yard so ain't nobody goin' nowheres.  I put the tray in the house because I don't even want to try going out myself (to the car, not to the tray!).

I have hay around back and will drag that up once the sleet/snow/rain stops falling.  We also have lots of ashes.

A friend suggests posting a warning for visitors not to knock on the front door – the explosive response could cause injury.  Excellent idea.  Since we get very few visitors here and the long gravel road is "irrepressible" re warnings - but the foxes and the airplanes trigger them every time -  I'll put on some music.

She still hasn't peed but she did eat a couple carrots.

4 pm  SHE PEED SHE PEED SHE PEED! and peed and peed and peed. 24 hours... She went outside via the kitchen door and down the ramp.   We had to carry her back up the 2 stairs - she just can't quite get the 3-legged thing.   It took her months to learn how to walk up and down stairs properly when she was first rescued, so I think there's a glitch in the software somewhere.

I had put the potty tray in the bedroom so she'd know the options.  Smart dog.  Determined dog.  And she stopped by the bone cupboard on her way back..."I went out, gimme a bone".  Tail was wagging as she dropped it on the floor.  She didn't really want the bone, but she thought the sauerkraut was grand.  So she ate a little dinner, had her pain meds and all's right with the world.

Tonight's fare will be kibbles and pumpkin.  And I have an applejuice popcicle for later, since the snow cones in the yard are out of reach.

No weird popping or creaking sound today - and trust me, I have been listening.  I called the vet hospital (3 a.m.) and they thought perhaps it was the leg/hip/spine getting back to normal after the surgery - the tech said they pull up on the leg (so it is vertical to operate on) and that things might have been out of place.  Makes me shiver to think, but she seems ok and was willing to walk.

She got herself stuck under the bedside table this morning, pushing herself around.  I had to remove all 50 books and then lift out the table so we could get the sling on her to get her back to bed.  Modification of that arrangement completed, my husband suggested I put the books back on bookshelves.  Imagine!  The noive!

I put hay down at the end of the ramp – seems to have been a good visual, because she was quite willing to try down.  Still carrying her up the steps. 

9 pm - Interesting pattern emerging - when we first got her from rescue, she would become increasingly anxious as the sun went down - whistling/squeaking.  That behavior had disappeared many years ago.  But it is back.  Curious.  Doesn't want anything and a bit early for pain meds.

Gigi volunteered to come out of the bedroom and I thought she was headed out to potty but she walked to the TV, then turned around and walked back to bed.  "It's time to watch TV, you lunkheads."

We are getting much better at "bringing up the rear" so to speak.  And she's very good about staying on the rugs and walking slowly. Teamwork is everything!

Starting to indicate discomfort,  urge toward licking or chewing.  I so hate to put that collar on her - it is a bit wide for her neck but the lesser width wouldn't be long enough to go around.  Wrestler's neck.  Or perhaps Wrestler's Mother.  Ack Ack Ack.

Hoping for a quiet night because we're witless at this point.  Remember - to bed "all standing"... I have a feeling potty time will come at an indecent hour.

Hugs to all the bouvs with bolts.