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Shepherds => German Shepherd Discussions => : Suzanka October 18, 2006, 12:23:46 PM

: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Suzanka October 18, 2006, 12:23:46 PM
I know that few people can relate to my ordeal as much as you who are reading this can. I posted my first message yesterday asking for help to get Chumley home from his ACL surgery. I bought a ramp, brought a big blanket and even had a custom set of carpeted stairs with me! Chumley is in SO much pain. He somehow managed to climb up those three carpeted stairs to get into my SUV. Getting him out was a different story. I sat in my driveway in tears for over an hour. He wouldn't go down the ramp, he wouldn't go down the stairs and he certainly wouldn't let me try a towel underneath his belly. I called a friend. She said just sit with him in the car when he is ready he will be ready. Well two and a half hours later I knew that advice wouldn't work either. Finally I got four of my neighbors and we wrapped a very forlorned looking Chumley in the blanket and gently lifted him onto the floor. He is now home but hurting. He won't take his medicine. I have tried cream cheese, hamburger and hotdogs. He needs 12 pills a day so now I have a new hurdle. Any ideas????
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: lins_saving_grace October 18, 2006, 12:34:52 PM
I know that few people can relate to my ordeal as much as you who are reading this can. I posted my first message yesterday asking for help to get Chumley home from his ACL surgery. I bought a ramp, brought a big blanket and even had a custom set of carpeted stairs with me! Chumley is in SO much pain. He somehow managed to climb up those three carpeted stairs to get into my SUV. Getting him out was a different story. I sat in my driveway in tears for over an hour. He wouldn't go down the ramp, he wouldn't go down the stairs and he certainly wouldn't let me try a towel underneath his belly. I called a friend. She said just sit with him in the car when he is ready he will be ready. Well two and a half hours later I knew that advice wouldn't work either. Finally I got four of my neighbors and we wrapped a very forlorned looking Chumley in the blanket and gently lifted him onto the floor. He is now home but hurting. He won't take his medicine. I have tried cream cheese, hamburger and hotdogs. He needs 12 pills a day so now I have a new hurdle. Any ideas????
I am so going to feel the same pain soon.  Luckily Lady (who had her ACL surgory TODAY!) loves peanut butter and will probably take her 9 pills a day with that.  she hasn't gotten the shock of the post op pain... but will tonight around 10 or in the morning.  i don't plan on taking her anywhere so getting her in the Jeep won't be an obstacle and she's easy enough to lift or at least lure into and out of the back.  she was really good about it today on the way home from her operation.
she'll be in the living room in her crate until she's allowed to climb stairs. 
it seems to be a personality thing...they will do what they want when they want and how they want until they are motivated to do otherwise. 
maybe someone at the vet's office can help you getting Chumley in your SUV and have a neighbor help you get him out.  or maybe he'll be motivated to help himself out just to get home inside and into a nice comfy recovery position. 
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Suzanka October 18, 2006, 12:42:04 PM
I will try peanut butter in a few minutes. Thanks for the suggestion. Thankfully Chums won't be needing to go into the SUV for another 10 days. Just like Lady that's when he will get his staples out. He is confined to one room since I don't have a crate. I was surprised that they didn't even send me home with one of those cones for his head. They said to watch him that he doesn't chew on his leg. I am going to sleep on the couch near him tonight and see how it goes. I wish you the best nursing Lady back to health!
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: mjjensen October 18, 2006, 12:45:50 PM
 My Max is the same way with all his pills. The only way we found to get him to take them was to open his mouth and put them on the back of his tongue then close mouth until he swallows them. At first I put a little yogurt on them to help them go down but he's gotten used to them now so I don't need it anymore.
  Sorry you had so much trouble with Chumley and the car. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: lins_saving_grace October 18, 2006, 12:48:03 PM
I will try peanut butter in a few minutes. Thanks for the suggestion. Thankfully Chums won't be needing to go into the SUV for another 10 days. Just like Lady that's when he will get his staples out. He is confined to one room since I don't have a crate. I was surprised that they didn't even send me home with one of those cones for his head. They said to watch him that he doesn't chew on his leg. I am going to sleep on the couch near him tonight and see how it goes. I wish you the best nursing Lady back to health!

Lady has a cone for an inscission on her paw.  i found an ugly lump there last night and the vet removed it during her ACL operation today.  so you probably wouldn't have gotten a cone anyway.  lucky you.
looks like you and me are going through this together. my email addy is on my profile if you want to keep in touch.

but just smother his pills with pb.  they don't notice a thing when it's covered with something good that they can't sneek the pill out of ... something like a bread roll.  lady eats the bread and spits out the pill when i wrap it in something like that.

good luck to you too!!!!  and in 10 days he'll feel a little better and be ok to get up and down more comfortably. 
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: kathryn October 18, 2006, 12:50:14 PM
Yea for you and Chumley getting through surgery.  I always have to shove any meds to the backs of my pups throats and make them take them.  Of course mine are all brats. By the way, the picture of Chumley in the other thread is just precious.  He's a cutie.  Welcome to the board and I'm Kat.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Saint and Mal mom October 18, 2006, 02:43:14 PM
I hope Chumley and Lady both feel better very soon from their surgeries! Give both of those doggies some love from me!
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: chaos270 October 18, 2006, 02:51:18 PM
As everyone said it all else fails open his mouth and shove them to the back of his throat.  Then hold his mouth shut and rub his throat and blow on his nose.  It works on even the toughest. Make sure you hold them for a good 30 sec or until you feel them swallow cause otherwise they'll spit them out.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: shangrila October 18, 2006, 02:54:24 PM
If chumley likes cheese, that's one thing that you can try for his pills. When I need to give zoey pills, I take a chunk of cheddar cheese, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds so it is just starting to melt, and then wrap it around the pall ill, so all she can taste is the cheese. I have also used "pill pockets" and they also worked well for me.

Good luck!
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Suzanka October 18, 2006, 03:00:28 PM
WOW thanks for all the great suggestions! Peanut butter didn't work but so far small pieces of meat are going down. Just four more pills tonight. I am so grateful that I found this site. I just hope that I can be as helpful to all of you sometime. Chumley and I appreciate all the good wishes.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: newflvr October 18, 2006, 06:07:10 PM
I completely sympathize!  Everyone has had great ideas for getting the pills down!  We've just used cream cheese and it's always worked.  I've slept near my poor Newfs after each surgery and they've never had to have an E-collar (Elizabethan).  Just keep reminding him that chewing is a "no".  The hardest part is keeping him quiet when he starts feeling better!  He will get better and the good news about this surgery, is that once you get through it...you don't have to do it again! (at least on that leg  :P)
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: EllieAndBlu October 19, 2006, 01:49:54 AM
awwwww poor baby! Hang in their big guy, you will be feeling better real soon!

As for pill disguising help....  upon recommendation from my vet, I use butter and it works like a charm! I slather up the pill and it usually just slides down the throat. If my pup is feeling particularly stuborn, I will aid the process by tilting their head back while keeping the mouth closed and blowing gently in the nose... that forces the pups to swallow.

good luck and hang in there!
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Icerotti October 19, 2006, 02:59:30 AM
AWww Wishing Chumley  a speedy recovery. Butter has always worked well for us too. I open the mouth and thorw it as far back as I can. I try and have another treat to give immediatley after. They concentrate on the treat and it helps get the pill down too ;) Good luck with the pill thing. You have got great advice from everyone.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery NEW PROBLEM!!!
: Suzanka October 19, 2006, 03:50:43 AM
Have you ever kicked off a new member for having too many problems? Here I go again. Okay the pill popping is now not an issue. He looked at me this morning wagging his tail as I went to the fridge wondering if I am going to induldge him in the peanut butter, cream cheese, processed cheese or the butter. I think soon he is going to be milking this for everything he can. Here is the latest problem. I slept by him last night. He hasn't been chewing at his wound but he is curious. Everytime he goes near I tell him to leave it. I do know though that one lick and he could pop a staple. I called the vet this morning and they said that he should have an ecollar. Of course they didn't send me home with one which means I have to leave chumley alone to go get one. They look so inhumane. Are there any other alternatives? I can't bandage the wound but I thought maybe there is some magic cream that you put near it that would be repulsive to dogs? Or anything else other then that big awful collar.
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: lins_saving_grace October 19, 2006, 04:06:52 AM
He will not be able to pop a staple. 

and induldge him.  at this time induldge him. he'll milk it. 

buy a crate.  you'll have to leave him alone eventually and a crate will help give you piece of mind. 
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: lins_saving_grace October 19, 2006, 04:07:28 AM
we booted one person for having too many problems ONCE...but they let me come back!   ;D
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: newflvr October 19, 2006, 04:13:35 AM
I hate e-collars.   Ask your vet for a cervical collar.  It's just a stiff collar that wraps around his neck with velcro that won't let him bend his neck around.  He'll be able to eat and drink but not bend around to investigate the wound. 

I agree that one lick will not budge the staple.  Just keep reinforcing the 'leave it'.  Maybe give him a stuffed bone or something he loves to chew on to keep him interested in what's in front of him, not what's behind him!!
: Re: Chumley's trip home after surgery
: Icerotti October 19, 2006, 04:56:48 AM
There is a cream to deter licking. I purchased it at the vets ,when Rosie got spayed. It is called Variton cream. You put in around the area that was sutured/stapled but not directly on the incision site. It really worked for us. It also detered her brothers from licking her site as well.