Too tired to take off your camo Cappy ?
Actually, that T-shirt is split right up the back and is used as a outer wrap to hold the diaper in place that protects the two drain tubes. I clean it with hydrogen peroxide and apply Neosporin before putting on a fresh dressing. It's then safety pinned in place to fit Cappy snugly but not too tight. I changed the dressing 3X/day and did it again a few minutes ago. The drainage is now 99.5% stopped and I HOPE it's enough for the vet to remove the drains when Cap gets his stitches out today at 11:00 am.
He'll undoubtedly get a stitch or two in the drain openings when they're removed so that means another trip back to the vet in 2 weeks. This ordeal is up to $2,400.00 so far, not including today's charges, with more to go. However, as long as it helps him, there's no amount that would be too much. I know that you guys can relate to that. Speaking of which ...
That reminds me and I must share a very sad story. The day that Cappy had his biopsies done on February 8th, a lady and her husband (I assumed) carried a mid sized dog into the vet wrapped in a blanket. I could only see the shoulders and head area and it appeared to be a Border Collie type that looked less than fully alert. They went into a exam room with the dog and a moment later the husband went back to the car and then returned with a large bag of dog food. You know how your mind tries to sort out scenes unfolding in front of you? I concluded that maybe they were going to board the dog for awhile and wanted it to have its own food.
Later, the couple reappeared in the waiting room and subsequently went to their car. She wasn't carrying the blanket and again I concluded it was the dog's favorite and she left it with him. As we were leaving after checking Cappy in for his procedure, the couple came back out of an exam room (I hadn't seen them going back in) carrying the lifeless body of their dog, covered by the blanket. They were both crying. One of the gals at the reception desk offered them her condolences. My mind erased its previous conclusions and the realization that the dog had just been euthanized sank in. The gal at the counter looked at me and explained that the couple had both lost their jobs last spring, their unemployment was running out and could no longer afford the somewhat expensive treatments needed to treat the dog for a serious illness. It was only five, and with treatment it could have survived. Despite the fact that the vet had offered a no-interest payment arrangement for up to a year, they opted to spend the money to euthanize it instead. I wasn't sure if the emotion welling up inside me was sadness, sympathy or rage. Probably a little of each.
On an ensuing visit, I learned that although the dog had a moderately bad case of heart worms, it's survival prognosis was reasonably good with treatment. The dog had never been given Interceptor or any form of heart worm preventative ... "too expensive". Same with any form of subsequent treatment once they were diagnosed. They did find the money to pay for the euthanasia but not cremation. They opted to bury the dog somewhere instead (I hope).
Looks so comfy!
