Bedtime . . . FINALLY!

I left work today at quarter to 2 and except for a half-hour phone call from Mark I have been busy every minute since then!  Spent over an hour getting information and instructions about Joey.  

Here are the instructions they gave me . . . AND the bill (gulp).

Helping him walk into the house, then a few minutes later out to go to the bathroom was pretty stressful for me -- and for him.  Well, having to go into a crate seemed pretty disappointing to him.  

Yukky crate that's been stored out in the garage for the last couple years has begun to rust badly.  New 53" crate coming.

I was so worried about helping him walk - he didn't seem to want to when I helped to go out to the bathroom.  But I finally slipped that plastic collar off and he went right ahead and went to the bathroom as usual, all the time actually USING that leg!  That "Progression" note on the discharge instructions says he should be "toe touching" in a week, but he is actually walking on it already.  I hope that continues once he's off those pain meds.  But this evening I did let him walk slowly back inside without that collar thing on and he walked well!  Then I slipped it back on once he was inside again.  I think that's what I'll be doing each time.  It's hard enough to walk after that surgery without having something on so you can't see your feet!  

Anyway, once we got back inside, I thought I would just feed him and sprinkle those meds on his food and then he would go to sleep.  Right.  I wish.  That little comment under the medication description about how those pain meds are bitter? . . . they are NOT kidding!  Joey has always been really easy to medicate by just grinding up the meds and sprinkling them over his food.  He has always just ignored any meds and scarfed it all down.  This time? . . . well - he tried, bless his heart, he really tried.  But as he chewed, his face looked exactly like a baby who had bitten into a lemon.  It would have been hilarious except it meant he would NOT be taking those pills in the usual way.  So I dug out four MORE pills and this time buried them in hot dog chunks.  THOSE he ate.  And then he ate his regular dog food, drank some water, and went right to sleep as soon as I gave him his nice clean (warm) "blankie." 

Joey always wants his "blankie."  

I was afraid when I got that explanation in that first call after the surgery that the unexpected problems with the ligament and tendons might add a lot to the cost.  But the bones were less of a problem than expected as well so maybe that why it turned out the cost was pretty much what Dr. S. said it would be.  It's a lot, but I've gotten used to that amount so I'm relieved.

Oh, and then there's the simple "exercises" he needs done 3 times a day.  

But those we DIDN'T do tonight because I had forgotten that Zoilo was coming tonight to trim the horses' feet so I had to go out there and deal with that and feeding them and refilling their water containers for an hour and a half.  When I came back in Joey was sound asleep, so that's it for tonight.  

Tomorrow is another day.