Working Out the Kinks

Here we are on day 3 and as expected, there is not much change. I can't wait until Nova is off the epidural morphine. She really isn't herself right now, although it is probably helpful for her healing that she is all zombied out rather than her usual wiggle-butt self. I just gave her her last dose this morning and then I am supposed to pull off this huge saran0wrap like bandage off her lower back and then just pull out this tiny needle-like catheter out of her back. Ewwww....

Last night when she got home, Nova was great about going outside to pee and ate a big dinner. But then she just crashed out on her dog bed and slept all night. I gave her the morphine at 5 pm and again at 11 pm. She didn't want to get up and go outside late, so I just let her sleep. I checked on her a few times over the night and she changed positions a few times, which I thought was good. At times she was even laying on her left side where the amputation is, which totally amazed my husband. The thought she would avoid that side all together.


I woke up this morning and it is cold and raining very hard. Argh. Not ideal conditions to go out to pee. I had to really egg her on to get up to go outside, and then put a trash bag over her head (cut a hole for her head of course) so that her bandage didn't get wet. When I opened the back door she would not go out. The just stood at the door looking at Paul and I. I tried to put the sling on her to walk out with her, but the space to go out in the back is very narrow and I don't think she liked me crowding her. Paul and I stood out in the rain for awhile trying to coax her, but it didn't work.

We came back inside trying to coax her out the front door, although it is not a good option because we don't have grass in our front yard (it's all a pine forest). Nova never goes potty there, it's more her favorite sun spot. So she just stood there in the kitchen staring at us. It was heartwrenching because she was probably hurting (since it was time for her dose of morphine), so she had this "this really sucks big time" look on her face that made me want to cry. We decided to just let her go where she wanted, so she headed for the door out to the garage which is the one with the most steps (3). Argh! For some reason this is her preferred way to get in and out. The other exits are just one quick step down, the stairs in the garage are longer so I guess it makes her feel safe. When she got to the garage door she stopped dead in her tracks. She did not want to go out in the rain. After more coaxing, we gave up and brought her back in.

I was trying to get her to eat breakfast and pee before giving her the morphine because I knew she would just conk out. So I mixed up some of her regular dry kibble with a can of "Granny's Pot Pie" and she slowly made it to her dish and ate about half of it. She stepped back to get her bearings and big fat Emmy came in and gobbled up the rest before I could grab the dish. What a little devil. Nova then went to the back door again, like this time she was ready to try to go out. I opened the door and she hopped right out. But the rain was coming down even harder and I had forgotten to put the trash bag on so I was running along side of her trying to drape the trash bag over her, but she was getting wet anyway. This freaked her out big time. Of course she wouldn't pee because I was standing right next to her with my hand on her back. I'm yelling to Paul to get an umbrella or something. I knew she would not pee with me touching her, she likes a little privacy. Paul opened the door and she decided "screw this" and went hopping back in the house.

One lesson I learned this morning is that I need to Tripawd-proof my house. There are trip hazards galore. 2/3 of the house is hardwood floors. I have rugs over many of the floors, but occasionally Nova would trip on the edge of one of the throw rugs. Then her feet were wet on the hardwood floor, I was so afraid she would slip. I got so nervous trying to move the dog dish out of her way that it slopped all over the floor. And she was starting to hop right through the puddle so I am yelling at her to wait, as I am grabbing tons of paper towels to wipe up the mess so she doesn't slip. She's looking at me like "why are you yelling at me, Mom, I can't help that I have to hop". I got it cleaned up and decided to just let her go wherever she wanted. She hopped right in to the boys' bedroom and quickly got settled on her dog bed on the floor. She stood for a minute looking at Ben's bed (she loves to jump up there and nap), looked at me and then said "Nah". Emmy promptly jumped up to take Nova's usual spot.

She plopped down on her dog bed with her stuffed eagle and the Disney Channel cartoons going. All those silly voices make her happy. I came in and gave her all her glaucoma eyedrops then gave the final injection of morphine. At lunchtime we will start with the Tramadol. And hopefully by then the rain will stop and she will go out to pee.