M.T. Sanders's Blog, page 2

The recovery continues

Yesterday Cookie went to the vets to have the staples removed from her wound following TPLO surgery two weeks previously. It wasn't without it's difficulty as some of the staples were reluctant to leave and though it was obviously painful Cookie dealt with her usual stoicism. She had some more laser treatment and a tub of silver cream to help the healing process and hopefully it will calm down now that everything is removed.Tomorrow sees her begin short lead walks again, only 10 minutes at a time but a huge stage in her recovery. All being well these will increase gradually up until her appointment back at Liverpool University Small Animal Teaching Hospital where she will have more x-rays. If everything goes to plan she'll then be discharged and we get her started on some hydrotherapy to start building her muscles back up again.We realise we are not out of the woods yet by any means but her progress has been slow and steady to the point where she's almost limp free and certainly back to the old Cookie. So what have we learnt from the experience? We have received some excellent advice from medical professionals and also from those who have been through this type of surgery and recovery? Firstly we have put a lot of time into Cookie's recovery. The fact it happened over Christmas was both a blessing and curse but we certainly had more bodies at home for a while and after that it's been a case of making her a priority.I think time is the most important thing, as initially it was keeping an eye on her around the wound and her difficulty to get out to the toilet etc. As time has gone on it's been about giving her company, playing with her, talking to her or just being there so she knows she's not on her own. I really believe that has helped keep her calm and helped her recovery. She has been separated from the rest of the dogs and usual family life so I think this has been really helpful for her. I hate the buster collars and although she has a comfy one I didn't like her wearing it so again spending a lot of time with her meant that it was really only overnight she had to have it on.We bought a Help'EmUp harness which was invaluable and we are indebted to Angela for the advice and I can't recommend them highly enough. They aren't cheap at around £100 but it has been such an aid and a great piece of kit.We were very kindly sent a Snuffle mat from Stacey of My Fab Dog and Cookie has absolutely loved this. During days with nothing much to look forward to the Snuffle matbrought a real twinkle to her eyes. At first she lay down to find her treats but now she is following me around the room as I get her treats ready, another fantastic aid to beat the boredom.We also got a camera set up which I know is a bit of a luxury but it did mean we can see her overnight as well if we were worried about anything and the night after she burst her staples I think Dawn just watched it all night which did give her some piece of mind. Ours is the Furbo which has very good night vision and you can talk to them as well which we found useful.As I said at the beginning of these blogs we basically know nothing about dealing with a ruptured cruciate as this is something we've never been through before. With a lot of help and good advice we have made it so far without too much more stress than the initial injury and hopefully the rest of her recovery will be drama free.....we'll let you know.

It can be dangerous this jogging stuff

Yesterday mum decided she’d give me a groom. Dad has been spending a lot of time with the heffalump so she thought it would be ‘nice’ for me.....I know hooman are strange ain’t they? Anyway in the end she decided the best place was the front garden so the hairy hippo wouldn’t get all giddy.She wanted to cut around my neck so took me collar off....uh oh schoolgirl error....you’ve seen it right? To have some control though she thought she’d put me headcollar on but before she was finished our neighbour had the idea to start jogging for the new year and ran right past our fence.....Well at this point I didn’t know who it was......It could have been a burglier coming to steal me fish treats.....it could have been the first of a group of zombies coming to eat our brains.....well apart from dad and Bailey of course.....it could have even been the postyman in the plain clothies.Well I had to do summat so I did me scary Newfydoof guard dog impercynation and ran at the fence.....,Well mum didn’t have much choice but to come as well and we both ended up wrapped around the cherry tree.....Oops.....the neighbour just smiled and carried on but mum wasn’t the happiest I’ve ever seen her......To make it slightly worse the neighbour was also out the other side as well and saw it all.....He had a grin on his face as he asked mum if she was alright.....He said he thought we were both going over the fence.....’So did I’ said mum.....’So did I’

Pet Insurance. Necessity or luxury?

Friday was certainly an interesting day. As I reported in my previous post Cookie managed to somehow burst some of the staples that were holding her wound together. I'm not sure what was more eye watering though, her opening that up or us opening the letter we received with the bill for her operation.Ok, it wasn't a shock, we'd had the costs explained before anything was carried out but seeing it there in black and white was certainly very sobering. It's ok though because we're insured, right? Reading through the invoice I came across the paragraph that brings all pet owners out in a cold sweat. 'If your insurance company refuse to settle this account you are liable'. But that will never happen....will it?Our experience of claiming on pet insurance has been very limited - once in fact but that didn't go too well. Despite having insurance on the dogs for a number of years now we have been very lucky in terms of major issues and anything that has need veterinary attention has been paid by us directly.The one time we did fall back on our insurance was when Cookie was younger and she developed an issue with her eyes. They were very sore and weepy and after speaking to the vet he diagnosed Entropion and advised a small operation to correct the issue. This is a condition where the eyelid is inverted and the lashes rub against the eyeball causing irritation. It is a generic condition and so not caused by anything we or Cookie had done.We agree to the procedure and submitted our claim form to our insurance company Animal Friends. To our surprise it was declined and the reason was a little odd. When Cookie was a puppy she had pushed her nose through the baby gate and hurt herself. It was nothing serious but because she was very young we took her to the vet. This was the reason that they refused the claim stating that it was a previous condition. Our vet sent a letter to the insurance company confirming that the minor injury sustained had nothing to do with the condition in Cookie's eyes. Despite this support they refused to pay and we were left with the full bill ourselves.We cancelled the insurance with that company immediately as we were disgusted to be honest. We researched other companies which is a real minefield as where some owners have good experiences others have bad ones. We eventually settled on More Than, but as stated previously we made no claims so it's hard to judge how good or otherwise they would be. In November our renewal came through and despite no claims our policy had doubled so I looked around for a change. To be honest it wasn't just the cost but I wanted better cover. We had an annual policy of £4000 per condition which I felt might not be enough and wanted a lifetime cover. After lots of reading online I went with the Insurance Emporium for a lifetime cover of £8000 and they were very reasonable. Our policy only started on November 2nd so we have had no experience of this company but I guess we will find out very soon how good they are and we will of course keep you updated.I do have some sympathy for insurance companies as they certainly get slated for rising premiums but when you see the advances in veterinary procedures, that all has to be paid for somewhere. We all sit and marvel at the Supervet programme on TV and years ago I could never have imagined that a cat could get a prosthetic leg or a dog have a replacement hip.Though this is a popular series for viewers this type of amazing life changing surgery is happening up and down the country at specialist referral centres. We all want the best for our pet, of course we do but as the 'best' keeps getting better then so does the expense. I guess the worry is that those who can't afford the rising premiums get left to settle for second best or face serious hardship, an awful situation for any animal lover. Of course serious hardship could still be heading our way.....I'll let you know.

Well it was all going too well wasn't it?

My last blog feature was obviously very premature. I'd said that there was very little to report as it was all going very smoothly. Cookie had other ideas though and on Friday morning we heard her yelp and on going into her room found blood on the floor and a split in the wound where the staples once were. We found four or five staples on the floor and there was an open wound about 2 inches long. A frantic call to the Teaching hospital at Liverpool University followed and about 20 minutes later the resident vet called us back. He advised bathing the wound with warm salty water and then contacting our own vet when they opened as they would be able to deal with it easily enough.By 9am we were in the surgery and were seen straight away. After looking at the wound our vet was reluctant to re-staple as it would be painful and need sedation and he didn't want her to go through that again.He advised sticking it together with glue and doing some laser treatment.By 9.30 we were home with Cookie and settled her back down. Even though she has hardly been left alone and not touched the wound at all she had managed somehow to burst the wound so we decided to set a camera up so that we could watch her through the night as well. She has worn the cone of shame at all times when left on her own but we think she stretched, probably trying to scratch and over stretched the wound.Now that she is much more mobile and seems almost pain free you can see her movement is much improved and I guess she was too active for the staples.The wound has thankfully healed very nicely and there is no sign of redness or infection. She is due to have the staples out on Thursday and can go for a light walk on Saturday but in the mean time we are watching her very, very closely.

Cookie, 7 days post op

It's been a week today since Cookie underwent surgery for her ruptured cruciate ligament and thankfully there is very little to report. She has now finished some of the medication she had on discharge and now it's more pain relief and anti inflamatories. She is very settled, albeit obviously bored and each days sees her more mobile which brings a new challenge. Cookie has always been very active and athletic so keeping calm and quiet isn't her thing. Her and Monty are like the proverbial chalk and cheese when it comes to exercise so while he would rather vegetate on the couch Cookie is always keen for a walk....any walk. That being said she has been an amazing patient and whilst I realise that a lot of this has been due to her uncomfortable injury I also think she 'get's it'. We are trying to give her as much company as possible and luckily working from home does really help and I have taken no school work on until she's recovered. We play games, she has the snuffle mat which she loves and there are also Kong's to add some interest to an otherwise tedious day.In terms of recovery she is progressing nice and slowly and you can see more movement and mobility each day. I booked her appointment with our own vet today for next Thursday to have her staples out and to check the wound. Two days after that she can begin short lead walks and she is going to love getting back out again.We had the first invoice today and with still no word from the insurance company it is a little worrying but there should be absolutely no reason for them to have an issue with her diagnosis and treatment so for now we keep our fingers crossed that they are a company we will be able to recommend, which would be refreshing.Thank you so much for all of the messages and good wishes it's very kind and very much appreciated. I'm sure she'll soon be making Monty's life 'interesting' again very soon.

Cookie's cruciate Pt 5 - Home, now the recovery

Instead of picking Cookie up on Friday we got a call to say she was staying in an extra night. Tom the vet explained that the anaesthetic that is used to numb the leg can often stay a little longer in the bigger dogs and at the moment she was still dragging it. As a precaution he'd rather keep an eye on her for a little longer and whilst we were obviously disappointed you have to admire the professionalism and commitment to the animal's welfare, and know absolutely that it's the right decision.Saturday was a case of waiting for a call again and when it came at around 11am we were told she was doing really well and was ready for discharge. We were offered 12 or 2pm and though we are about 45 minutes away there was no real choice and we jumped in the car within five minutes of putting the phone down.Tom wasn't on duty but the vet who went through everything with us was what we'd come to expect from this top class establishment. He explained everything slowly and you never felt like you were being rushed. He answered all our questions, went through the medication one at a time and when we were happy he brought Cookie through. It goes without saying we were delighted to see her but we didn't want to get her too excited so we got her carefully in the car and headed home to get her settled. Unfortunatly she had a stomach upset again and we have been unable to give her the Metacam so pain relief is down to the Paracetamol and Codeine alone. Despite being obviously uncomfortable she had a really good night and just seemed very happy to be home.Now it's the recovery and the management of everything that involves will be our biggest challenge. We have had lots of advice from those who have been there before and the advice from those with experience is invaluable. One of the tips was the Help'EmUp harness and I can't even begin to say how useful this has been so far. I know I've mentioned it previously but it is an Absolutely brilliant piece of kit .The medication alone is a challenge and the whiteboard usually reserved for work now resembles and ER station. Cookie is confined to small room rest for two weeks and then can begin light lead exercise of 10 minutes 2 to 3 times a day. We are very lucky that when we built the extension on the house it was with the dogs in mind. We have rooms that easily divide just for this type of thing so Cookie has her own space with direct access out to the toilet with no furniture to tempt her and she can still see Monty without them being physically together. So we have the room sorted the medication organised and now to try and keep her occupied. We had the wonderful snuffle mat sent to us by Stacey from My Fab Dog and she has certainly got some use out of it already and it's definitely going to be a firm favourite over the coming weeks. We also have the old favourites that are the Kong's and she's already had a Sweet Potato, Yoghurt and kibble one to keep her occupied but Kong recipes are always very welcome.She is currently snoring very contentedly a few yards away from me as I type this, so I'm very happy to report that it's so far so good, and hopefully now she'll go from strength to strength....

Cookie's Cruciate Pt 4

After the cancellation of Cookies operation due to her stomach upset and leg sores she was provisionally booked back in for December 27th.The problem with this was that as it fell between Christmas and the New Year it was an emergency only day and although we were scheduled it was on the proviso that her operation was likely to be cancelled if more important cases came in.That left us with the task over Christmas to try and clear the leg up which meant applying the Pyo mousse twice daily and shampooing the area weekly. On top of that we needed to give her, her pain relief which was four times a day. The holiday was definetly more hectic than usual this year and by our standards that's pretty crazy.Cookie did appear to be finding it more and more painful walking as time went on and at one point we feared the second leg had gone as well until Dawn found that she actually had an infection in her pads on the 'good' paw.She has really struggled at the tail end of this year with hotspots and sores after being really clear for a few years. Reading up we thought that maybe she has a hormone imbalance and started her on primrose oil capsules which do seem to help a little. One we started to apply the mousse to the infected paw it cleared up really quickly and she was more comfortable in just about a day.Yesterday at 7am I got Cookie into the car and headed off for the Liverpool University Small Animal Teaching Hospital not knowing whether or not the operation would go ahead. In the back I could see her sulking, but this was due to the fact that that she hadn't had anything for breakfast and she just stared at me the whole journey with those 'how could you' eyes.Once at the hospital she was checked in and although in a lot of discomfort she almost pulled my arm off when she spotted Tom the vet as he came to greet us.Booking in was quick as we'd already been through the procedure and the potential risks and once again I left her knowing she was in good hands but definetly with a heavy heart.The day was then just waiting for a call and it finally came just before 4pm. Everything had gone well. Cookie was out of the anaesthetic and wide awake and as far as could be seen the operation was a success.She needed to stay in overnight and all being well she will be allowed home today and then the healing begins. Then it's just the simple matter of keeping a 60kg Newfie quiet enough to give the knee time to recover....What could possibly go wrong?

Cookie's Cruciate Pt 3

Tuesday was the day for Cookie's scheduled operation and it was incredibly quiet in the house. Usually at 6.30 when I come down to feed the dogs she is the first one to greet me, standing with her front legs on the third stair up so she can get the kisses in first. As I came down Monty stood back as if she was there, waiting his turn which is always second when the heffalump is around. He was very subdued all morning and if I didn't know better I'd think he was actually missing his hooligan sister. As the morning went on I was concentrating on what Tom the vet had said that no news was good news but almost immediately my phone rang. As I feared it was the hospital and Tom explained that the operation had been cancelled. Cookie was ready to go, shaved and anaesthetised when she suddenly had an upset stomach. Without going into graphic details it meant that her number 2's were looser and more explosive than normal and the risk of infection was too great. Although obviously disappointed and frustrated it was actually very reassuring to hear that Cookie's welfare was the number one priority.Later on that afternoon we travelled over to pick Cookie up and Tom went through the medication while she was being blow dried after her 'clean up'. Christmas and New Year was now obviously an issue in terms of rescheduling the operation and apart from the stomach upset she had some infected spots on her leg that needed cleaning up. We left with a shaved and sweet smelling girl but she was certainly feeling sorry for herself and was desperate to get back into the car.The Help'Emup harness has proved invaluable already and really offers fantastic support when moving a 60kg dog around or helping them into a vehicle. This has been a fabulous aid and worth every penny for the peace of mind it gives.Sadly for Cookie due to the fact she'd had loose stools she was unable to have any Metacam until she did three solid poops and as far as pain relief, all she had was the paracetamol and codeine tablets we brought home.Thankfully her stomach upset cleared straight up and she was able to resume the Metacam on Thursday so hopefully that will help to ease her discomfort but she had a very painful night last night and was finding it very difficult to settle.One of the main recommendations from a number of people has been to make sure the floor isn't slippery. When we planned the house with Newfies in mind we went for a tiled floor as both of them struggle with the heat even in the winter. We have added non slip rubber backed industrial mats which are very adaptable and can be moved around as needed.We have totally covered the room where Cookie will recover from her operation with mats and she is certainly finding it uncomfortable at times so we left the ceiling fan on for her last night.I'm sure there are a few places that supply the mats but we have used Splendid Pets after some very good recommendations and we've always had very good reliable and speedy service from them. The link is here http://www.splendidpets.co.uk/dirt-trappers-c12The current situation is that we are trying to clear the spots on Cookies leg with Douxo Pyo Foam Mousse twice a day and Douxo Calm shampoo. She is provisionally booked back in for her operation on the 27th December but because that's an emergency only day at the hospital it will be cancelled if anything more serious comes in. We also need to make sure that her infected sores are cleared up as infection is our biggest enemy and we know that the staff at Liverpool University hospital will not take any risks. Wish her luck.

Cookie's Cruciate Pt 2

Monday was our appointment with Cookie at Liverpool University Small Animal Teaching hospital for her leg problem. The day started with us having to distract her while the other dogs were fed. There was a strong possibility of anaesthetic so she had to be starved from the previous evening but missing a meal for Cookie is never a good thing and she was definetly not a happy bunny.We have been very lucky with all of our dogs and this is the first time we've ever been referred to a specialist vets so this was all new to us. On arrival it was hard to not be impressed not only by the building but the warm welcome and professionalism of the staff. We completed some paperwork and then handed in our insurance details to the office who deal with all of the claim process for a small fee. From my point of view this is fabulous as I have very little experience claiming on any of our policies for the dogs and to be honest I had other things to worry about.Despite Cookie's obvious discomfort and lack of mobility she was still determined to try and play with every other dog in the waiting room and her tail continually span in typical helicopter fashion.After a short wait we were met by Tom Cox, the Vet who would be looking after Cookie and we followed into a bright modern consultation room. The notes had already been sent over from our own vets which helped in terms of what medication she was already on etc. We went through the history of the injury with Tom and he did a short examination of her. After this he said that he'd like to x-ray her to confirm his thoughts that this was indeed a rupture of the cruciate ligament. We left Cookie and were asked to return a few later to have a talk through the results.I don't think that we had any surprise when we returned to be told that this was what we'd feared. Tom took us through the x-rays pointing out the damage and then spoke to us at length about the options going forward. It was clear that we'd been referred here because of the hospital's expertise in dealing with this type of injury. After talking things through we had no doubt at all that we wanted Cookie to have the TPLO surgery as we feel this is the best outcome for her quality of life going forward.The hospital had already provisionally booked Cookie in for surgery pending her results and we left for home very sad and concerned but totally confident that she was in absolutely the best place she could possibly be...The video below is very informative and sent to us by a few friends on hearing about Cookie's injury which is very much appreciated.

Whispering stories book review

I was really delighted to read this review of Monty and friends save Christmas by Whispering stories. I decided to send them a copy of this and I'm not a Pandacow as they looked a very professional and thorough review site. It's the first time I've sent any books out for independent review and so you can imagine how lovely it was to read the very kind words said about both books but particularly the 5* for the Christmas story.I'm so happy with the way the book turned out and the collaboration with Zoe Saunders is going from strength to strength, as she is a joy to work with and her illustrations are wonderful.I sold my full supply of books and it has been regularly selling 20 a day via Amazon, Waterstones and Barnes Noble. We sold out of all copies at our book signing at Waterstones in a couple of hours so the book has been a big hit and I couldn't be more delighted. You can read the full review of Monty and Friends save Christmas here https://whisperingstories.com/monty-friends-save-christmas-mt-sanders-review/A big thank you to everyone who has bought the book and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have.Happy Christmas from all of us here and a peaceful new year.