Well, Porter arrived home today! He did well in his surgery – it only took 2 hours (he’s 93 pounds), but it took an extra half hour (and two suture packs) for his stitches! Dr. Brown also did a post-surgery treatment with a laser to help speed incision healing. Dr. Brown also reported that he was already trying to get up when we picked him up 2 1/2 hours later. He wagged his tail when he saw us! Right now, he’s pretty dopey and stoned and resting comfortably on his bed.
The vet loaned us an AWESOME simple harness (he’s wearing it in the photo above) that has a handle right at his neck and an over-the-shoulder arm strap. Which was great, because once his “going home” pain meds (hydromorphone) kicked in, he was no longer interested in walking! Daddy rode in the back of the car with him, and had to carry him inside. Porter has been whimpering on an off since arriving home – not sure if that’s from readjusting his position and laying on his incision, or from the weird effects of all the medications. The vet also applied two Fentanyl patches which should kick in at 3am tonight, the same time as the hyrdomorphone will wear out.
He starts back on his Rimadyl and antibiotic (cephalexin) tomorrow morning. The Fentanyl patches will last until Saturday morning, when we’ll start back on the Tramadol. His next appointment is on Thursday, when we take him in for his second laser treatment and a check on the incision. He also went home with some Acepromazine, which supposedly will help sedate him if he gets too agitated and wants to be up and around before it’s time.
Daddy plans to sleep on the floor with him tonight (I told him the number one rule was No Babying!) but I figured this first night will be important since he’s not in a cage. We don’t want him trying to get up in the middle of the night without us knowing it. So one night only! Let’s face it, I already broke the “no more bad food” rule by giving him a small piece of pizza crust (which he groggily ate – let’s be honest, I think this chow hound would eat just about any time!). I mean, they’re patients…but we’re all still parents! 🙂