Surgery Day to the Present

It's been an interesting 3-1/2 weeks since the injury. First we needed to figure out what to use to keep Tinker contained in during the day. We have a good-sized wire crate, but there's the problem of getting him in and out easily enough. That includes finding something easier on our backs, knees, and shoulders as well. My in-laws had an old portable crib that was going to have to do the trick. I felt kind of silly going into Babies R Us and buying a crib mattress, sheets, bumpers, and waterproof pads. Life definitely takes odd twists.



We now have our routine set each day. In the morning I either take Tinker out onto the deck to express him or take him for one lap around the complex's pool area. His urine and bowel movements are a guessing game. He's on 2 medications (Bethanechol and Phenoxybenzamine) to help tone his bladder muscles and help him go. It's worked out well. What he doesn't urinate out himself, we help him to express. Don't get the wrong idea. To palpate a dog's bladder, you put a hand on each side of him and feel for the "water balloon" inside. You press and, voila, out comes the urine. Like I said, the things you do. C repeats this with him several times during the day. As far as the bowels go, we never really know when it will happen. Hopefully it will happen on something he's meant to go on (wee wee pad, towel, or outside).

To go back to walking him: I should be more specific...we have a sling that slips over his rear legs and attaches over his hips with 4 webbed straps that lead off into a handle. He carries the weight on his front legs, we support the back, wheelbarrow style. Tinker doesn't mind at all and he really moves fast.

At night, Tinker now sleeps in his wire crate. Although he is crate trained, he minded being in there at night at first, since he had gotten used to sharing a dog bed with Virginia at night prior to his injury- but he's started to adapt. He still occasionally gets up in the middle of the night whining for company- a few hugs later he settles and goes back to sleep.:)



Tinker is one cool Lil' Dude