[Dailydrool] How to create a monster

[Beverly Szaton]

At Ann Hefner's suggestion, first met on my part by stubborn denial, that
catheterizing Nigel was not good for him, we began trying to learn to
express his bladder manually. This was met with hilarious but pitiful
results. In another moment of typically me denial I called my Vet to
discuss it. Oh No! You should really be expressing him. (See I knew this. I
remember a lovely little Corgi in a wheelchair who had to be put to sleep
because the catheter had so scarred her urethra that she could no longer
urinate or be cathed at all. Too much scar tissue had closed the neck of
the bladder.....) And I thought, what a useless death, and that is what i
am doing to Nigel.
Practiced. Watched tapes on UTube (YES IT HAS EVERYTHING ON IT!!)
Tried different positions. Different types of pressure. We did it outside
and inside on those little wee wee pads and lemme tellya an adult male
Basset can go through one of those wee-wee pads in a heartbeat, leaving you
with a sogged and dripping piece of semi-shredded paper and a wet spot on
the rug.
So we began teaming up and taking him outside, using a towel which could be
hastily tossed aside. I would prop up his back legs to form a semi-balance,
and sqeeze. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't but then we noticed
that we had to let up and he would pee, and that he seemed to have his own
rhythm. More or less.
Tickle his balls, someone said.
OH PULEEZE
One day I took his balls in my hand to move him and he peed. Hmmmm....
And then, suddenly, he began WANTING TO GO OUT TO PEE.
So now he whines pitifully if he is in his pen, or if he is out he drags
himself to the door, giving us THE LOOK. And out we go. Three if it is the
middle of the night because until I install a light in his belly button to
see what is going on beneath him, I cannot see whether he is urinating or
not. And today, he also pooped outside
THESE ARE MILESTONES! And who else in the whole wide world understands this
besides you guys??? (Who else would care?) (Who else would listen, for that
matter, altho some of you may have drifted off to get a little hit of
scotch. Oh this one again!)
Anyway I am sharing whether you like it or not.
Nigel is learning. We are learning. I just wish it were closer by a couple
of months to spring.

MomPerson to Nigel the Miracle Boy, Llewis, his own little miracle, Conley,
struggling to BE a miracle and Cooper, who knows Miracles just Are.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20120101/3e376058/attachment-0001.htm>