Last night I brought Sophia into the house to change the battery on her containment collar. After I unsnapped it I had to pull it away from her as it was stuck to her. I initially just thought it was frozen to her but then the smell hit me. Evidently she had gotten some water on the spikes and they froze and made a very sore spot on her neck. It was a rather large sore. I attempted to cut some of the hair away to get a good look at it and realized rather quickly that she was going to need professional care for her wound.
I called our vet office and they had me bring her in so they could start antibiotics last night and withhold food and water from her over night so they could sedate her to clean the wound. We quickly got her loaded into the car (well not so quickly – it was hard to convince a 125 pound dog to get in the car. Jim finally had to lift her up.). We dropped her off at the vet clinic at 5:20. I haven’t heard from them yet today. The vet said they had their surgery over booked already but they would work her in when they could. They thought I would get to bring her home today but it will depend on how deep the wound is and when they can do the surgery.
I have used this containment system for over three years and have never had a problem before. When I am outside a lot and the dogs are under foot I run my hand around their collar to make sure all is well. With this cold weather I haven’t been around them as much and hadn’t been doing that. Sophia’s coat is so thick right now it is hard to see a problem. I feel so bad that I let it go so long before I noticed it. She has been acting normal – lounging around in the cold and eating well. Hoping it isn’t as bad as it smelled or looked.
Ellexia didn’t have school again today and around 11:30 text me to see if she could come spend the day. Tim and Tagen were at home and she wanted a day away from home. It has been so fun having her here. When we got home from picking her up she was starving so we made blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs. Ellexia made the scrambled eggs for me. She cracked the eggs and stirred them while they were cooking so I could fry the bacon and make the pancakes. She was a big help.
An hour after breakfast she needed a snack. Two hours later was ready for lunch. I forgot how much kids can eat and how often they eat. I wasn’t expecting to have her here so I didn’t have as much kid friendly food on hand but we found stuff she would eat.
I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for her to take home with her. I doubled the recipe but didn’t double the butter and shortening amounts. The cookies look a bit stiff but she said they tasted OK. Sometimes I have brain farts and do stupid things like that. Glad they are still going to be eaten.
I got the laundry caught up as we haven’t done any for a couple of days trying to help conserve the power grid. It warmed up and was over 20 today. Felt like a taste of spring and a blast of warm air after so many days at or below zero. The snow is even melting a bit this afternoon. It is to continue to warm up over the next week and will hit 50 in six or seven days. Spring is coming!
I sold two dozen eggs today and put two more dozen in the refrigerator. The girls keep giving me 20 plus eggs a day. Had only one frozen one this morning. Got another fairy egg this morning. They always make me smile when I see them.
My mood has finally lifted and all is well again. I learned more about myself and am grateful for the lessons – after they are done. It is painful to go through the process though. I’m able to communicate better now than I used to be once I get to the point of finding words. Progress.
I’m hoping the vet office will call in a bit and we can go get Sophia and take Ellexia home in the same trip. If they did surgery late in the day Sophia may have to spend another night.
No plans for tomorrow. Friday late afternoon we get our second vaccine injection. I am planning on going to town a bit early and picking up some groceries so we have what we need for the weekend in case one or both of us have a reaction and aren’t feeling like getting out and about. From what I have heard that is what we need to plan on happening. Good news is most people feel better within 48 – 72 hours so it will be short lived. So looking forward to being on the other side of this and being a bit freer to mix with others that have been vaccinated.
The welts on my legs from the cholesterol injections are a bit better today. I remembered to put some Tea Tree Oil on them and that helped a lot more than the Cortisone cream was. I don’t like the smell of the Tea Tree Oil but I like the itch relief.
I have lost another couple of pounds this last week or so. I am five pounds from being back to my goal weight. This is the first time I have ever been able to get back on the wagon after gaining weight and be able to take it back off again. Hopefully I learned from this experience and will be able to maintain the loss and keep it off this time. We will see what happens.
The sun has been shining all day today. It has felt so refreshing to have the sun shine and have it warm up a bit. We haven’t had to turn many lights on today and have enjoyed the natural light. I have so enjoyed hearing Ellexia talk to Jim and listen to her laughter. It has been way too long since the kiddos came to play.
Grateful for our time with Ellexia today, grateful for a caring and compassionate vet, and grateful for the lessons I continue to learn about myself.