Glimpses of Decibel’s puppyhood: September continued.

Decibel’s surgery

After checking out the osteosarcoma study and various other recommendations, and talking to our vet, we decided to have Decibel spayed before her first heat and at the same time have the surgery done to prevent torsion if she should bloat.  

All this trauma (including having her implanted with a microchip) happened yesterday, and she is coming around nicely.  

Yesterday Decibel was very, very tired and ouchy when she tried to stretch and such.  Well, considering that she has two 'zippers' in her belly, that isn't unusual.  She seemed to feel discomfort only during certain movements, and rested easily (once we lifted her on the couch), so we did not give her any additional pain meds.  

This morning she got up and 'feels all better'.  She is on leash for exercising, and no jumping, roughhousing and the like, but then I am home, and can supervise, so that is no problem.  Still, Decibel feels fine, I have not even had to give her any pain meds, although the vet sent us home with two kinds, just in case.

We go for leash walks, and I keep an eye on Skeeter, he likes to play with Decibel a lot, but so far they are all behaving.

Dr Ann mentioned that Decibel was 'very reactive' during surgery, and that even under anesthesia her heart rate would increase when she was cutting or clamping.  So the fact that Decibel cries when vaccinated might actually be inherited or as Ann said, she's wired that way.  It is not all just being a drama queen.  She could not fake the reaction under sedation.  Also one incision was closed with braided suture material, and Decibel bruised almost immediately.  Non-braided monofilament material bruised hardly at all.

I'm passing the info along, in case her litter mates have similar 'issues'.

Decibel is recuperating very well, and so far has been good about not licking her incisions.  She does not seem to be in pain, and was a little confused about not being allowed in the pond, which I think is a good sign.  A few more days of taking it easy, and she will be 'good as new'.

I did not want to tell you about the surgery before, since I managed to worry about it enough for seven people.  You would have thought it was the first dog to ever go under the knife.  Coincidentally, an eight-year-old dog was being spayed when we picked Decibel up and that poor bitch was riddled with mammary tumors, which from the feel and location and such were likely deemed malignant by Dr. Ann.  She showed me (I get to assist her during surgeries at times, but cannot do that when it is one of my dogs on the table) the tumors, and said, 'if you ever need another reason for an early spay'.  Now that Decibel is healing and acting normal, I am glad that it is done and hopefully soon 'over with' as a memory.

Love,

I know you are all very busy and traveling, but I just wanted to let you know that Decibel is recovering really nicely, no problems at all, and if it were up to her, she would be back in the pond swimming.

Both incisions are healing well, no trouble, and the one that bruised earlier now looks a bit better, so it was only a temporary reaction to the suturing material.  The girl did not even need to wear a 'cone of shame' as we call the Elizabethan collars in our house, because the dogs who wear them always look so miserable in them.  Of course, with Decibel, who knows, she might just think it was a fashion statement.  I had a very wide collar that I bought, and never used, because it was absurd, about 4 inches wide, that I put on her for a day or two, and that distracted her well enough from licking.

I am sending you her post op pitiful picture, but really, she looks back to normal now, eats well, plays, and mostly hates having a naked belly.

Pretty in pink

all is well here, and Decibel is 'all better' as well.  She does not like her shaved belly, but has not licked or otherwise kept the incisions from healing.  She is doing so well we let her go swimming again (there is no opening, just a scar on her belly) and we took her to town for dog class.  Unfortunately nobody else showed, so class was canceled.  
So we went shopping. Decibel needed her 'adult' outfit, her permanent collar.  Since she is now microchipped, we wanted to attach the tag on her collar, but not the temporary one she has been wearing until now.  I have to admit we have not registered the chip yet, the service got much more expensive than the last time we did it, and I am not even sure that I want to do it.  Decibel is not so likely to get lost or run off.

We have had chipped dogs since 1991, and never 'used' the home again service.  I think I have time to decide.

Anyhow, the collar that fit her and suited her best was bright pink.  So now she is pretty in pink.

Here she is mooching for apples.

Hope your various travels went smoothly,

I know there is no chance of you sending Dominique our way, but we have way too many apples, and I could sure use a hand in converting them all into something that will last, like applesauce.  I could teach Dominique how to make cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese and butter in return.  You will never go back to store-bought.  

Actually, that is a bad thing, because I am such a food snob now.  

Just like the dogs... Briards always crack me up, my other dogs just open their mouths and hope that I will share, but not Decibel or Ralph.  NOOO.  They have to sniff, and taste a sample before they commit.  Talk about food snobs.  Those guys will slurp and smack their way through a pea-sized morsel, roll their eyes and evaluate it.  Wine tasters have less of a to do about it.

Harold always says that when the Briards crowd the kitchen, something good is cooking.  Barley was the same way.  He chewed and tasted his food.  

That's so French...