Henny @ The White Coats...AGAIN. UPDATE #18 NOT GOOD

[Taz_Zoee]

When Zoee got fixed when she was younger we only kept the e-collar on her when we could not watch her. So when we weren't home and at night when we slept. I thought for sure she'd lick her sutures to death or something, because she is always "cleaning" herself, even when she was a puppy. She does a thorough cleaning everytime after she goes potty. But she did very well. She would not move when the collar was on her, so this way worked for all of us.
Good luck and I hope Henny is feeling better very soon!

[chocolatepuppy]

Hopefully, the worst is over. Henny will calm down and maybe the e-collar won't bother her so much. I suppose all dogs are different, but some don't bother their incisions much. I wouldn't take any chances on trusting her though without constant supervision, especially at first. Maybe some others here can offer more insight on the e-collar. My dogs have never used them.
Henny will be in my prayers, as you will be, I know this is a difficult time for all of you. {hugs}

[Sparklecoon]

Bad news. Yesterday I noticed a bit of swelling along her incission line called the vet and they said not to worry they'd see her for her appt. in the morning.

I've stayed up with her every night since she's come home because she can't stand any type of e-collar I put on her (During the days she's gone to school with my Mum. She's a high school counselor and Henny has done wonders with some of the kidders). This morning I used the bathroom came out and she was draining a LARGE amount of serosanguinous drainage (Watery blood). My kitchen looked like the texas chainsaw massacre. I loaded her up and we went to the vet. He said he's worried about poor wound healing and and the possibility of an abcess forming so their putting her under again and inserting a drainage tube.

Besides that huge problem she's doing so much better. She's eating well. Stooling well . Most importantly this morning she was happy and waggy. She looks much brighter. I just wish things would go her way.

[pitc9]

Oh the poor thing!!

I hope things start getting better soon for her!
{{{HUGS}}}

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh no, more prayers for Henny.

[Sparklecoon]

Henny's home again. She has a funky collar on that looks like a peoples cervical collar to prevent her from getting to the incision. They had to open nearly the whole incision (10 inches). She has three drainage tubes and a big ole dressing wrapped all the way around. She seems happy so thats all that matters. I'll have to post pics later. Thanks for all the prayers. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

[Freedom]

Not sure HOW I've missed this thread before now.

I am so sorry to read of all that Henny - and you - have been through! My goodness, what a lot to cope with for both of you. Praying that things settle down and she heals well.

Once the sutures have 'set' and the wound starts healing over, you can remove the e collar and leave a coating of Vaseline on the site. The Vaseline will stop and itch and sooth the sore, and dogs don't like it so she'll leave the site alone. but only AFTER the healing is well along. The Vaseline will keep the area moist and prevent healing so don't apply it too soon.

Please let us know how all of you are doing!

[chocolatepuppy]

Wondering how Henny's doing.

[Sparklecoon]

Her drain tubes became infected. If it's not one thing it's the other

I noticed some pusy drainage on Friday and removed the dressing the vet put on that he wanted changed monday (idiot!) and her drain tubes were definately draining and pooling in the dressing (Idiot!). I did a dressing change and cleaned her up with some saline solution (thank God i'm a nurse and have access to all this stuff) wrapped her back up and started calling around to different vets to see who would see her. Vets like M.D.s and tattoo artists don't like touching other peoples work.

Well we went to a vet saturday that would grasciously take us in. I'd changed the bandage before we went and by the time we got there her dressing was soaked. The vet was worried it was peritonitis (infection in the abdominal cavity) but she didn't show symptoms (diarrhea, loss of appetite). Her blood work came back A-OK (WBCs well within normal). They cleaned her up in the back and gave me two different antibiotics to give her (Cipro and Cephalexin) for the next week and a half. I also have to flush her tubes and puncture sites (where one of the tubes was inadvertently removed) with chlorhexadine 1-2 times a day for the next little bit.

I'm so angry with the original vet. when he changed her dressing originall her used TAPE to keep it all together and I mean directly on the hair and skin. You wouldn't believe how much hair came off when I removed it (And I wetted it as I went). There were also scabs all along her belly where you can see the first dressing had been removed at the office. I also asked when he put the drains in a week post-op if she needed more antibiotics and he said 'no, she's doing fine' .

Henny herself is doing great. She's so much happier now that the incision is open to air and she's finally tolerating a different kind of e-collar that the vet on saturday gave her though she's not to happy about it. The incision looks better already and the drainage is minimal to nonexistent. Hopefully the sutures can come out this week. She's eating well, has some pep in her step (though were keeping her pretty sedentary til all is healed), and she's stooling wonderfully .

[chocolatepuppy]

I'm sorry things took a turn for the worse, but thank goodness Henny's doing better now. I think it might be time to start looking for a new vet huh? I'll keep Henny in my prayers and hopefully she'll be all better soon.