So last Friday, Eric had his scheduled operation. He has had recurring problems with infected glands, and after about three quite serious infections, and being mostly on antibiotics, we decided with the vet to remove the glands. We scheduled his surgery so that we could all go camping last weekend, and he could finish off the antibiotics and clear up any possible infection.
He went in for surgery on Friday, and by mid-day, he had had the operation — major surgery, in what are normally touchy areas of his body. When we picked him up on Friday evening, he appeared to be ok — groggy but somewhat alert. He had received some meds in with his IV cocktail, so we bundled him into the car and went home. Kimi was very relieved to see him back, although was very confused by his smell and the fact that he was wearing a buster collar.
After about 2 hours at home, it became apparent that poor Eric was experiencing pain. We ended up calling the hospital and getting a scrip for some pain meds for him. We found out after the fact that the dosage on the label was about 1/2 strength that we could have been giving him. We were giving him more frequently than the label recommended, and they were only giving him a bit of relief, so, after a sleepless night (for Eric and me!), we called the hospital again to see about alternatives. He ended up going back in the hospital for the day, for the vet to check out his back end and make sure nothing was getting infected, as well as come up with a better pain management strategy.
Back home again last night with Eric. He now has a patch on his side (one more shaved spot!) that is supposed to provide continuous delivery, and she sent us home with some sedatives. Some of his troubles were definitely pain related, but given that he is a Shiba Inu, some of it is definitely being compounded by anxiety. The sedatives are supposed to help a bit with the anxiety.
Another long night last night, but he appears to be more comfortable, but still experiencing a bit of pain. He is eating and drinking now, so that’s a good sign. Once he is having a bit less pain, we are going to try the homeopathic anti-anxiety drops in place of the sedative. Shibas are stubborn, and even thru the haze of the sedative, Eric is still quite PO’d that he can’t chew on things. He’ll wake up and thrash around a bit trying to reach his nether regions, and then give a big huff before settling down again. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks while the stitches heal!
The moral of the story, is Shibas + Anxiety + Pain = Meds are your friend (for your Shiba, not you!). The vet said she’s now X-referencing in all her Shiba client files!
In between Eric-care, I’m trying to get the rest of the tomato plants in the ground as this is our big garden weekend here in Canada. Stay tuned for another garden walkabout — the beds are getting filled in gradually, and it’s finally starting to feel warmer.