Olive doing "fantastic".

 

I brought Olive back down to the hospital in Middletown for a progress checkup today, October 26. I am happy to report that the veterinary surgeon told me Olive is doing, in her words, “fantastic”. Olive’s surgical staples were removed and we were sent home with instructions on tapering off all of her meds. After about two weeks Olive will be down to the thyroid medicine that the local vet prescribed and Olive has been taking almost a year. That will mean I no longer have to buy roast beef at the deli to hide Olive’s meds in.

OK, They took out the staples. Now can I get out of this crate?

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Olive will need to be kept calm for a few weeks, as there is still some healing to take place. No jumping, no stairs, no Frisbee or catching sticks. After a few weeks I can, according to the surgeon, ease her into a more normal routine. That would mean walks around the circle and allowing her to go up the stairs to her doggie bed at night. That was good news for me as although I am getting used to sleeping on my living room couch near Olive’s crate, I would like to go back to my own bed and quilts as the weather gets colder. I think Olive would like to go back to her doggie bed as well. The trick will be to get Olive to understand that she has to get back to her old routines GRADUALLY.

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A few pieces of border collie humor I have been saving:

Olive is Home!

 

Olive had successful surgery on Tuesday, was kept at the hospital Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The hospital was kind enough to send me a photo of her resting comfortably after her surgery.

Olive resting comfortably after surgery. Looks like she got some very good care!

Finally, I got the call to come and pick her up at 2:30 on Saturday. The reunion was unceremonious; a technician brought Olive out to me at the hospital entrance with some written instructions and a bag of meds. Olive basically looked at me and said “you’re here. Let’s go home”. The tech helped me get Olive in the car in her usual space on the floor in front of the front passenger seat, and we were off. I have to make an appointment for a checkup in one week.

In the car and ready to go home.

At the vet’s recommendation I went out and bought a wire crate to keep her from roaming around, especially to keep her off the stairs. I had concerns that Olive would not take to being confined to a crate, but as soon as we got home, she went straight into her crate and lay down on the bed I placed there. I can take her out for short walks to pee or poop, but have to bring her in right afterward. After a few weeks I might be able to keep her out to walk around a bit longer, but probably none of her usual walks around the circle (about a third of a mile) for a while.

Her home for the next 4-6 weeks.

I have a regiment of medications to give her. She gets her Prednisone, Omeprazole, Cephalexin (antibiotic), and her thyroid medication twice per day, 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.  She gets Gabapentin three times per day, at 8:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and close to midnight. She also has a fentanyl patch (a sedative and pain medication) that I will be removing Monday. I am supposed to wear rubber gloves to remove the patch.

Olive ate well both Saturday night and Sunday morning. She wants a lot of petting and attention (who can blame her?) but mostly is content to stay on her bed in the crate. At one point she did clearly want to get up the stairs to her usual doggy bed at the top of the stairs, which is strictly out of the question for the next few weeks. I may bring that bed down to the living room. It would be a bit large for her crate, but if she wants to lay in it while I am there to watch and make sure she doesn’t get up and wander off, I suppose that would be ok.

I stayed in the living room and slept on my couch last night so that she wouldn’t feel alone. She did whimper once during the night, so I got up and petted her. She went to sleep and was fine after that.

4-6 weeks of bed rest and intensive care is what the vet ordered. It’s going to be a challenge for both of us. Then again, Olive is getting breakfast in bed, meals brought to her, even her water dish is next to her bed so that she need not so much as get up for a drink. She just might get used to that.

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I'm sure Olive would love to be doing this, but I'm afraid it won't be for quiet a while. Sorry, Olive.

Olive to the Emergency Room!

 

Olive has been low energy for the past week and was not eating. Two visits to the vet got us nowhere. Last Saturday (yesterday) I noticed some limping and took her to the vet again. This time an X-ray indicated that she had a ruptured disc in her spine. I was directed to Pieper Memorial, an animal hospital in Middletown CT (about a half hour away) and took Olive straight there.

After getting to the hospital around 8:30 a.m. I had to wait with Olive in my car for what seemed a long time. Finally, I got a call to bring her to the entrance (the hospital is following strict Covid precautions) and returned to my car for more waiting. A general vet called me on my cell phone and informed me that a veterinary neurologist would be looking at Olive.

I was not about to leave my girl, so I moved my car from the emergency spaces to a space further from the building. Along about 1:00 I decided I should eat something and took a run to a nearby Dunkin Donuts for an egg & bagel sandwich and a small decaf coffee (I was already on edge; I did not need any caffeine). I drove back to the hospital and ate there in the parking lot. To pass the time I texted some friends who I thought would want to know what was happening.

Finally, I got a call from the neurologist around 3:00. I could take Olive home for the night and was directed to bring her back on Monday evening where she will stay for the night and get an MRI on Tuesday morning. After that the best course will be determined, likely to include surgery.

I was given three medications to make Olive more comfortable: prednisone (an anti-inflammatory), Gabapentin (a pain medication that some humans take for back pains), and Omeprazole (a stomach medicine).

When I got home, I first ran out to the deli for some roast beef to hide the pills in, then gave Olive her first round of pills. She gobbled the roast beef rollup immediately, then a little while later ate more food than she had eaten all day Friday. So far, Olive is back to eating normally and a bit more active.

As Nanne and others advised, no more jumping for Olive. I hate to think that she cannot chase a Frisbee anymore, something she loved doing, but it may be necessary to take measures to keep her calm and quiet. At this point she seems to know that she cannot run and jump as she used to. A little while ago, however, I had a friend on speaker phone asking about Olive. My friend made a remark that Olive was now an “old lady”. At that it looked as if Olive was laughing. “Old lady? Who are you talking about” she may have been thinking? Nonetheless, her jumping days are likely over.

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No cute pictures of Olive being Olive this time. Sorry that this post is not as upbeat as usual, but I wanted Olive's friends and blog readers to know what is going on. So many people have been very supportive and encouraging.

I have heard nothing except high praise for the Pieper memorial veterinary hospital. It seems to be the premiere place in Connecticut for pets. I, of course, wouldn’t want anything less than the best for Olive.