Marley in trouble

[wolfpup]

I typed the following in word  as my computer is playing up  so may come up as being copied and pasted  -  which it is.

MARLEY IN TROUBLE

Background   -  A week last Monday Marley went in to have a deep re-occurring cyst removed.   On Wednesday the dissolvable stitches started dissolving and it all burst open so he had to go back under anaesthetic to have it re-stitched properly;

Took Marley into the vets this morning to have his stitches out,  when they unwrapped him the vet  (think Locum as I have never seen her before)  pulled the hair/fur away instead of soaking it away  -  and pulled the wound open again  -  she removed all stitches – including the subcutaneous ones.

She told me the wound had ‘broken down’.   He is now bandaged up  -  the wound filled with Manuka honey.  I have been told to take him back on Tuesday (providing the bandaging holds up until then) for him to go back under the anaesthetic to have the wound flushed out, refilled with Manuka honey and re-bandaged.   If it breaks down beforehand I am supposed to fill the wound with Manuka honey myself and re-bandage  - something the vets are not willing to try and do without anaesthetic !

They have said it could take between 4 weeks and “ages” to heal.   He is not allowed any walks, not to jump up the furniture, go upstairs – and we are supposed to keep him and Mikey apart in case Mikey accidentally gets at the wound.

I don’t have a crate  -  and even if I did Marley would not go into it.  Both dogs are rescued – with chequered back grounds.

Marley is in great pain  -  whimpering and trying to get to the wound.   The vet I am with is supposed to be the best in Lancashire  - but they have let us both down.

Marley is now back on much stronger antibiotics and back on the gabapentin for pain management  -  which so far is not working.

I am scared

[2Huskyfun]

OMG!

 I would have chewed her out and caused an unbelievable seen. My heart and stomach just flipped.

What the hell was she thinking doing it that way! 😡🤬

I am so sorry hun. I really wish I could physically help you. 

Lots of deep breaths. See if hubby could watch him for a few while you go soak and reset yourself.

I know how exhausting this is.

We are so a like. No sleep for days watching over our babies and don’t trust no one to do it like we can 😉

You got him to start healing the first time, you can do it again!

Me and my pack are thinking of you guys and sending good vibes across the pond to you and Marley. 

Positive thoughts. 

[goingsolo]

Poor Marley xx and poor you horrible to feel so helpless.  Hope it starts to heal soon xx

[PaulG]

it is a long way to go, but you could ask for a referal to the Glasgow or London Vet hospital your vets should be able to get you booked in with a phone call then its just you getting him to them

[wolfpup]

10 hours ago, PaulG said:

it is a long way to go, but you could ask for a referal to the Glasgow or London Vet hospital your vets should be able to get you booked in with a phone call then its just you getting him to them

I've been in touch with Mikey's foster mum   -  she is in her 4th year of Vet training  -  and she has advised me contacting Longridge vets (and hospital)  -  she says that  the owner  Paul Thomas has successfully treated many broken down wounds   -  she does her placement training there so knows them well.   However she did say to wait until after I have seen Marley's usual Vet  -  Andrew Mellor  on Tuesday when Marley is to have yet another anaesthetic to have the wound debrided and refilled with Manuka honey.

3 things I am very unhappy about   1)  the vets cannot do any work on Marley without sedation and local anaesthetics   -  yet when his bandage moves they expect me to push manuka honey into his open wound and rebandage him.    2)  They said they cannot sell me medical grade manuka honey for him  -  I am supposed to go to Holland & Barrett & buy medical grade honey from them!    They should be providing the honey as part of his treatment!   3)  The way they bandage the wound - it slips down and uncovers the wound  -  when I bandage him it stays in place for up to 3 days without moving.  If I can work out a way to do it  - why cannot three different vets work out a way?

Even if all goes well from now on  (and there is no reason it should)  he will be left with a 3 1/2" long,  VERY wide scar on his spine.

[PaulG]

TBH  most vets do not seem to learn how to do a bandage on anything apart from a Leg, over the years i have learned to bandage all sorts of joints and other body parts.

as to the honey it is probably cheaper buying it that way as teh vets would add a large markup on the price, things you can buy for a couple quid from your  high street chemists

Bandages Gauze  wound dressings etc  they will charge 10 pounds for or more, long ago one of my dogs needed eye drops, the vets charged me nearly 40 for a med i could get from boots for about 7.50 over the counter

was exactly the same stuff too (one of my peeves about vets is teh HUGE mark up they put on things, like dressings, everything they use is  what you can get on teh high street at a fraction of the cost)

Also teh BIG vet schools  Glasgow (probably the best) London  etc are cheap to use as they will ask if you mind your animal being used as a teach aid so they can show  students how to do stuff you just have to get to them

[2Huskyfun]

After my boy’s last sedation for his butt, my vet refuses to put him under again unless it is life and death.

This is one of his spots that went sideways. It didn’t heal pretty and every once in awhile he busts it back open but at least it is manageable now.

Lots of long nights of him crying and trying to tear at it. 

You know what is best for Marley and he trust you.

It may be best that you take charge and follow your gut. All you need from vets is antibiotics and pain pills. You can take care of everything else probably better then what they are doing.

And ya, that is BS that they keep having to sedate him but then tell you to do it at home. 🤯.

 Unless they are going to put a wound vac in, I would tell them no more. 

You can get him healed probably better then they can at this point.

[wolfpup]

Well I have a few more questions for the vet on Tuesday.      The bandage finally slipped about an hour ago so I got everything ready to try and get more honey into the wound and re-bandage him.

He was surprisingly compliant  (for Marley)  -  however once I had eventually gotten the old bandaging off him  (they had taped it directly onto his fur!  - so rather than cause him distress I had to cut some of his guard hairs) and had a good look at the wound I dont believe I have been told the whole story  -  if the wound had broken down as she said  -  then there should be a massive hole with quite a bit of pus.   Instead the wound is much flatter than I would expect  - and very irregular shaped.  It looks as if when she pulled the fur she tore the skin as well as the stitches and has cut that skin off completely    He has no skin whatsoever in a patch about 2 1/2" x 1 1/2"  -  there is a little pus just off the centre - about the size of a 5p piece  or maybe even a little smaller.

I touched nothing on the wound itself - did not try to clean it up -   put manuka honey on the dressing then put the dressing on the wound - ensuring it was all covered in the honey  -  then rebandaged him.  Sorry guys did not have time to get a camera and take pictures  ................. whilst Marley was allowing me to work - I did!

At least I know this bandage is comfortable for him, will not slip and irritate the wound any more.   I have lost three tank tops and hubby has lost 3 tee-shirts  -  and I have two holes in the one I am currently wearing  .............  at least he did not completely bite through the shoulder of this one, in his attempt to get to the wound.    He has shown no interest in it since I have re-bandaged him  -  which tells me it is comfortable and not causing him any distress.

[2Huskyfun]

I would advise them of what happened and do all bandages and packing myself. 

I agree with @PaulG I have never had luck with the way they bandage and end up having to redo it by the time we even get home.

He to be good with you doing it and by his reaction, he is telling you he only wants his mom to doing it. 😁

[wolfpup]

2 hours ago, 2Huskyfun said:

I would advise them of what happened and do all bandages and packing myself. 

I agree with @PaulG I have never had luck with the way they bandage and end up having to redo it by the time we even get home.

He to be good with you doing it and by his reaction, he is telling you he only wants his mom to doing it. 😁

Unfortunately they will be bandaging him whilst he is still under sedation on Tuesday so I wont be allowed near him  -  however I will be telling them HOW I want it bandaged   -  and this time I want my bandage back!  At nearly £6 for an 8" bandge I cannot afford to have them not give me them back.

[PaulG]

if you look online you can buy Milatary bandages that have a dressing pad attached use one and wrap the long bandage it comes with around him, you can then use VetWrap that only sticks to its self

 

[wolfpup]

Marley went back to the vets today to have his wound debrided under sedation.      When I went to pick him up 6 hours later they said they were very pleased with how the wound looked  -  they had also used laser treatment to increase healing.     The reason they gave me for the wound breaking down was that Marley turned out to be allergic to the deep stitches  -  these are of a different material to those used on the surface.    I can only believe them   -  and bearing in mind his other allergies it makes a certain amount of sense.

They have said I am not to disturb the dressing   -  there are no bandages this time  -  they always come off anyway  and I complained to the vet about that before the op.    They have put him in a Thundershirt - saying it will hold the dressing in place   -  he REALLY does not like it.     I just hope we dont get too much more hot weather - the poor mite will cook!

He goes back in on Friday - they say they will not need to sedate him next time   -  should be interesting.    The other bit of good news is he can now go out for a walk   15 mins  3 times a day   -  he has been going stir crazy not having had a walk all week   -  especially when he sees Mikey going out with hubby.

 

[2Huskyfun]

That is awesome news.

Getting then out even for short periods of time makes a huge difference.

Hopefully there is no more hiccups and a speedy recovery. 

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Poor boy I hope hes ok soon 

[Luna-tic]

I remember the second time we took Luna out while she was still in vet hospital, I nearly cried! She wobbled, she fell over, she swayed about, I’m sure it bothered me more than her but I honestly thought she was a goner because she was so unstable. The vet told me it was because she had been mostly lying down for nearly a week, I have to say I didn’t believe them lol. Anyway once she was back on her feet even indoors there was a big improvement and now she runs! Dogs are just amazing.


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[wolfpup]

He goes in tomorrow hopefully to get signed off.   If the vet is just as happy tomorrow he will leave the thundershirt off for the wound to dry out properly   - obviously it will be harder to keep Mikey away from it (and Marley of course).   The vet has said they will TRY to get the last of the manuka honey off Marley's back   - but knowing Marley they will give up and tell me to do it at home.   He still does not like anyone going near his op site.

Sod's Law  -  but we have two house viewings on Wednesday and on Thursday I go back into hospital for my op that was put off because they found I was in AFib - undiagnosed until about 2 hours before they operated.   Then on Saturday we have another viewing booked !    Just hope I can get up and about before they arrive on Saturday!

Never rains but it pours  ...................  hubby will just be getting over convalescent Marley  -  only to be replaced with convalescent wifey  ....................  and he thinks Marley is a handful  

[2Huskyfun]

I am happy that Marley is doing so well.

Good luck on your op. 

Ya hubby is going to need a vacation when this is all said and done. LOL

[wolfpup]

You better believe it   -  ex nurses always make the worst patients!

[wolfpup]

Well I got out of hospital last night  and cannot drive for a week   (28 stitches)  so cannot attend Marley's appointment with the vet tomorrow  (he was not signed off on Monday)  so I had to change his dressing myself  and send piccies to the vet  -  no manuka honey any more as it is drying up nicely.

    

  This was just to show the vet there was no nasty oozing   -  just the scab starting to rub off.

The totally white area on photo two was the size of the wound originally  -  the honey enabled new skin to grow around the edges  -  but the two ends where the scab remains and the bit in between is unlikely to ever grow fur again.   Hopefully his long fur will cover it up eventually.   He is still in the Thundershirt to stop Mikey getting at it.    Have emailed the vets and awaiting a reply as to when he has to go in again  (got to be after Wednesday   -  hubby does not drive).

[2Huskyfun]

Glad to hear everything went well with your op. Take care of you.

That actually looks really good. You may have to put sunblock on it for awhile but I think it will finish healing nicely.

You don’t have to keep bandaging it do you? I think it is ready to be air dried. (With wearing a t-shirt of course)

[wolfpup]

6 hours ago, 2Huskyfun said:

Glad to hear everything went well with your op. Take care of you.

That actually looks really good. You may have to put sunblock on it for awhile but I think it will finish healing nicely.

You don’t have to keep bandaging it do you? I think it is ready to be air dried. (With wearing a t-shirt of course)

He went through 3 tank tops of mine  and 3 of hubby's teeshirts  -  so the vets put a thundershirt on him   -  its not so much him having a go at it  -  but Mikey.   Just a dressing and the thundershirt on now so the air can get to it without my boys being able to get to the wound.    Next vet appoint on Wednesday 11am - they will get him from the car, take him in and bring him back to the car  (I cannot)  -   am expecting her to  sign him off.    Marley is the first dog I have ever insured  -  doesn't sound much untill you realize I have had dogs all my life and I am 69!  ...................  something just kept nagging me about getting him insured   -  and I am really glad I listened to that inner voice   - so far in his first year he has cost the insurance company nearly all the £4,000 he is insured for.     With what my increased payments are it will still take 18 months for them to get the money back  -  providing of course he does not have any further issues !

[2Huskyfun]

Pet insurance has been a life saver here too.  Literally 

I pay $40 a month for each and that covers 90%.

It takes a little while to get the refund. I am still waiting for the refund from his blow out, then meds, and sissy felt left out so she contracted tape worms. 🤦🏽‍♀️ 

I spend on average $400 a month on medical. We had a few months of a couple of thousands at first but we are slowly getting those issues under control.

Sissy has gotten better after she ate his staples once and he was very sweet with her while she recovered from mouth surgery. 

I am just happy that the worse is over for him. It sucks when they don’t feel good.

You.... don’t over do it! Take care of you. The boys will be fine for a day or so while you recover. 🥴