Well, here is what my parents don’t want me to do. Here is what my doctors don’t want me to do. And here is what my doctors say that if they see me doing, and if they notice my bandages getting wet, they have to bring me to the hospital.

Joey licking his bandages and splint

My doctors and my parents don’t want me licking my bandages.

First of all, licking my bandages may indicate that I’m uncomfortable and that I have an infection. Also, wet bandages may tighten up and cause problems for my circulation.

When my parents see me doing this, the collar that I hate so much has to go on. Then, if my parents have to bring me to the hospital, I have to be examined for signs of infection. I also have to have my bandages changed. Once I chewed up my splint so much the doctors had to make me a completely new splint.

This isn’t the first time I was licking my bandages, by the way.  It is, however, one time that I was caught on camera!

*****

Today was another fun trip to the hospital.

Every time I go there, the variety of dogs changes. Today I saw a large Golden Retriever who was a real swimmer.  His owner said that he swims all year around in the ocean of of Cape Cod. That water is cold in the winter but we Labs are born swimmers, so it’s good to see my cousin doing what he loves doing.

Today I met a new surgeon who wanted to change my splint and clean my wounds. The first thing she did was take my weight.  She said, “That’s just where we want him.”  Then she said that I was looking just the way they want me to look, so you could see my ribs but they weren’t sticking out. Does that mean that Jane isn’t going to continue to put chicken in my dinner and breakfast? Together, the doctor and Jane decided that Jane would put a little less food in my bowl for breakfast to keep my weight where it was.

The next thing was the procedure. Dr. CB, a technician and Jane had me lie down on the ground and Dr. CB removed the old splint. She cleaned out my wound and put antiseptic on it. That part kind of hurt but Jane kept petting me and everybody was saying “good boy good boy”. Then the surgeon wrapped new bandages and my old splint and more new bandages and asked Jane what color bandage she wanted on top. Jane said “green”.

The next thing I knew was that I was sitting up again, and I was kissing her for being so nice and caring!

Two days ago, my mom saw me licking my bandages and asked herself, “What’s he trying to tell us?” I didn’t offer any ideas or suggestions. I did, however, look at her with my big wide open brown eyes.

She didn’t quit, there, however. She didn’t take silence for an answer

She telephoned the local animal hospital.  Somebody suggested that my parents put collar back on me, but Jane didn’t like that idea: She said that I could lick my way around the collar anyway. Besides, Jane wanted to know what was causing me to lick the bandages. The veterinarian there said to just put the sock on and that if I continue licking my bandages, to take me to the big 24-hour emergency hospital. She put the sock on and left it on until it was bedtime, when we all went to sleep.

The next evening, dinner was cooked and the table was set for dinner. My dad had just come home from work and was getting ready for a nice restful evening and beginning to the weekend. All was quiet in our home.  I was in my bed in the dining room and my mom was nearby. Suddenly breaking through the silence and distractions of getting ready for the evening and dinner, my mom heard the sound of lick lick lick.  The sound of me licking my bandages was unmistakable. She stopped what she was doing.

I followed her movements with my eyes.  She walked over to me, and noticed my bandages were wet.  She looked into my eyes and saw me looking at her.  Then she looked at my toes, which were visible through the open bottom of the splint and noticed that my toes were very swollen. She touched them a little and felt that they were swollen.  I didn’t say anything then either, but I continued to look at her with my big brown eyes so wide open the white around them were like the crescents of the moon.

Then she called my dad over to also take a look. He said, right away, “The bandage is on too tight.”

It was really exciting for me when my dad put the sock back on my foot and got the plastic bag because I know those as signs that I’m going outside! Then my dad said, “Joey, come” and got my lead. Even better, I’m definitely going outside! Then we went outside and toward his car. Even better! I’m going for a car ride! With a wag of my tail, I forget all about my paw and my bandages and we drove off.

Right away the emergency care doctor came out to see me and right there in the hospital lobby saw that my bandages were too tight and quickly got a pair of scissors and cut my bandages open right there! Wow, relief! Then she took me with her into an examination room, took off the old bandages and re-bandaged my splint.

In a while, my dad and I came back home, and mom gave me dinner and my meds. Today I’m standing with all four paws on the ground and walking with all four legs – most of the time.

I’m definitely getting better. I can feel it. I’m getting better, day by day. Especially on beautiful days like today, I’m certain that I’m getting better!

I’m also gaining back the weight I lost. I weighed 80 pounds before my injury.  Within a few weeks I had lost ten pounds! Now I’m back up to 74 pounds. I have more energy and feel like eating.  That might have something to do with the fact that my parents are sneaking little pieces of chicken into my food and then mixing it all up to make sure that I don’t just pick out the pieces of chicken and to make sure that I eat quickly, because I have to take my medications twice each day, and they don’t feel like standing around waiting for me to eat my meal.

I am not, however, ready to start running or anything like that.

Today my mom notices that I will stand on three legs and paws, and hold my fourth one up in the air. She assumes this is part of the healing process. She is wrong. I’m holding my leg up in the air because it hurts and it hurts because the bandages are too tight.

I still have to go to the veterinarian each week for a bandage change.  My parents are very careful about this.  They are looking at my injured paw to make sure that my toes look healthy and are not swollen, they are looking at my bandages to make sure I’m not chewing at them, and they are looking at my bandages to see that they stay dry.

My parents still keep my walks short, and I still need a lot of rest so everything can heal.

I still have to go to the veterinarian each week for a bandage change.  My parents are very careful about this.  They are looking at my injured paw to make sure that my toes look healthy, they are looking at my bandages to make sure I’m not chewing at them, and they are looking at my bandages to make sure they stay dry.  Yesterday my mom noticed that I had started chewing at my bandage. She put my sock on that foot, and drove me over to the veterinarian’s to have my paw checked out.

My life is very busy.  I’m busy getting better!

This new splint is a little shorter than the old one, giving me more movement in my knee, but still keeping my toes and ankle immobilized so they can continue to heal. And the new color is, according to Jane, “mango”.  Orange is a color that I, a dog, can actually see.

Dr. M seemed pretty happy, Jane seemed pretty happy, and Phil, whom Jane used her cell phone to call, seemed pretty happy. Me, I just wanted to get up and run around again. I wanted to see and play with the other patients.

But here you can see my mango bandages, which, as I’ve said, is a color that I, a dog, can see.

The next thing that happened was that Jane and the technician were holding me steady on the floor, and Dr. M. was taking off my old splint. Then he made me a new one.  It was important that everything be clean and sanitary. This new splint is a little shorter than the old one, giving me more movement in my knee, but still keeping my toes and ankle immobilized so they can continue to heal. And the new color is, according to Jane, “mango”.  Orange is a color that I, a dog, can actually see.

He seemed pretty happy, Jane seemed pretty happy, and Phil, whom Jane used her cell phone to call, seemed pretty happy. Me, I just wanted to get up and run around again. I wanted freedom of movement, that’s all.

But here you can see my mango bandages, which, as I’ve said, is a color that I, a dog, can see.

The next day Jane drives me back to Rotherwood, the local animal hospital.  Along with my usual bandage change and the usual cleaning of my wounds, I get a nice pedicure on all four feet.

This seems to work for a few days and then I start to chew at the splint again, only this time more. Again, Jane puts another clean sock back on and drives me to the animal hospital right away.  Like usual, I like the drive. It’s spring time, and she opens the rear window so I can feel the fresh air and smell the spring smells.

Here I am with my sock on.

At the animal hospital, I’m happy once again.  That doctor is smart!  She says that by chewing at the splint, “He’s trying to tell us something”.  She’s trying to understand my language and to understand exactly what I’m trying to say.   Am I trying to tell her that my foot is itchy? Or that it hurts?  She’s pretty smart and discovers that I have “an infection” in my toes.

Back I go on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Really, I’m not sure what they are:  All I know is that three times a day, Jane makes me eat and then Phil comes to me with something in his hand and says “Open up” and down they go.

The sad part (for me) is that the cone is back on. They call this progress?