So Doug survived the 2 days by himself taking care of Guinness. He gave him all his meds, took him out, and did his cold compress 3 times a day. He did say that Guinness is getting a little more whiny about not being able to run and play, he has cabin fever from being all cooped up. When he is let outside he wants to run and doesn't want to be held back. The vet did say by day 5-7 they generally perk up, think they are healed, and want to run and play like always. So with that said, it's normal for his recovery, but we have to keep him calm and not let him go wild.
I've noticed the change too, so I have been trying to keep him occupied when I'm home. Lay him down and play with his toys, trying to keep him busy. However, his dressing came off and he wants to lick at it now. The incision looks good for now, but his last antibiotic is on Monday, so we have to be diligent about now letting him mess with it. For the most part I have been keeping his collar off when I can directly watch him (before the dressing came off), to give him a break, but now I have to put it back on while I'm watching him because he wants to keep messing with it. Just a few days ago, toys were enough of a distraction but they're only working intermittently now. The vet said not to redress it, but I did put some steri-strips on it. Steri-strips are used on incisions post surgery to help reinforce the incision and help it to stay intact, we use them at work on our c-sections. With the incision being on the knee, it increases the chances of separation due to bending and extending the leg, so it's just in case. :)
On the 4th, I decided to buy him some calming medicine from petsmart. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for him to be cooped up for weeks, not being able to do much and having to wear something so big and acquired around his neck when alone (he cant really play with his toys while wearing it, bumps into things, and prob. isn't too comfortable). He has to wear it for the next 2 weeks (until next Monday), when he has his follow up appointment. At that time if the vet says it's completely healed we don't have to use it anymore. But until then he has has to use it. I don't want to put him on sedatives so the calming medication seemed to be the next best thing. On the bottle it says: to help to ease dogs through stressful events. Other bottles read: helps with anxiety, hyperactivity, travel, boarding, storms, grooming, and sometimes day-to-day living. So we will see...
Happy 4th, enjoy the fireworks!
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