More On Mochi's Balls

Am I taking this too far? No.

So it's the Friday after Mochi's neutering (which was done last Monday) and while the pup seems alert, he is also a wee bit melodramatic.

The latest update on Mochi post-op is that he is currently refusing to walk nor to stand; he just sits there or lays down. Normally I'd be at wit's end trying to find ways to comfort my dog but after a lot of conversations with 2 of his vets and countless internet research, I've found some anecdotes that has helped put my mind at ease and heart at rest.

As is my luck, smaller breeds of male dogs are known to be quite the divas and drama queens. A concerned pet parent such as myself was kind enough to post online some of his concerns regarding his pet's post-op recovery. He has been just as vigilant as I in medicating the pup and experienced many of the things I am currently experiencing now:

I took Rocky to get neutered last Monday morning and they had him finished by the afternoon and kept him overnight to monitor him. He came home with an e-cone and two external stitches and some meds. From the day he he came home he refused to walk which was normal but now a week has past and I've administered all his medications on time ( Metacam for inflammation, Tramadol for pain and Panolog cream for help with irritation) and the swelling has gone down significantly and everything on his scrotum looks much better and healed. Still he won't walk very much, he did start to try and walk a lot but he squats while he walks. I took him back to the vet and they said everything looks fine and he can just be taking a little longer to get over it but from what I read most peoples dogs were back to normal in about 2 or 3 days.

A number of other owners have responded to him that as long as there is no infection (yellow or green pus-like discharge) or wound break (it will contain a cheese-like white or yellow necrotic tissue inside), the dog is more likely showing signs of drama than anything else. As with people, there are different thresholds of pain when it comes to dogs. Some dogs balk at the slightest discomfort or foreign feeling while other dogs can ignore this and go on their merry-way.

Having read that, I pat myself in the back as all is fine.

Rubbing the Panolog Cream on the incision site, however, is a whole different story.

Drug Lord

It's official. My dog is just as (medicinal)drug-dependent as his mother.

After a stressful morning for both me and the pup, I've decided to rush him to the vet for his post-op check-up. I noticed that he wasn't feeling quite as boisterous as he was yesterday, he can not stand nor walk for long periods of time (meaning 5 seconds or 5 steps long), his whimpering is back in full force (though not as forceful as his first night), and his urine and feces were nowhere to be seen. The findings? Itchiness and SEVERELY low pain tolerance. Euck. This means more chemicals for my boy.

A current listing of the drugs I am plying my dog with:

Amoxycilin (Antibiotic) 2x a day for 10-14 days

Immunisin (Immune booster) 2x a day for 15-30 days

Hemostan (Anti-inflammatory) 2x a day for 3-4 days

Tramadol (Painkiller) 2x a day for 3 days

Panolog Cream (For irritation and anti-inflammatory) 2x a day for 3 days

I am now heavier of heart and lighter of pocket.

But for this little guy? Anything.

Losing His Marbles

So as many of you know, I acquired myself a pup a couple of months back. It has been one hell of an experiencing parenting him -- and not in a notice-him-whenever-it-suits-me way. I've been dealt with the financial responsibilities, cleaning-up duties, and giving him the notice and affection he needs even when time can not permit. That's a hell load of dough, poop, pee, showering, taking him to meetings, not going to the mall or seeing my friends because I can't bring Mochi, and play than most of you will ever know. I really have gone mommy mode.

Exactly 2 weeks ago, right after his 6th month, I took him to the vet to get neutered. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans go awry and we have had to postpone his surgery due to the unavailability of his vet. We scheduled it for the Monday after and Mochi left balls intact. That following Monday, we headed to the vet gung-ho on getting this over with. As it is customary for dogs to have a blood test done before going under the knife, we had one issued for our boy. As (un)luck would have it, even if Mochi's blood test came up (pretty)good, his vet did not want to operate as Mochi was severely stressed. We were recommended to put him on antibiotics (amoxycilin and immunisin) and to re-schedule him for the next week. You can not know the frustration I felt then. Even if I would have never risked Mochi's life for anything, I was beginning to feel anxious.

The Monday of his surgery came and we were all thunderbirds-a-go. We entrusted Mochi to the vet and left him for his neutering. To say that I was anxious would not really encompass the nerves that were forming knots in my stomach -- to put it bluntly, I was a wreck. A volcano waiting to erupt. A man so far in the precipice that I would have jumped at the slightest taunt.

The surgery was a success, thank God. It's been 2 days since and Mochi is slowly adjusting. His recovery is going smoothly. Milestone! Now I'm up to my knees in bills, medicine, monitoring, and working but I have to stick this out for 8 days more. Who knew a parent's life was so difficult?

So, my friends, if there is anything I ask of you  it is this: Please pray that no more difficulty come my boy (and me!) For this, I will be eternally grateful.

Photo c/o Blu Salangsang. (:

New Baby

As a child, I was overtly fond of animals. We never lacked for pets at home, and I was left a very happy camper. They were well-housed, well-taken care of, well-fed, and well-loved. As I grew older, I carried this trait with me.

I love all of my siblings' dogs very much, and I would pretty much do anything for them, but I admit that there is a very special place in my heart (and life) for Nana, my Lhasa Apso whom I shared ownership with my beautiful niece with. He was the first I thought was truly mine -- the dog I would grow old with.

Last year, after 7 years worth of love, laughter, and memories, Nana met his maker. You can imagine my devastation. He was old, to be sure, but his life could have been longer. It kills me that I wasn't able to give him that.

True to his ever sweet nature, a couple of days before his passing, Nana found his way to my bed. We cuddled, I talked, and we spent a very good night together. 2 days after, as I went off to celebrate my friend's birthday, I received a call that Nana went to Rainbow Bridge.

I was paralyzed with shock, it felt like I floated, but my heart found its way to my eyes and for the first time in a really long time, I cried myself to sleep. Those tears stayed with me for quite a while and to this day, a year later, I still have tears for my little one. Even now, as I write this blog post, I find my nose runny and my eyes sore. Nana is and was my best friend.

2 days ago, I gave myself another chance at taking responsibility for another's life. Yes, Nana's demise was traumatizing, but that's no reason not to give "motherhood" another shot. Enter Mochi (photographed above). As I awaited his arrival, I was a slave to mixed emotions -- excitement, of course, but more importantly, anxiety. I don't want Nana, in Rainbow Bridge he might be, to feel like I simply replaced him like I would an old shoe. That is not the case.

As my siblings have put it, I have to honor Nana by putting in more effort with Mochi. Doing so does not lessen my love for Nana in any way. This does not also mean that I love Mochi any less, of course not. It simply means I love Nana in a different way -- it is a younger, more passionate, more naive kind of love. The love wherein I thought he would stay with me forever, no matter what my failings were. With Mochi, I know now that love requires more than the affection. It means the poopies, the peepees, the hard bills, the whatnot. I hope I give Nana a smile knowing that in almost all that I do, he is still in my mind.

So Mochi, my little angel, I hope you know that even with all the anxiety, it is all on me. It does not make me love you any less, as I so obviously can't be ripped away from you. Tomorrow night, before you sleep, I will tell you a story about your big brother. I love the both of you so very much.

*All photographs from Shutterhound's tumblr.