update on elin

 

Her special harness came in the mail with padded straps and handles at the shoulders and the hips so we can help her up and take weight off her knees.   She doesn't mind the harness at all, though sometimes she does not want help and makes a grouchy noise at us.  

Okay, fine.  

Friday we had a vet appointment for a blood test to check if she's having any side effects from the doggy ibuprofen. She's not. That's fine. But she couldn't/ wouldn't get out of the car so the vet crawled into the back seat to look her over, and the vet techs did the blood draw in the car too.

One was over Elin's back to squeeze her front leg to pop the vein up, and the other tech was in front to do the blood draw, and she pricked her co-worker in the hand.  Oh my goodness.  Everything is fine.  Second try, they got the blood.

But we also discussed that we didn't know when Elin had last emptied her bladder. The vet wasn't too worried.  This is an essential bodily function and unless there's some kind of blockage, it has to come out at some point.   True enough.

We'd also been giving her an old medication Sam had for joint paint--gabapentin. Well the gabapentin had run out, and her pain increased a lot that day without it, so could she get her own prescription for that?  Of course, yes.

Then they called Saturday morning to see how she was.  We still had not observed her empty her bladder, but if she had a distended bladder, she'd be crying, right? We'd know, right? 

They said yes, but if we could get there in the next hour, they'd like to see her in person.

So we hauled her to the car and drove over there for an ultrasound of her bladder.  They, well Jay really, rolled her onto this special cushioned mat on the floor, belly up.  Her eyes were huge and fastened onto mine and I told her she was doing great.  Then Jay cooed to her and rubbed her ears, and she threw her had back with a big sigh like, "These crazy nurses."

Anyway, her bladder was fine, and about 7:30 pm she finally voided, shoulder leaned against the fence in the back yard.

Whee.  She's feeling better again and poor darn dog.  This is just sad.

Oh, and when I went to the desk to pay for this ultrasound of the bladder, techs helping, vet looking at her again?  They said there was no charge.  Unbelievable.

Love, Val