Update on Shaggy – Day 8

Shaggy was back at the vet tonight for his next bandage check, and this time he came home minus a few things. His bandage is gone and so is the drainage tube in his groin.  Losing the tube is a big deal because once that heals a bit, he should be able to put walk normally. Of course, more mobility means we have to watch him more closely to make sure he doesn’t jump up and down on furniture, but that’s a trade-off I’ll take gladly.

He was running a bit of a fever tonight, so the doctors ran some tests and showed a slightly elevated white blood count. They didn’t think it was much to worry about but they gave us a second antibiotic to give him. This new prescription came with serious warnings from the vet to wear gloves when handling the tablets. Apparently there is a rare side effect in some people that causes them to stop producing red blood cells after they come in contact with the compound. Needless to say, I’m now a bit freaked out at the thought of touching these things, so I wish I could couple the latex gloves with a ten foot pole to ensure maximum separation. I like my red blood cells and intend to continue to produce them, thank you very much.

Everyone at the vet kept telling us what a great patient Shaggy has been and how he is a super-sweet dog. I wasn’t sure if we were talking about the same dog, but I guess they haven’t seen the whiney, stubborn side of him. He wouldn’t be a dachshund if he didn’t have those characteristics, so I guess we’ll let it slide.

Here’s a picture of the patient from tonight. I have to say that I was surprised to see what the bandages have been hiding. I was expecting something much more dramatic, but apparently a week of healing makes a big difference. The actual wounds look fairly small. I believe the issue was the dog bit and pulled and it was the void between the skin and underlying tissue that was the more serious problem, not gaping wounds. Not to minimize his injuries, mind you, but this was a relief to see. The vets and nurses all said he was making good progress and healing well.