Houdini is in the House ~ A little humour

Look Mom ! No Bandage . . . . I am so proud of myself.
You need to do better than an e-collar for this ol' pup !

Sorry about the blanket . . . it just got in the way of my mission . . . . honest.

I won't do it again . . . . Promise. You just run off and do what you need to do. Really . . . I'm fine.

Well . . . maybe just one more time !


Ha Ha Ha ! Just kidding : )

I'll be good . . . while I sleep (note those patched chew holes)

~~~~~

Keep your dog near your bed or sleep on the couch beside her. Basically our dog could not be left alone at all. No matter how big the collar, or tight the bandage, she could figure out an escape. We bought a new e-collar every 7 days. She chewed through the clips, bent the sides over and folded it in half repeatedly. She never gave up !!!!

Mommy Almost Faints

Cider and I went to the Alta Vista Animal Hospital today to have Cider's leg professionally cleaned. Before the honey treatment can begin the wound needs to be absolutely clean. I thought I was fine with yucky stuff . . . but apparently not. Cider was none too pleased with the scrubbing (can't blame her!). I was near her head while the four (yes 4 !!!) vet techs made sure she didn't make a run for it. They managed to hold her on the table, on her side. The vet got out the saline solution and cleaned her wound. I think I actually forgot to breath after a while. Looking at that "mess" and watching the saline syringe shoot liquid in through one hole and out the other. Yuck.



Then the vet lifted up the center portion of loose skin and said . . . "We'll have to watch this area . . . all this skin and surrounding area could die." I walked away at that point but really wasn't able to get myself together. I had to leave the room and sit for awhile. Quite embarrassing and certainly no moral support for my dog what so ever!


We both made it home eventually and Cider seemed to be as emotionally drained as I was. Lots of sleeping today. And so begins the first day of Cider's Manuka Honey treatment ~ and the hope that new skin will grow to fill in those awful holes. Hopefully Cider will let my husband and I treat her wound . . . as it will just be Steve and I with the dog.

Scary Days - Skin Splitting - Post Surgery

Things certainly get worse before they get better. We were bandaging her wounds at this point but every time we took the bandage off it looked worse. Feeling very worried.

The doggy meds were working re: pain management . . . so at least that wasn't an issue.

That doesn't look right . . .

A few days after the surgery things started to go down hill . . . and fast. Seepage from a wound is not a good thing. Skin splitting beside the stitches is really not good. You can't add more stitches now. The skin is simply stretched to the limit and then some.

We were warned that this could happen. The goal is to remove as much tumor and cancer as possible . . . which doesn't leave much healthy skin for sewing things up. We chose this option, with its challenges, over amputation.

No climbing, jumping or even much walking at this point. Only out for a bathroom break (on the leash) and right back inside. The less she moves the better at this point. Feeling guilty now about letting her lie on the couch. That up and down motion should have been avoided : (

First Day Home

Friday March 20th was Cider's first day home. We were told to let the air at her wound and not to bandage it up. We purchased an e-collar (elizabethan collar) to stop her from licking her leg. This was not needed on the first evening home as she was too exhausted to move. We thought the worst was over at this point . . . . little did we know!

Note to others: Listen carefully to the Vet's instructions about what to do and what NOT to do. We had just put our 20 year old cat down at our local vet . . . . before picking up Cider to bring her home from Alta Vista. I don't think I listened carefully enough to the post-op instructions. I should have kept Cider off the couch and totally minimized the amount of motion and movement in her leg. Her skin was far more fragile that I was aware.

Our Sweet Casey 1989 ~ 2009

Biopsy Results - Soft Tissue Sarcoma

March 2009 - March 6th surgery at our local Vet was cancelled and we were formally referred to the Alta Vista Animal Hospital. Our Vet explained that this was Cider's best chance for success and she should be seen by a Surgical Oncologist. Dr. Liptak's site can be viewed here:

http://www.animalcancersurgeon.com/Welcome.html

Here are some earlier photos . . . after Cider's Biopsy.

Our journey begins . . . .