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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>Sandi<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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