AEB

Well, we canceled the appointment we had for a bandage change with the ortho as it was about 5 days after they found the huge sore. I brought him to our vet 3 days after we found the sore just to make sure it looked ok (even though it was horrible to see the tendon). She said it was ok and I figured we'd continue with his daily changes until that sore healed. There seemed not much the vet could do until the sore healed. He was supposed to be in the bandage 8 weeks. The sore happened at 4. Now we are approaching 7 (wed will be 7). I thought that when we went again there would be more to gain from the visit (i.e., take an x-ray and make the decision about how to treat the toe). I thought with the sore he wasn't getting the bandage off anyway. And it's around the sore that looks red, not the toe. Anyway, yeah the whole situation has been stressful for us. I hope Monday the vet says the bone looks good and we can leave the bandage off and just use something to cover his sore if he licks it. But tonight i might cut back on the bandaging and just address the two trouble areas. I'm sure this will happen again when the vet says kev has to have his activity restricted for x-weeks. DH is getting sick of all the ways this is impacting daily life. Argh.

WHew indeed. Glad you got good news! Hope she continues to feel better.

Just had a big fight with DH about the leg. Kev stuck his foot in a water bowl and over turned it. so i dabbed the foot and we started mopping up water and he just went off about how the leg looks bad and how he's suffering. And we were taking him to the vet every few days at first and now it's been a couple weeks. I said we have an appointment on Monday and that he could have made an appointment. Then in response He complained I don't let him bandage and told me he wants nothing to do with it, it's all up to me. Nice.

Keep a close eye on her. If she does anything strange like that again go immediately to the vet. Also, make sure you watch her pee and poop tonight walk her around so you can see and shine the flashlight on her to make sure things are coming out. Do it again in the morning. If she's eating/drinking/pooping/peeing normally and is relaxed you can probably relax.

Holy cow she doesn't learn! (Actually she's innocent of the marker crime until proven guilty.) If she is still eating, drinking, pooping, peeing in whatever way is normal for her, then just watch her poops (be with her to be sure she's going) and inspect them. (FUn!). Then also launc a search for that marker. If you find it you can relax!

Do you hear any intestinal gurgling? Put your head near her tummy and listen. If not, I would highly suspect bloat. Is she relaxed and able to be comfortable or is she still stretching or pacing or retching or arching her back? then again, I would highly suspect bloat.

Thanks Batmom! I was hoping you'd post! I think if there is any swelling it's minimal. I don't see any but i haven't run my hands down both at the same time (unwrapped). I have gently squeezed it to see if he cried. Nope. I think he'll be ok til Monday. He is licking at the top of the bandage when I wrap it lower. And he's not walking on it as much this wek. SO I think he might have over done it greeting friends that visited Saturday. Or, it is raw and that bandage on it hurts so he's not using it as much. I also trimmed the toenail on the broken toe for the first time. I didn't take much, just nipped it because it does twist the toe to trim it. But maybe the nail is bothering him. He seemed a little better after I trimmed it.

I would give two tabs. Maybe others know more about how much in an emergency. It's pretty benign stuff- lets the gas come out and knocks it back. But if it's bloat her intestines are twisted and she doesn't have much time to remedy it. Just get some in her and head to the vet. Good luck!

I would just watch him and his poops at this point. Go with him to make sure he is peeing and pooping. If things are going in and coming out normally just watch him unless he starts up again. Be ready to run him into the vet. Good luck. Gary

It is amazing what will pass through these guys. But remember it's possible she did not eat the marker. I would think if she did there would be ink or plastic somewhere. It may have rolled under something. I had that same panic once thinking kevin ate a piece of metal, but he didn't. I hope she's ok!

It sounds like an obstruction (which I think they would have caught). Or an aggressive form of cancer. You can syringe feed her until you learn more and decide what to do. Hugs to all of you.

Yes, I forgot to tell you to give her gas-x just in case it is bloat. Definitely go to the e-vet ASAP.

Agreed. Maybe even bloat. Or perhaps she ate an object that is obstructing things. Good Luck and let us know what happens. Hope she feels better soon.

Ok, another update. The wound is closed! It has a small scab in it. It almost seems to have happened overnight. But it is still raw. The skin near the wound, however, is red/dark pink. I think it's getting rubbed raw from the movement of the bandage around the joint. Maybe it's an infection though. How can I tell? It's been like that for maybe a week or so. It started on his tendon and that's why I wonder if it's rubbing. It's been 6.5weeks- my skin would get raw too. There is also a spot of the edge of his pad on his broken toe that is pink (wore/ripped off). When I change the bandage tomorrow I plan to just put a small pad over the wound and then wrap with cling and a wrap of vet wrap and do a separate wrap around the foot to splint the toes. I am thinking that from then on i will take the upper bandage off during the day when we are around the wound and pull a sock over it with some ointment over the wound. I am just worried about the redness. He has an appointment on Monday to decide where to go from here.

I am so sorry I missed this thread! Poor Bumper. How's he doing? You know that I understand. Based on my experiences I will make a suggestion. Get the splint change at 3 or 4 days instead. Call your vet and ask if they can make a custom fiberglass one. Kevin had a splint just like that for 5 days. It was changed to the custom fiberglass splint. It was supposed to be changed but when we went back, he had a sore between his toes. That was a Monday. And then of Friday he had developed that horrible sore. If you get him a custom fiberglass one you can ask that they put a couple layers of tough med tape on all edges. and then pad everything really well. Have them show you how to change it. Buy a ton of supplies from them and change it every couple days. Those sores can develop so fast. He might be fine with a splint (a custom one). Kevin had a rub spot. That's what caused it. I assume something wasn't properly padded. I think it's great they started him on anti-biotics already. If he does get a sore it should not get as bad as Kevin's. But you really need to be looking at that leg every couple days. If you get the answer that your vet can't do a custom splint you can then find an ortho. You don't want to let a week go by. Good luck to you and Bumper!

I am so very sorry. She was beautiful as is your love for her.

So glad to hear all the good news! Kev is still working on his break. Argh! Kisses to Ave.

Also, try acid reducer pills. Pepcid. And do a search here for "satin balls" or "fat balls". That recipe might help. Anything stinky. And maybe scrambled eggs. I feel for you- we went through this with Sadie. Good luck to you and Luna.

Thank you! I can still see a hole the size of a maybe a small lentil. Still a dime sized spot of blood. The skin on his tendon is looking red/raw. So I put some silvedine on it. But we're heading in the right direction. An aside, on youtube I recently saw a video of a grey named Twiggy playing with a ferret!

Except for the fact that I haven't slept past 6 in a year!

Oh, we can't wait to give him a bath when he's all healed. He hasn't had one in a year. It will be nice to get that leg all clean. I didn't get a great look at the wound tonight, but the blood was minimal again. And he walked on it a lot this afternoon. The splint came. It was in the mailbox- I haven't opened it yet. Also, I forgot to mention that I have been putting a towel down to keep things clean when changing the bandage and putting his bandage supplies on one side. The other night i was by myself and I called him over to me and he saw the towel and laid right down where I needed him. Then he rolled on his side to make it easier for me. He's such an excellent boy.

Not to hijack this thread, but I have a few questions re: littermates. please tell me to move it to another thread if that is appropriate. Kevin has one littermate, his sister, that is still racing and I imagine she'll retire in less than a year. Her owner said he will tell me when she retires. I am not sure we definitely want her. We, too, have always been a one dog house. Sadie preferred it that way. But Kevin is SO social. We sometimes think he's pesty because he's bored and wants a friend. He will cry when he hears a dog on TV. So, we are certainly considering adopting his sister. What concerns me about two dogs is what seems like additional complication. I worry they won't keep each other occupied and then I will have two megapests on my hands. That there will be battles over morning snuggling in my bed (we can barely fit Kev on the bed). I also worry about muzzling, marking, and other transition issues. How has the transition period gone in these situations?

Thanks Madredhare for checking in! Kevin is ok. He is healing. The hole is closing. Last night the blood on the bandage was about dime-sized. Very little green/yellow. It's raw but he seems so much happier in the soft bandage. His foot still looks amess because he has lost fur and the silvedine has created a weird grey sludge on his skin. There's a new small sore where his toe nail of his bad toe is rubbing on the adjacent toe. I made sure to slip a longer piece of gauze in there. But, I'm hoping that by the end of the week the hole will be closed and we can go to every other day changes so he can heal more between changes. He is also putting more weight on it. He is using it when he walks slowly. Still running on three legs. The Nor'easter delayed the delivery of his new splint as NH got nailed. But, I hope it will be here maybe Monday and we can use it to restrict his movement when he gets frisky as he heals. When the sores are gone and we're easing him back into use of the foot I'll just put a sock on his foot and the splint over it for walks.

I hope it comes back negative. And I hope all goes well with removal. That's great they have an anesthesia specialist. And of course I hope they don't have to amputate. The bandaging- I think he'll be in a soft bandage and so it just depends on him and how uncomfortable he is whether you will need a cone of shame. Kevin doesn't need one. He chewed at it a bit the first few days, but not aggressively. Then he gave up. Maybe Ave doesn't need one either. Keep him drugged so he's comfortable. Do frequent bandage changes. And if he's fussing with it, maybe use a muzzle with a stool guard to stop chewing and licking. Good luck!

Thanks Batmom! I'll post after today's bandage change if there is significant improvement or something seems amiss. He's using the foot even more now and I am taking this as a good sign re: both the infection and the toe. I will soon have the option of putting a plastic splint of with velcro for walks once that arrives. And that may be a good idea because he is actually walking on the foot now when he walks slowly.