splint » Dogs Don't Look Both Ways

meet Cheyenne, a little dog hit by a big truck

_Other Dogs Who've Been Injured 6 Responses »

Sep 282009

No, I didn’t suddenly get very small and grow pointy ears. This little dog is Cheyenne.

cheyenne at vet_cr

Unfortunately we dogs sometimes seem to find ourselves in places that are meant for cars and trucks – and definitely not dogs – and when that happens, it’s not too good for us dogs.

My little friend, Cheyenne, is half Miniature Pinscher and half Jack Russell and little Cheyenne was hit by a truck. Her survival was really amazing.

Cheyenne got a splint put on her broken leg, just like I had. Cheyenne also had her jaw wired and her pelvis broken. I’m going to say that Cheyenne doesn’t feel very good right now.

But the good news is that she is alive, and got really good emergency medical care, and that she has momma and a grandma who want her to get better!

Cheyenne is only a puppy. And there are so many things going on around her that she doesn’t understand. I think that in this photo, she is saying “Just love me!”

If I could, and if she were feeling well, I would give Cheyenne a big lick – my way of saying that I want to be her friend!

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this dog’s open-toed splint

4: Going Home, 6: Surgery No Responses »

Aug 302009

If you (if you’re a dog) or your dog you know has his leg in a splint or a cast, this is an important blog post. If you are a veterinarian, this is a blog post that you are going to be proud of!
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open-toed splint

I’d like to write a little about my splint. The splint has been off for a few months, but I’d like to write a little about it, and to show a picture of it up close.

First, this is a soft cast splint. It has a little more flexibility and is more comfortable to wear than a hard cast.

The splint was a very important part of my recovery, and so were the instructions about how to care for my splint.

The doctors left the toe open for several very important reasons. First, it allowed air to circulate. Second, it allowed my parents to look for signs of infection. The doctors tell my parents that if they see my toes are inflamed, they know to get me to the doctor right away.

Another important part of the instructions is to notice if there is a bad odor. That is another sign of infection. If my parents notice a bad odor, they know to get me to the doctor right away.

Finally, my parents are always looking at me to see if my bandages are wet. If they are wet, they have to bring me to the veterinarian right away. Wet bandages is not a good thing. And this is another reason why I must wear the bootie or the plastic bag every time I go out, even if just for a moment.

Doctors are very concerned about my developing an infection. I’ll just be a dog and do what I do, but my parents will be responsible for noticing all the signs of infection.

In the days and weeks immediately following my being hit by the car, my doctor wanted to change my bandages every 2 – 5 days. After that, after the sores were healed, he instructed my parents to bring me in for a bandage change every two weeks.

To find out whether I cooperated with my doctors’ good ideas, please continue reading!

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dog owners comment on my blog: May

_Stuff about dogs in General 2 Responses »

Jul 012009

Hello, friends.

Many readers of my blog do not have the time to go through the comments to each post and page. You are occupied with walking your dogs, purchasing dog food for them, taking them to the veterinarian, feeding them, and, hopefully, taking them to dog parks and off-lead dog areas! At least once a day, you get in your cars and drive away (or walk away) and leave us dogs at home, and go – where? And then you come back home to us in the evening, and spend your evenings at home with us.

So my mom and I have decided to help you by summarizing the comments that the readers of my blog have sent to me.

I started my blog in April, after I was hit by the car. Blogging was good because I could not meet new dog friends due to my injuries (unless I was making friends in the animal hospital). In May, from my blog, I made a lot of new friends.

One of my new friends from the month of May was Rachel. Rachel, in my post “read my ears”, wrote about her beagle Mason and about how good his sense of smell is. She wrote how Mason uses his ears to help him smell! It is important for dog owners to understand just how good our noses are, because, as Rachel noted, dogs will just follow a scent when they are outdoors and not pay any attention to where the scent is leading them. The scent could lead us off of the property, and it could lead us right into the street. And with our noses down, we won’t see anything like cars and other moving things in the roads. This can be bad for dogs if we are off-lead. Read this post and comments for more details.

In May, I also made friends with Ellen. In my post “dogs don’t look both ways”, Ellen wrote about a cockapoo named Julie. She says that Julie, an intelligent dog, knew how to look both ways for traffic, and to stop and wait until the traffic had passed. I am not so sure about this: Even if Julie sits down on the sidewalk and moves her head, I’m not sure if she understands what she is looking for, and understands the danger, and to wait. My mom says that given the number of dogs who are hit by cars each year, it’s safer to assume that the dog does not know and understand. On this point, Rachel said that Mason has to be on the lead at all times when outside, or she will pick up a scent and disappear in an instant.

Other friends who I made in May are Jerry, and Jamie, and Mike. All of these friends wished me well, and liked my blog and the photos, especially the photos of me and my bandages. They asked a lot of questions, such as “How long do you have to keep the cast on?“. That was an interesting question, because she asked it right around the time that I started chewing on my splint and had to start going for bandage changes more often. For more details, read my post, “i’m definitely getting better“.

In one of my posts, “designer bandages“, I wrote about a dog’s perception of colors. Raviva also expressed the idea that “I never knew that people and dogs saw things differently“. She is a good reason why I am writing this blog: Most people, including my mom (at least, before I was hit by the car) do not understand that dogs and humans perceive colors differently, and I am hoping to educate them a little. Actually, I never understood that people don’t see as well at night as we dogs do, and don’t smell as well as we dogs do. What a shame!

So this is a little summary of my new friends who wrote to me back in May, right after I was injured.

Thanks, pals, for writing to me and becoming my friend!

seek professional help

7: Recuperation No Responses »

Jun 072009

It’s important to see the veterinarian regularly for bandages changes. There could be sores, infections, and other conditions that are hidden by the bandages and which you dog will not tell you about.

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. 78 pounds

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!

thank you

the color mango

6: Surgery 1 Response »

May 042009

The next thing that happened was that Jane and the technician had me lay down on the floor and 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.

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. dogs bandages and splint after surgery

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.

“he’s trying to tell us something”

5: Dogs Don't Look Both Ways 2 Responses »

May 032009

Now there’s trouble. Only a few days have passed since my check up and my parents seem concerned that I’m chewing away at my splint. Seeing me chewing off pieces of the bottom of the splint, they right away put a sock on my splint to protect my toes. They’re saying something about my “toenails need to be cut”. Since I’m not running anymore, my toenails are not naturally being kept short and I think they’re saying that my toenails on my injured foot are pressing on the bandages and irritating my foot so perhaps I’m trying to make space for my longer toenails. That makes sense to me.

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.

athletic-sock

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?

still the same great smile

3: Days 1 through 5, My Stay in the Animal Hospital in the Critical Care Unit No Responses »

Apr 192009

In the hospital, I had a splint put on my leg. The splint covered from above my knee down to the bottom of my paws. It was open on the bottom so the pads and nails of a few of my toes were visible.

Since a few of my teeth were broken from the accident, the dentist pulled them. He pulled one upper canine, and two upper incisors.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know the difference. I’m still a happy guy! I also still have the same great smile. And I have many other ways of expressing my abundant happiness, too.

For my first few days back home, I just ate rice because, after my dental work, rice was easier to chew. But then I started to eat my regular dry food and, most important, my dog bones, which is another one of my hobbies. My other doctor also recommended “high fiber” canned dog food for a while, which was a great idea because it tastes so good.

Here is a chart of a dog’s teeth. Actually, I never knew so much about a dog’s mouth before! What I mostly knew is that there are certain foods that I like, and certain foods that I don’t like, and that I like to chew and play with my ball and other toys, that I like to chew on the sticks in our backyard, and that I like to lick people to express to them that I love them.

outfit change

3: Days 1 through 5, My Stay in the Animal Hospital in the Critical Care Unit No Responses »

Apr 182009

The tunnel, my masterpiece of engineering, is still there in the backyard.

my-red-bandages

However, now I have three broken toes and an ankle that is broken in numerous places. I have also lost three teeth. My leg is in a splint and I am not allowed to leave our living room or walk around our home.

In this photo, you can see a few bald spots in my coat, where I was shaved. I’ll tell you more about those later, too.

The purpose of the splint is so that my toes and ankle will heal properly. It keeps them in a proper position and protects them from being touched or knocked. I am not allowed to leave our living room or walk around our home and must keep my movement to a minimum. Everybody wants my toes and ankle to heal properly so that I can run again. I love to run with Phil. Running with Phil is also one of my hobbies and joys in life.

In this picture, you see bright red bandages. But I don’t see bright red bandages. Dogs (and I’m one) can’t see the color red. Red looks kind of greenish brown to us. This is important, and I’ll tell you why later.

Clearly this is a change of outfit from how I looked the morning of my tunneling.

So let’s continue with our story, as this day was a big and long day.

*****