ZoomDoggy

Yup, what she said. It's a thick gel, so you're unlikely to have it drip into the incision area. Just gently apply a bit of it on the bruised areas, avoiding the incision. Glad to hear she's doing so well so soon!

My regular vet (at the time) misdiagnosed the tissue in Tipper's eye as old scar tissue. I knew that was wrong because I could see it changing, getting worse over time. So I researched a lot and learned about pannus. I was pretty sure that what it was, so I made an ophthalmologist appointment on my own. The instant the eye-doc looked at Tipper, she said "Yep, that's pannus! Good eye, you caught it early." No cell-scraping or anything. I think (it was five years ago) she did a tear-test and maybe a staining just to rule out any other injury, then sent us home with NeoPolyDex ointment. He's been on that ever since (decreasing frequency over time as his eyes recovered), and now you can't see the pannus at all.

Heal fast, babygirl. Glad she's home and the surgery phase is over.

Thinking of you and Ember today. Positive thoughts for a quick and flawless surgery...

Oh poor sweetheart. Here's hoping the surgery goes quickly and flawlessly, and she heals fast.

Sounds like she is turning a corner.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I usually try not to indulge myself in this kind of wallowing, as it has a way of spiraling me into a major funk. And true to form, it did. I really appreciate everyone's kindness and reassurances.

Did they send you home with sodium chloride eye ointment?

Open grid keratotomy, is likely the "needle procedure" he had. Sounds like he had an ulcerated cornea, not just a scratch. That's what happened with Sissy. Turns out she had epithelial basement membrane disease. It was successfully managed for the rest of her life with medicated eyedrops. Hope Buddy's on the path to healing now!

Glad to hear he'll be seen by a specialist today. My Sissy had what we initially thought was a corneal scratch, turned out to be a much more serious condition. If I'd not gone to the specialist (on my own, cuz I didn't trust my vet at the time), she could have lost her vision. Good luck at the appt today.

Her fur was velvet. The softest of any dog I've ever owned. She was sweet and quiet. I do love her, and always will. She didn't deserve what she got.

I will never feel right about losing Marla the way we did. I will never be free of the feeling of failure, that I wasn't able to help her more. In the ten months we had her, she often seemed like a sad dog. Missing her previous owners who passed away. I will forever feel an intense stab of guilt for saying something out loud one night in frustration and exhaustion and grief, when Chancy was dying: "why couldn't it be Marla instead? ..." Six weeks later, it was Marla. I am a bad person. I wish I could make it right. I wish I could take that back. I wish I could have made her a happier girl. I wish...

I am very very sorry for your loss. What a beautiful boy.

I am so so sorry. I hope you have some good quality time left together.

Oh no!

Hang in there, all of you.

Don't be afraid to fast him for one day before starting the bland diet. Give his guts a little time to settle.

Please consider getting a second opinion. Not to rule out the diagnosis so much as to get different advice on treatment. The pred and no-exercise seems wrong to me. My Chancy had LS, and I was advised by multiple vets (regular vet, chiropractic vet, and acupuncture vet all agreed) that regular exercise was very important. Not all-out running, but daily walks. If walking longer distances becomes problematic, then just walk around the block a few times, as many as she can comfortably take. I was also advised to walk her on slightly uneven ground (grass, snow, etc) to help her focus on her footing. The key is to keep the muscle tone up and keep those nerves firing. Chiropractic didn't do much for Chancy, but acupuncture definitely helped with flare-ups of pain. We only used pain meds during these flare-ups. I also supplemented her food with glucosamine, MSM, and fish oil. This actually helped more than I'd thought it would. Prednisone seems like an odd choice of prescription for LS. The side effects of pred would definitely make me think twice before administering. The side effect of loss of muscle tone alone would make me say no to that one...

Chancy had LS. I can't say how early it started being apparent, because I adopted her as a bounce at 10 years old, and she already had clear symptoms: scuffing of back feet when she walked, rear leg weakness, inability to support weight if one back leg is lifted, sinking of rear end when hands were run even gently along her lower spine, slightly awkward stance as if she was not quite aware of where her back feet were... I started her right away on Glucosamine and fish oil, and it helped quite a bit. Later I added MSM. Can't say if that helped much as that was near the end. As a standard practice I give all my pups fish oil and glucosamine. I think Tipper is just starting to show very slight signs of LS. For Chancy, my vet suggested regular light exercise. Brisk daily walks are perfect. Especially on slightly uneven ground (grass/snow instead of pavement) as it helped focus her on where she was putting her feet. All-out running was not recommended, as a spinal injury could be more likely, since the nerves weren't firing quite correctly. Also, when Chancy had flare-ups of back pain (as evidenced by yelping when she'd try to lay down or stand up, restlessness and inability to get comfortable) she received acupuncture treatments and pain meds. Usually the flare-ups receded within a couple of days. I tried six months of chiropractic treatments for her, but I felt that didn't help her at all. Interestingly, I've read that Laryngeal Paralysis is not an uncommon "companion ailment" to Lumbosacral Stenosis. Chancy had both, which supports that theory.

She'll calm down in time. That's quite an impressive "recovery room" you have set up. I wish my bedroom looked so lovely! Feel better soon, pretty Polli.

Hang in there pretty Polli girlie, you'll be home in no time.

That's tough, poor ol' girlie.

She is gorgeous! I think Shiner is a cute name.

I am so very very sorry for your loss.

Would sucralfate be in order, to help protect his stomach? I'm sorry he's having such a tough time, and I'm sorry you're not getting rest too.