Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the money from the Chip-In hit my checking account.
As soon as I got home from work today, I pottied the dogs, and then settled into the comfort of my 'puter chair to call Watson Animal Hospital to schedule Tigger for surgery. Hurray!!!
On March 6, I will drag my carcass out of bed very early on my day off, and Tigger and I will trek off to see Dr. Zeis; Pooh has to stay home from this trip. Tigger can't have anything to eat or drink after 10pm the night before, which means I don't get anything to eat either.
And as I told you before, I get to watch the surgery! I'm looking forward to seeing just how bad his little leggie really is, and to watching the repair for it. He's also going to get neutered, but that's minor; I've seen many of those surgeries over the years -- nothing to them. There's also a dangly little dewclaw on the bad leg, and that's coming off too; one snip, one stitch, and it's done -- it's just attached by the skin and is very minor compared to everything else. Tomorrow I'm going to run Tigger and Pooh over to my vet, to get the rest of their shots and get them tested for heartworm. HW meds are a must here in Missouri, specially after having had such a mild winter; mosquitoes will be rampant and I'm a strong believer in proactive treatment against those nasty little buggers.
I have no doubt that a cone will be part of Tigger's recovery time, so that he can't reach back and rip out the sutures. That's the LAST thing I need to have happen!
Pain meds will also be the order of the day; I want him kept as comfy as possible, so that the surgery doesn't impact his wonderful temperament. Orthopedic pain is a Class A b*tch, and I can personally attest to that. At this point in my life, I'm up to 27 surgeries now, dating back to 1987 to when I was first severly injured in a freakish horse-related accident. Trust me, strong drugs are where it's at when it comes to bone pain. Once the sutures are out, the serious business of rehab will start; it's probably going to take 6-12 months for Tigger to learn to walk properly again; swimming will be a part of his regimen -- it's a great way to get things moving again without doing any weight-bearing on the affected limb. Hmmm, passing thought.... Weather permitting, I'm going to get a "before" video of him, so that we have a reference point for his recovery.
So, on that happy note, I leave you now, so that I can go get some sleep and start yet another day in "The Life of Jo and Her Critters".
Oh, and check out these ears -- they're for REAL!!!
Tigger
And as I told you before, I get to watch the surgery! I'm looking forward to seeing just how bad his little leggie really is, and to watching the repair for it. He's also going to get neutered, but that's minor; I've seen many of those surgeries over the years -- nothing to them. There's also a dangly little dewclaw on the bad leg, and that's coming off too; one snip, one stitch, and it's done -- it's just attached by the skin and is very minor compared to everything else. Tomorrow I'm going to run Tigger and Pooh over to my vet, to get the rest of their shots and get them tested for heartworm. HW meds are a must here in Missouri, specially after having had such a mild winter; mosquitoes will be rampant and I'm a strong believer in proactive treatment against those nasty little buggers.
Pain meds will also be the order of the day; I want him kept as comfy as possible, so that the surgery doesn't impact his wonderful temperament. Orthopedic pain is a Class A b*tch, and I can personally attest to that. At this point in my life, I'm up to 27 surgeries now, dating back to 1987 to when I was first severly injured in a freakish horse-related accident. Trust me, strong drugs are where it's at when it comes to bone pain. Once the sutures are out, the serious business of rehab will start; it's probably going to take 6-12 months for Tigger to learn to walk properly again; swimming will be a part of his regimen -- it's a great way to get things moving again without doing any weight-bearing on the affected limb. Hmmm, passing thought.... Weather permitting, I'm going to get a "before" video of him, so that we have a reference point for his recovery.
