Thank You…

You guys are the best! I appreciate the kind notes, emails and e-cards (yes, Bentley received e-cards too). His condition is slowly improving. The doctor put him on antibiotics and pain medicine. You haven’t lived until you’ve pushed medicine down a pissed Schnauzer’s throat. Oy…this mommy/nurse thing is exhausting. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready to take on the responsibility outside of the 4-legged world.

Bentley is no longer straining to urinate and his appetite is returning to normal. He gets very warm at night, but placing an ice pack under his pillow seems to do the trick. He has bruising around the incision (expected) and I think the staples (6 total) are starting to irk him. They’ll be removed next Saturday during his follow-up visit. I’ll find out then if he’ll need to be on a special diet. $25 for a 10 lb bag…hooray!

You know, I can’t really complain about the expense. The final hospital bill was $1783.25. A few people have expressed criticism about the figure, but it’s MY dog and MY money. A true pet lover could NEVER put their animal down for financial reasons. While Bentley’s condition was serious, it was 100% treatable. If I ended his life simply because the treatment cost was too high, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. He’s only 9.5 years old…and if he remains healthy, could possibly live another 5+ years. As his Mommy, it’s my job to make sure he has the best life possible.

Here’s an updated picture of our little patient. He’s still in recovery mode, but improving daily. Braxton has been fairly cooperative. He’s very interested in Bentley’s incision and the shaved IV leg. Once we have the doctor’s blessing, both pups will head to the groomer  to get appropriate Schnauzer ‘dos. Bentley looks like a grumpy old man right now. LOL

Hope everyone has a great weekend! My main plan is apartment cleaning. This place is a wreck after doggy drama week!

-C is for Caretaker