Judy is a great favorite of the vet's staff. Her indomitable spirit endeared her to these fine people. As a result, instead of being crated for recovery, Judy was tethered to the vet's desk where various staff members took turns sitting with her, rubbing her ears and comforting her. When I arrived at 4:30 pm to see how she was progressing, I found a very unhappy little creature who was bleeding profusely and looked to have the hangover of all hangovers from anesthetic. She was darned & patched like an old sweater.
A contemplative moment with her sister.
I sat with her for several hours until the vet decided we could take her home. He was much inclined to keep her at the clinic overnight but concluded that we were more than able to care for her and that she might be happier with us.
We lined my van with blankets and drove home very carefully. Once inside, we put Judy in an X-pen on a thick dog bed in the kitchen. She was completely unable to stand and was very restless. Eventually, though, she drifted off to sleep and didn't so much as twitch until 7:00 a.m., when she was found standing firmly on her own four feet, barking furiously to be let out and fed. She wolfed breakfast and pestered us to be released from the kitchen where we had her gated, mostly because she was still bleeding from the tail incision.
Late in the afternoon, I drove her back to the clinic for a dressing change. Everyone was astonished at her resiliency; she was fed treats and fussed over, all of which she apparently considered quite suitable for a granny-Dale recovering from serious surgery.
With a new bandage in place, we returned home. Changing the dressing resulted in yet more bleeding so little Miss Judy, over her protests, remained in the kitchen for the night. By the next day, she was much better and we removed the dressing.
Look, everyone! No lumps!
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CONTINUE WITH THE SAGA OF
JUDY & TYNER IN CANADA HERE