Just think of Expressing That Gland In The Butt. On the left, specifically. If you mention that line to a vet or a vet tech they will tell you exactly which gland.
He went in and the surgeon believes that he got all the cancer out, which is the best you can hope for in a 12 year old McNab SuperDog (TM). That does not give me a prognosis. It only puts Rack on something that I describe as Permanent Hospice Care since he could easily live 16 years or more, or just 16 weeks more.
We.
Just.
Won't.
Know.
(For dramatic emphasis.)
Anyway, what happened is that Rack has always been tough to sedate. As in he's been stitched back together when a pit bull attacked him standing rigid on a table full of meds. Three times the expected rate of sedation for a normal dog of his size. He simply did not go to sleep.
And before you get on me for Breed Specific Behavior - it was a Pit Bull, so save your pontificating. Oh and get off your own platform as you are getting a nose bleed. There are a lot of irresponsible dog owners out there. The owner solved the problem by moving away. Vanishing.
So stuff your attitude.
Fast forward to today. Rack came home from being sedated. My "Very Reputable Veterinary Hospital was amazed at "How Much Sedation We Had To Put Into Him Before He Went Under". Yeah we know, and that was why we warned you.
They brought him out. He looked like a cartoon character. Cone of Healing on, Doggie Depends Diaper on, legs not getting traction so he was galloping down the hall. His pupils were so dilated that they were reflecting light from down the hallway.
Oh he was trippin' balls, as they say!
We got him home. It was as if the episode of the Paul Reiser show "Mad About You" had cast Murray the Collie in my house. You know, where Murray was obsessed with a mouse in the walls of the apartment and was running around the entire episode trying to get the thing. "Run, Run, Run, Thump!" as Murray collided with a wall or a piece of furniture. Strange, annoying, bizarre, whatever you want to call the behavior. Season 2, Episode 2, Mad About You, called "Bing, Bang, Boom" for however long that link lasts. Definitely worth a watch if you like Paul Reiser like I do.
No Dogs were Harmed in filming the episode, he said so at the end of it.
This was what we went through that night.
Youtube links do not last forever, so watch it while you can - Bill, Feb 14, 2024
For about 6 hours until Rack wore himself out and the night medications (Tramadol plus Gabapentin) kicked in, he was going around the house, cone and diaper on, and banging into things. Then he'd back up, turn around, and return repeating the path.
The only other time I saw something like this was on an "Animal Documentary" where an Antelope was walking around in circles, compulsively, due to a parasite. The predators of the area stopped that behavior, eventually.
Rack's imitation of Murray stopped around 10 PM and we were able to get a few hours of sleep.
So if you are back from your Vet Visit, and your dog is compulsively and excessively pacing your house, what we did was to give him more. Literally another Tramadol tablet brought him down to the point where he could sleep. Turning off the lights kept him asleep. The next day he did not need any more sedation for a while, until the second meal and the broken stitches meant we had to go back to the vet for a "repair".
It has been a rough road. Rack is healing. He has been under medication and some of those are sedating, for a week and a half now. The first few days were frankly quite dirty. Blood and gore flying when he would shake. Any time you operate that far down the intestines, you will get all sorts of infections, and he is on some pretty strong antibiotics right now.
But we're hopeful, and we're watching, and that is about all we can do for now.
Wish us luck.
Yes definitely wishing you Luck. All the best to Rack, and you.
ReplyDeleteEm.