Drake Update

It's been a week with Drake the Gimp.  According to the vet, we needed to keep Drake down and off of his foot as much as possible.  We also needed to keep his cast/splint dry as possible.  So to take Drake out to use the potty in the snow, I had a plastic "glove" made of an i.v. bag and gauze to tie it on. 

The first day home, Drake was good about staying down due to his sedative.  That night Aaron carried him down the stairs to put him to bed.  At about 2 a.m. I woke up to Drake crying and barking.  I nudged Aaron awake who mumbled something and then we both fell back to sleep.  Around 2:30 I awoke again to Drake crying, barking (and now) banging on the mudroom door.  I tried to get Aaron to go down to see if he was OK but he insisted the dog would go back to sleep.  Then Drake hit the door so hard I thought he might of come through it so I got up, put on my contacts and headed down to check on the patient.  Aaron was not far behind me as the noise level was picking up. 

Apparently the sedative had worn off.  We found Drake up on the built in storage bench in the mudroom.  He had flipped the light on and was trying to work the door knob.  He was very antsy and shaking a bit. 

"Man! Is he OK?"  Aaron asked.

"Yeah....I think so.  I think the sedative has worn off and so he probably needs a pain pill," I estimated, "and the bathroom."

So Aaron got the leash and I gloved Drake's cast.  Aaron took him out and then came back in after what seemed like 5 minutes. 

"Dang!  That was the longest pee ever!" Aaron announced as he lead in a much more subdued Drake.  Poor Aaron.  That night the temps were way, way below zero.  In fact, they closed schools for the next two days because -17 was unacceptable bus stop weather.  Aaron went to bed but I was wide awake so I opted to stay with Drake and pet him until he fell asleep.  I stumbled back up stairs around 3:30.  (I thought this stuff ended 6 years ago!)

The next day Drake hobbled about on his foot.  All in all he did pretty good.  I managed to take him out on the leash for potty breaks.  The cold was biting (Yuck!) and he peed forever.  My poor cats had to be locked away in the laundry room where their litter and food was.  They usually sit in one room of the house all day anyway.  A big dog like Drake does not do well in small quarters for too long.  This was reinforced later in the week.

Thursday school was back on and it was Science Fair.  I had volunteered (foolishly) to judge from 9-3.  (Note: Gabriel got second place in his division!  No, I did not get to judge his division.)  The Chimney Dr. was also coming on Thursday so Drake was going to need to stay in his mudroom.  Caren had volunteered to go by and let Drake out at some point during the day.  When she had touched base I asked her how Drake did.

"Did he pull you down the hill?" I asked

"No...I just put the glove on him and then let him go on his own."  Genius!  "Man!  He can pee!  I swear he peed for like 5 minutes!"

"Oh, I know!  It's crazy!"

"Good thing he does not pee in the mudroom or he would flood you out.  That boy's gotta tank!"

So a new routine had been falling into place and then the weekend arrived.  Saturday we went to a Chocolate Festival!  That's right!  It was quaint, adorable and delicious.  For $5 one gets 6 samples.  After 4 I had to quit.  I have not had many sweets since my diet began 4 weeks ago.  Plus I had an amazing chocolate martini....so...I was tapped out on "cheats" and felt kinda funny...  There was a candy shop next door to the festival where Caren and I hit the jackpot on gambling themed candy for our Valentine party.  (Pun so intended.)  After our time there our family went to lunch.  We started to head home around 2 p.m.  Aaron wondered allowed how Drake did in the mudroom for 3 and 1/2 hours. 

"Eee...yeah...that is probably not going to be good.  Dang!  I forgot all about that."

Sure enough, Drake had eaten Aaron's straw cowboy hat (the one that he kept the whole time we tubed down the Guadalupe), a pair of the boys ski goggles and his plastic glove. Poop. 

That night we had an impromptu dinner at Caren's.  Raclette.  The raclette experience is something like hibachi.  There is a grill on the table where Aaron and Kevin grilled sliced flank steak, chicken, tuna and veggies. 

Each place setting had this little "skillet" with a wooden paddle.  The skillets are for melting the raclette, a type of stinky cheese.  The skillet and cheese are placed under the grill so that the cheese melts.  Then you slide the melted cheese off with the paddle, onto the grilled meats and veggies.  YUM!!!  Caren and Kevin like to have this with the first snow.  Though we've had several snows, they claim that Saturday's snow was the real first snow of the season.

It had started snowing around noon that day and did not stop until sometime yesterday evening.  This made it even more difficult to keep Drake's cast dry.  Even with the i.v. bag-glove we would not have been able to keep snow out of it because the snow was so deep.  Every time he came in from a potty break there would be packed snow all down the back of it.  (It's actually just a half cast, a splint, that is wrapped in cotton, then gauze, then tape.  The splint is made of that cast plaster so it has to stay dry.)  I tried putting a sock on it and then covering it with a plastic bag but when he came in the bag was gone and the snow was still packed down in the sock and cast. 

Aaron was the worst though!  He kept letting the dog out with no protection and for anything.  Not just potty!  He would let him out to see the kids or chase a rabbit.  Really?  No help, dear!  One of the times Aaron let him out back, he leaped off of the back steps, took two large gallops and jumped the retaining wall that surrounds our patio.

"Aaron!!  Oh Drake!  You are so dumb!"  He did this all three legged though and seemed to be unscathed.  Scared me to death.

This morning I took Drake in for his follow up.  They were going to remove the bandage to examine his foot and then my vet was going to show me how to wrap it. 

"Oh...this is pretty wet in here..." tsk-tsked Dr. Jeff.

I explained how the glove had met its demise and the Husband Factor.

"Well...it's looking like the splint is in good shape.  That seems pretty dry still."  Yea!

When Drake came in last week his broken toe sort of dangled separate from the paw.  Usually all of the toes are held tight together.  Well, now Drake's toe is tight with the rest of the paw and the swelling has gone down.  Woo hoo!  Looking good!  He's been given permission to start taking walks to the bus stop and back but no farther.  He is still on hiatus from Caren's pack.  We will get an x-ray next week and that will give us a better idea as to when he can resume playing with his buddies.

"You are still looking at another 4 weeks or so with the splint on."  This was great news!  He originally told me 8 weeks!  Sounds like it's 5-6 now.  Sweet.

Dr. Jeff then showed me how to wrap his paw and ankle in the cotton, then put on the splint, followed by wrapping with gauze.  I'm to put a little cotton between his broken toe and also some to pad between the splint and his leg.  Then (the best part!) I wrap the whole thing with medical tape.  Today's color was purple!  Drew is going to be so thrilled as that is his favorite color.  The last "cast" was green which is Gabriel's favorite.  So the vet sent me home with both colors.

Aaron will be getting a lecture tonight because what the vet did today can stay put as long as things don't get mucky and too wet.  Otherwise, I'm going to have to cut everything off and re-wrap it.  Drake is very cooperative but it is a two man job.  If Aaron keeps letting him out willy nilly then it's going to get gross and I'm going to have to change it.  I'd rather not.