[Ag-eq] Dover Update

[nfoster at extremezone.com]

Susan:

I'm glad to hear that poor Dover is getting better.  To bad about all the set
backs.  I'm with you, I don't know how a broken neck can't be to bad!

He is a lucky dog to have survived this and to have you to care for him.

Take care of yourself.

Nella
Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:

> Dover is still hanging in there, but has suffered a slight set back as of
> last Thursday.  At the base area of his staples, he developed a pus pocket
> that openly drained and had a horrible smell.  Matt took him Thursday to the
> vet and they had to do surgery on his neck because the infection was not
> being cleared by his antibiotics.  The infection had gone down through his
> torn and seperated neck muscles all the way down to his neck bone.  If it
> were to penatrate into his spine, then it would turn into miningitus (sorry
> for the spelling) and we would have to put him
> down.  They x-rayed his neck and decided he had actually broken his neck, but
> not bad?  How can braking your neck in a beaver trap not be bad!  It seemed
> that it chipped a piece of bone.  They sewed the muscles back in place as
> best they could, scraped away the infection, sewed him up with stitches not
> staples
> and put in two open drain tubes.  These open drains were no fun with him
> inside and we had to wash his neck with antibacterial soap once a day.  Once
> he's back outside, I'm gonna really have to scrub my floors.
>
> So, with all of his new medications including pain pills that had to be given
> every 8 hours, he had to be brought inside out of the elements and insects.
> Someone was up with him 24/7 because there was no place inside we could close
> off just for him and he was not crate trained even if I had one big enough
> for him.  All of this was done while Matt still had to pull his four 12-hour
> work shift.
>
> Matt took him back to the vet Tuesday morning and they removed the drains and
> were extremely surprised how well he was doing and that he was able to lift
> his head up above his shoulders.  The stitches still stay in one more week.
> I do believe that the novelty of being inside is starting to ware off for
> poor Dover.  LOL  He is not an inside dog and has never delt with a leash
> until he came here.
>
> We have been keeping strange and difficult hours because
> of being up with the dog 24 hours a day/night.  I have been doing Matt's
> hours, going to bed with him at 9:30 a.m., getting up at 4:00 p.m., and
> staying
> up all night in order to wake Pattie up while she dozes downstairs, whenever
> Dover may need to go outside.  He is just way too much for me to handle him
> outside, so I keep watch and nudge the others when I think he needs to go
> out.  Hopefully, this will only be for one more week.
>
> It is not easy getting all of us on a schedule that works for each of us and
> bennifits Dover as well.  He'll take his last pain pill at 2:00 a.m. on
> Thursday.  I have a feeling he's gonna get a bit more wrestless without the
> pills chilling him out.  If he wants my attention, he just basically puts one
> paw on my knee, then my stomach and then proceeds to look at me nose to nose
> as though he's looking into my eyes saying, "Hello in there, can't you see I
> want your attention!"  LOL
>
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
> _______________________________________________
> Ag-eq mailing list
> Ag-eq at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ag-eq_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Ag-eq:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ag-eq_nfbnet.org/nfoster%40extremezone.com
>