Elizabethan collar » Dogs Don't Look Both Ways

Meet Bruno, a dog who won’t tell anyone how he broke his leg

_Other Dogs Who've Been Injured 5 Responses »

Oct 082009

Bruno is another new friend of mine, Bruno. I know how miserable Bruno is feeling now. Here he is, with his leg in an open-toed splint and his head in the dreaded Elizabethan collar, saying “Get me out of here!”

Bruno and Elizabethan collar

Bruno was injured – well, he’s not telling anybody how he was injured. He’s not even telling me how he was injured! Just like I didn’t tell anybody how I escaped from our back yard. (Still to this day my parents think they know, but they aren’t completely sure.)

So getting back to Bruno, his mom came home one day and found him limping. She did the right thing and took him to the doctor. He’d somehow broken his own leg! Jumping off something, one would think.

Here is Bruno, sleeping! He’s in his sanctuary, here where he will heal…and not be jumping off of anything…Maybe! It looks like Bruno has his sister there to keep him company, a friend and sister who has her own sanctuary too! Bruno also has a nice soft comfy bed…in his cage. Perfect! And also great to rest his injured arm on.

Bruno sleeping in his crate

It’s hard to know what Bruno is dreaming about. Probably something that he loves very much, something that he wants to do again, and soon, as soon as he gets better.

Bruno was supposed to have his splint on for five weeks. But three weeks after the splint was put on, his mom noticed that something was bothering him and she did the right thing again and took him back to the veterinarian. The vet discovered that the splint was hurting Bruno and that Bruno had some sores on his skin. And then the vet took off the splint. The air will help to heal Bruno’s sores.

I hope you get better soon, Bruno! I hope you like your doctor, and I hope that you get better.

*****************

Luca and the dreaded elizabethan collar

_Other Dogs Who've Been Injured 13 Responses »

Sep 062009

There are many times when we dogs want our parents and owners to take this dreaded collar off of us. It’s hard for us to understand that our parents are keeping this thing on us out of love. Luca will agree that it’s difficult to understand when we’re hot and panting to stay cool, and we’re on a lead, even in our own home.

Luca_collar

But even though we don’t understand why you make us wear this collar, we are going to stay right by you.

(Especially if you have us on a lead all the time so we can’t roam free.)

We’ll even sleep in your bed…if you let us. If you were to let us. As you can tell, I’m not allowed on my parents’ bed. Not even before I was injured did they let me up. Not that I’m upset about this. Not at all. I’m not at all upset about the fact that just because I am a large dog my parents won’t let me up onto their bed. Or even onto any of the sofas. But last week, when my dad was away, somewhere called “out of town”, and my mom was on the sofa watching TV, I slowly and quietly got my front legs onto the sofa, then my rear legs onto the sofa, and lay down on a blanket right next to her. Her eyes met mine and I could hear her starting to form those words, “Joey, you’re not allowed on the sofa” but no words came out.

I pretended not to hear the words she didn’t say. I pretended not to see the eyes that looked at mine.

Then she just let me stay right there. Exhale. Timing is everything.

Now let’s get back to Luca and his health and happiness. Luca wasn’t very happy going to the animal hospital on this day last week. But he was very happy when his doctor took off the cast that covered his forearm, ankle and paw.

He wasn’t happy when he had to wear the cone. But he was very happy when he went back home. And he was very very happy when his mom made him a special meal of his favorite food.

So it’s just like that, when you’re a dog and you are injured and you are confused and your parents love you so much and want you to recover from your injury more than anything and they do a lot of things to rearrange their lives and home just for you.

With the cast now off, Luca’s parents have to apply antibiotic cream to Luca’s injured arm so it will continue to heal. The dreaded cone is supposed to prevent Luca from licking the cream off, and also from licking his paw, so his paw can heal too. When I had cream applied to my belly, I tried to lick it off. And I often was successful! I think that Luca is going to try to be successful at it, too. So Luca’s parents are going to be looking at Luca a lot, watching him. Watching and listening for that sound, the sound of licklicklick.

Luca_shaved

The air will help Luca’s skin to heal quickly. And the air will help his paw pads to regenerate from the infection he developed. The air and the cream. And the collar.

Luca, I know that just as I don’t remember getting hit by the car, one day, when you’re swimming in your pool or running in the park, or joyfully kissing your mom’s face, you’ll forget that you ever had to wear that thing.

*******

dogs who try to lick their splints and bandages

4: Going Home, 7: Recuperation 4 Responses »

Sep 012009

If you’re a dog or you know somebody who has a dog, and if you (if you’re a dog) or the dog you know has his leg in a splint or a cast, this blog post is for you!

***

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!

*****

maybe i’ll dream about chasing a squirrel

_Stuff about dogs in General No Responses »

May 272009

Why does a dog chew on his splint? How can you stop your dog from chewing on his splint? Do dogs dream?

why's his tail doing that Soon it was time for me and my mom to leave and go back home.

This time, I had a new collar, an even larger collar, to make sure that I didn’t continue to chew at my bandages and splint.

I also was given a new little bag to slip my leg into when we went outside, instead of the plastic trash bag. This new bag, a “protective boot”, slips on over my sock and closes easily. That’s good because it will make it easier for me to go outside!

To show my parents how much I appreciated my trip to the animal hospital, I started chewing on my bandage right away when we at home and I was before my mom could put the new collar on me. She was not very happy about that.

Here is a picture of me in my new and larger collar, with the bandages slightly chewed at. I’m not wagging my tail in this picture. I am not very happy about this. I’ve been much more comfortable.

Life is going to pass very slowly for a while. I’ll just lie in my bed and sigh. Maybe I’ll sleep and dream of running with my dad, or trying to play with a bunny rabbit, or running after squirrel. Or maybe I’ll just dream about life without this collar!

conehead

4: Going Home No Responses »

Apr 212009

conehead

What bothers me the most about being wounded is having this cone around my head. Dr. B calls it a collar but I think he’s just being kind. The “instructions” call it an “Elizabethan collar”. Do I look like my name is Elizabeth?

I don’t understand why I have to have this cone, or collar, around my neck and head. When I walk, it bumps into things. When I eat, it bumps into my food bowl. When I drink, it bumps into my water bowl. I even have to wear it when I sleep. So why am I wearing it?

I hear my mom and dad are doing it to protect me because I have stitches on my stomach and some medicinal cream on my belly from where my belly scraped along the ground. The idea is that this cone is supposed to prevent me from licking my wounds, and licking off the medicinal cream, or possibly even to prevent me from biting at the stitches. My doctors want the stitches and my belly to heal properly.

********