Harry and his lampshade

FAJ · Enlightened One

Harry and his lampshade

FAJ · Enlightened One

HAY-ULP!!!!! What say you......?

Lesley · Guru

Hi Fiona - I'm not an expert on lampshades I'm afraid. However (unfortunately) I am a moderate expert on critter nursing, and my advice would be to keep the lampshade on for as long as possible. Annoying as it must be for Harry it would be worse if he opened up the wound on his jaw again.

Perhaps you could take it off when you are there keeping an eye on him, but if his immediate reaction is toes-to-jaw then you will have to keep it on even then.

Short term frustration for Harry means long term benefit for his wound. If you take it off and he opens it up again - then the whole thing will just take longer.

Hold your nerve!

(And think of me - my Suzie has had a screw through her leg for SIX WEEKS! But hopefully it is coming out this week).

Good luck to you both!

Suzanne · Guru

I totally agree with Lesley here Fiona!

Even if you think its almost clear he could do some serious damage again given half the chance.

To be gross - its like the scab that you think is ready to be picked - you pick it & it bleeds profusely & youre angry with yourself that you didnt leave it a few more days as now you are back at square one again....

so dont pick the scab !!

FAJ · Enlightened One

Thanks, folks - I suspected that I'd need to leave it on past the point at which it looks healed. But I'm still a bit confused as to how long, eg, one week extra, two weeks. Me confuddled.....

The good news is that he's such a stoic wee angel and he stands like a lamb to have his face washed with the special antibac solution, and he doesn't complain about the collar. Pearly had to wear one once and she just stood stock-still with her head hanging down and was too scared to move. She stood for half an hour then we thought we'd best take it off before she took root!

Suzanne · Guru

id suggest that a week extra after the hole has healed should be more than enough Fiona

otherwise the poor wee scone may start to think her has tunnel vision!! LOL

Lesley · Guru

Fiona - is he finished at the vet? If you are due to go back then I guess the vet will advise when it is healed. If you are in doubt I would pop back to the vet anyway - he shouldn't charge you if there is no treatment.

If it's not convenient to go back to the vet, then you will have to monitor Harry carefully. When you think his face is healed - try him without the collar. If he leaves it alone - great! Perhaps best to put the collar back at night until you are absolutely certain it is healed. While you are there watching him you could try diversion to take his mind off it - some delicious chew which he will have to devote himself to for a while.

Good luck, and big hugs to Harry!

Teresa · Enlightened One

what?? a vet not charging for no treatment?? i took daisy to the vet for him to look at her toe - he didn't do anything except poke around so off i went home with her. next time i visited to pick up some worming tablets i noticed that the receipt included £14.55 "consultation" for my previous visit - they never used to do that and i was surprised.

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

Tell me about it Teresa, I have been with the same vet for 20 years and they use to be kinder in the sense of not charging just to put my mind at rest over minor things (which didnt happen that often), but I have noticed in the last 5 years they have become ridiculous for charging for every single bit of time. I feel I have been such a loyal client of theirs and a bit of give and take wouldn't harm them, but again I suppose I could move to a different vets - STOP - sorry thats me going off on one again

Anyway, Fiona & Steve how is Harry doing today? Hope it is getting closer to the time he can get his lampshade off. Keeping our fingers crossed its soon.

Siouxsie

FAJ · Enlightened One

Harry's face is getting better, thanks. The wound where he scratched is nice and clean and there's no swelling. He's finished his 5-day course of antibiotics and we're still shoving arnica down him three times a day - much to his delight, cos he gets a wee teaspoon of peanut butter every time.

The vet said to come back if the swelling got worse or if it didn't go down. On that criteria, we don't need to take him back. But I think I'd prefer to, just to be sure that it's all okay. Call me overanxious, but I like to play safe with my bubbas.

At the moment, he's looking like having the lampshade on for another week or so. I still can't get over how blummen good he's being about it. He's such an accepting lad, it brings sheer tears of love to my eyes.

Christine Young · GAL Newsletter Editor

Hi Fiona

I'm delighted Harry's jaw is getting better and the swelling has gone down. It's best to get the vet to check that everything is as it should be to set your mind at rest. It'll be strange for him to get his lampshade off too - a bit like being let off the lead after being cooped up for two or three weeks, I'd imagine. Hope everything goes OK for him from now on. Big hugs to both Harry and Pearly from me!

Christine

takecon · Master

Hi

Hope harry is much better now!

Snap is getting used to her lampshade - she has been using it most of the time since Monday. They do look funny in them. One almost has to laugh when they bump into everything! Very bad of me.

She is a very good girl as she does not mind it too much. I take it off when we go out so I can get a muzzle on.

She does try to scratch her stiched wound its about 3 inches long with four enormous stiches and no doubt lots of super glue

Hope Harry's jaw is back to normal now - all of hese things take time - it's amazing how things heal with time.

It seems that Suzie's tendon problem is one of the injuries that takes longest - hard as well as it restricts her ability to get around.

At least with swellings, cuts and bite tears the dogs can get about easily once the painkillers have worn off and the drunken stagger stops.

Charles

FAJ · Enlightened One

Hi, Charles - nice to hear from you.

Harry's face is pretty much healed now, thanks for asking. There's just a weeny bit of scab still left that we're keeping an eye on. The Hexacil solution that we had to wash his wound every day (twice!) with has taken out some of his hair, so he's a wee bitty baldy in that particular spot. Not that it detracts from his stunning good looks, of course!

We've had to leave the lampshade on him pretty much 24/7, because the first thing he tries to do is scratch. He's such a stoic soul, though, and I wonder now if he thinks that he'll have to wear it for the rest of his life! The grand de-lampshading takes place on Saturday, when we're at home to keep our beady eyes on him.

It is funny to see them sniff along the ground with the lampshades on. Harry looks like some kind of dodgy vaccuum cleaner! Bless him. Yesterday, though, he gave the electricity man a bit of a fright by ramming his lamshade into the seat of the man's troosers as the meter was being read!

BTW, Harry has just sent Snap a wee message to cheer her up.

Fiona