Warning: graphic photo below. If you've got a weak stomach, you might not want to look.
As was detailed in my last post, January was not our best month. Lots of trips to the vet, loads of medication, and many long nights. That was probably the worst part -- the sleepless nights sitting up with sick dogs who were too uncomfortable or in too much pain to settle down. It is an absolutely terrible feeling to have a little creature crying and looking to you to make them feel better and not be able to take away their pain. The sense of helplessness is heartbreaking. I shed many tears myself because I did not know what to do other than wrap them in blankets and rock them in my arms.
As we approached the end of the month, things seems to be returning to normal. Classes began for both of us and the girls were doing well. This bliss was short-lived. Last Friday, we noticed a suspicious wound on Duchess's left hip. It was small -- less than the size of a dime -- but it caused us enough concern that we called my mom, who is a nurse and dog-grandmother extraordinaire to ask if she thought we should take Duchess to the vet. She told us to clean it and keep an eye on it, which we did that night and throughout the day on Saturday. By Sunday morning, it really looked like it was getting worse; the size of the wound had increased and skin in the area looked raw. We put the Cone of Shame of her to prevent her from licking it and made a vet appointment for Monday morning with our beloved Dr. T.
As soon as she walked into the exam room, the look upon her face told us we were dealing with something serious. Dr. T. kept Duchess for the day to run some tests and try to clean up the area, which by this point, covered an area about the size of an iPod Shuffle. Keep in mind that Duchess is a tiny 11-pound, almost-17-year-old dog. This was a very substantial wound -- the result of a spider bite. She came home that night with three medications and instructions to bring her back for a follow-up on Thursday.
Monday night was rough because she been poked and prodded and there was more much exposed skin, which must have been excruciatingly painful. I stayed up with her all night, dozing on the couch during the brief respites when she succumbed to her exhaustion. The next few days were difficult. I had to work on Wednesday and Thursday, so my mom came and spent all day at our house to watch over her. What we would do without my mom...we are so fortunate to have her.
Despite the medication, the wound was getting worse. On Thursday, my mom took Duchess back to vet and Dr. T. again kept her for the day to see what she could do to improve the infected area. When C picked her up after work, surgery was scheduled for yesterday because the infection was spreading -- now the size of a credit card -- and drastic measures were necessary.
So yesterday morning, we took our little old gal to the vet and hoped that Dr. T. could work her magic. We picked her up at 7 pm and the result is pictured below.
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| The incision and drain...poor little old dog. :-( |
Believe it or not, we are thrilled with the results. The incision is huge...about seven inches in length. On Duchess's small body, it goes from her spine right around to her belly, but Dr. T. is a phenomenal surgeon. Last night was not easy -- C was up with her until 4:00 while I slept, and then I was up with her until she finally fell asleep around 8:00 this morning so C could sleep -- but things are definitely looking up! Today she is eating normally and seems to be in much less pain and discomfort than she's suffered through over the past week. Hopefully the healing will continue to progress nicely; the drain comes out on Tuesday and we should have a good sense of where we stand then.
Can you believe this was all from a spider bite?
Moral of the story:
A spider bite may have given Peter Parker his powers, but remember, that particular spider was radioactive. Bites from regular spiders will not produce the same results.
Happy Tails to you...
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