[Dailydrool] Opie Update - Wednesday Evening

[Sandi Wittenberg]

We visited Opie this evening and he is much more alert.  He was standing
when we entered and the vet techs were changing his bedding.  Poor boy wakes
up, has to pee, stands up and pees instantly before they even can get across
the room to him.  I helped him get settled back onto his very cushie bed,
got him all covered up and laid down with him for about 30 minutes.  He fell
back to sleep and was very relaxed.  

 He is in "critical care" which means he is in the main treatment area,
where all the vets and techs work, so someone is physically within 2 feet of
him at all times.   This vet's office and his staff (5 other vets, about 40
techs, 6 receptionists, office manager, bookkeeper, daycare staff, groomers,
boarding and who knows who else) is very caring and open.  Clients can visit
their pets 24/7 and someone will always take the time to talk to them,
explain what is going on etc.  Tonight I took them a crock pot of homemade
chicken noodle soup . it was 6:30 PM and NONE of them had taken a break to
eat anything since this morning.  I have been there enough to know this is
how it is there . the animals always come first.  

He is not out of the woods yet . intussusception is very serious and
dangerous.  We (me and the vets) concur that is began with bacterial
gastroenteritis and went sour during the night on Monday night.  He had not
eaten a foreign object and there wasn't a tear in the intestines.  They
removed about 6 inches of his small intestine and 6 inches of his large
intestine (the part that was telescoped) and also removed the ceacum. They
were able to save his lymph nodes in the area.  We have to give the incision
joining the two parts of the intestine together time to begin healing, so it
won't tear when he begins eating and drinking.  They will start him with a
little bit of water tomorrow afternoon and see how he tolerates that.  Then,
they will begin giving him very small amounts of wet food.  The vigil to
watch for infection is constant . checking temperature, gum color, and blood
work to monitor WBC every 8 hours.  He is on antibiotics IV, as well as
morphine . although they plan to have him off the morphine and just on
Tramadol by tomorrow afternoon.  

Thanks so much for the drool and prayers .. He is a very soft dog and sweet
boy.  At this point, I know he is in the best place for him to be, but I
sure do miss him.  

Sandi

 

 

 

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