Not as smooth as last time

This recovery has been different for Penny (and me). At first, she was more excited and excitable. Dr. Walker, her surgeon, said that that might be because she already has one good leg. But, she's still not weight bearing on her recently operated leg -- again, because her good leg can support her better.

Because she was more excitable, she didn't rest as much. Her leg stayed swollen longer -- and Dr. Walker suggested sedating her. After four days of taking rimadyl (anti-inflamatory for swelling), Tramadol (pain reliever) and acepromazine (sedative), Penny developed ferocious diarrhea.

Now, you might think that the pills were the culprit, but Penny has a sensitive tummy to begin with and had diarrhea before I went to Montana in late August. I had just weaned her from her turkey, rice, and cottage cheese diet and was back to giving her 1/2 can of dog food (I used many different brands and meat sources) and 1/2 cup of Natural Balance allergen formula duck and potato kibble. She might be sensitive to one of the brands of canned food or developed a sensitivity to Natural Balance. Who knows? So, I called ACCES and talked to one of the veterinarians, who said to fast her for her first day, except when it was time to give her meds and then give her a little chicken. In Penny's case, it was turkey, because I know that she's sensitive to chicken. On subsequent days, I could feed her a bland diet.

I fasted her on Sunday. I didn't feel right giving her meds even with the turkey so I called her surgeon on Monday. I also stopped giving her meds on Monday, thinking that because she still had diarrhea, perhaps the pills were the cause. Her energy level was also low and she had eye boogers.

Dr. Walker called me back on Tuesday and told me that it was ok that I stop the medicine. She asked how her leg was. Her leg was less swollen, but there was some leakage and puffiness close to her ankle, I said. She wanted to see her. So, I left my new contract job after a meeting and went to see her. 40 minutes to travel to Rainier Valley to pick up the dog, 10 minutes of getting the dog, letting her pee, and putting her in the car, and 35 minutes to travel to 113th and Lake City.

Dr. Walker said that her leg looked much better and that she wanted to make sure that the leg wasn't infected by giving her the antibiotic TMS. She also suggested something for her diarrhea of unknown origin, the antibiotic Metronidazole.

I mentioned that Penny was licking more, both her leg, her toes, and her bottom. Dr. Walker looked at her bottom, said it was fine, and wondered if she was bored. I agreed. One of the things I gave her last time during her recovery were raw bones. But with her recent bouts with diarrhea, I didn't want to give her that. One of her bouts also had started the day after I gave her a bully stick, so I haven't want to give her that. She agreed. But, another difference is that she's recuperating at my house instead of spending her days at Ideal. This arrangement has some good points: she doesn't have a fracture yet on her leg and I can identify what she's eaten or not. I really like her dog walker, Amber from See Spot Run, who is a compassionate and caring person. But, I think she misses the social interaction, even when she's not feeling good. I digress...

$47 later, Penny and I left. She spent the rest of the afternoon in my car while I worked. I prepared more rice and turkey and gave her dinner, followed by little balls of cream cheese covered pills. The vet tech, Tana, warned me that one antibiotic in particular was particularly foul. I may need to stuff her antibiotics into hot dogs.