darned hematoma - an update

Dakota went back to Dr. Miyahira this morning to have his hematoma lanced again.  We went in on 1/12 and it JUST refilled since Monday.  Not sure what caused it to refill after all that time.  While I was there, I discussed options with the doctor about applying pressure to it so it could clot.  He recommended a product made of neoprene that would essentially tie his ears down.  Being a Corgi, I just don't have the heart to do that to him.  His ears make him who he is :)  So I came home and did some thinking.....

I decided to cut a toilet paper roll, cut a panty liner and employ some athletic tape.  I lined the front and the back of his ear with the panty liner (which I happen to have handy thanks to Sedona) and placed the cut toilet paper roll inside his ear.  I then took the athletic tape and wrapped it around, applying some pressure to the roll as I taped. 

I'll leave it on there for a few days in hopes that the little bit of pressure helps it to clot this time.  The doctor really wants to avoid surgery, but at this point, we're starting to add up costs.  If I have to go in for another lancing, I'm seriously going to have to consider surgery.  Since the hematoma isn't as bad as the other ear was, it shouldn't be as severe.  I just hope we don't have to cross that bridge. 

Ko is an absolute trooper.  He's been running and chasing the other dogs and playing like always - despite this THING on his ear.  Have I mentioned what an awesome dog he is??  :)  He'd be an even better dog if he'd stop all of this hematoma nonsense ;-) 

darned hematoma

the dogs must think that I am made of money JUST for them...

I keep checking Kota's ear, and I'll be darned.  The 2nd hematoma has refilled.  :( 

I called and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Miyahira on Sunday to drain and consult.  :( 

6 weeks later

The ear isn't perfect... it's probably not going to be, but it's OK! It stands up and looks like a Corgi ear... it's just "special". I will take time to make sure it stays clean (Chance does a good job). The hair is growing back nicely, tho you can see scars from the back still. I'm just glad it's resolved, cuz BOY was that a Pain in the BOOTY!! He was such a good sport about the whole thing.

One less vet visit on our plate today!

Shot taken yesterday - showing the "thing" in his ear - and a shot taken this morning where the "thing" has disappeared. I'm guessing that he scratched it out or something... I could see where it WAS, but is no longer. One less vet visit today! Hooray!!!!

And here he is in all his handsomeness :) He really has been quite a trooper through this whole ear thing - I'm just so glad he's letting me mess with it now. Must mean that it's feeling better! :)

The Stitches Came Out

the back of his ear once we got home...

and the front...
I'm sure it's because it's sore that it's looking floppy - it's not standing perfectly upright anymore, but it's not been this floppy before....

Add to that, that he has a "mild infection" where his stitches have been (they said it's pretty common), so I'm sure his ear is sore... we'll have him back on antibiotics for at least another 5 days... they want the antibiotics administered every 8 hours, but that's just not possible, given my schedule... at least not until I'm off work next week. I have left overs from before, and then what I just got.... I'll give him antibiotics for at least a week to kill this infection. Poor kid. He's a bit grumbly with Chance, but overall is in decent spirits. I just hope we never have to readdress this issue.. poor guy! :(

a few updates

CAMERA:

I finally lost hope and broke down and bought a new camera. After a TON of research, I decided on the Canon Powershot A1000 IS. I originally wanted another, but I found a great deal on this one that came with a 2GB SD card for a GREAT price... 10 MP, 4x zoom and in the price range I was looking for... life is great! :)
So to "christen" my new camera - this is the first "group shot" of the kids with the new camera!

KOTA'S EAR

It's been 2.5 weeks since Kota had his hematoma surgery - and he's healing really well. Here is a shot that shows the wiggles in his ear currently... you can't see it from the front - only from the side.


From the front the ear looks slightly smaller, but I bet I won't even notice it once the ear isn't nekkid!
and an up close picture of the ear - healing well, I think. We get the stitches out on Tuesday and from there it's just a process of letting the scar tissue settle in and heal. I'll be happy to be rid of the icky-sticky-outtie stitches... they creep me out when they brush against me!
AGILITY

Kota did really well at agility tonight, considering it was raining and he'd never been on the 'big boy' A-frame. We did a "snakes and ladders" game, which was fun. It really took quite a bit to get him up it the first time (and he got a round of applause for it), but the 2nd time, he just couldn't get it. He did everything else really well. :) He's dirty and pooped, but I think I am looking at a happy happy boy :)

FLAGSTAFF

I opted out of entering the shows in Flagstaff, despite them being in my favorite city :) Sedona will be hairless and there won't be majors for Chance, so I decided to save my money in case I have to fly Sedona to Portland. I might make a day trip of it (especially now that I have a new camera!:) ).

WORK

1 more week of school left.... I'm starting to pack my room and getting ready to take all my stuff home for the summer... I will work at a different school for 09-10, so I have to clear out and make room for the next speech therapist! :) I can't believe I've been at this for 14 months! :)

the drain is out!!

fair warning to those with queezy stomachs.... open wound picture posted below......
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I took Kota for his post - surgery appointment this afternoon. The doctor who did his surgery was SOOO nice and loving with Kota... kept giving him kisses all over his fuzzy little dirty head! it was so sweet. He said that Kota is healing REALLY well, so i asked if his drain tube could come out. He looked and said he thought it should be fine. :)

We go back on the 26th to get the sutures out. I'm So happy that this hematoma crap is finally looking like it's behind us now.





The ear is upright, YAY! There's a bit of a wave if you look at it from the side, but I'm TOTALLY ok with it! :) It doesn't look weird at first glance, and even second... I just hope it doesn't return!

Kota - 24 hours later

As expected, I'll be making a journal of Kota's recovery here on the blog.. now that he's had 24 hours at home, here are updated pictures. I won't update pictures again for another few days...

This is the angle that his ear sat at, when he woke up this morning.

This is him after work today... smiling his big Kota smile, despite his weird ear...
another shot of the ears in comparison to one another...

and the back of his ear this morning... poor little Frankendog... LOL
Last night I let the dogs run together - which ended up making Kota more comfortable. It ended up making ALL of the dogs more comfortable, honestly. And when it came time for bed, I let him stay in one little section of my bedroom where he normally sleeps. I was up and down A LOT checking on him, but in the end, he did great. I woke up to blood splatters on the wall from his head shaking over night - but aside from that, he slept like a LOG I think. :)

Chance is reacting to the stress in the house I think... he's been weird about eating. He didn't eat his breakfast this morning, so I left it for him all day in his crate (I crated them all today) and he didn't eat it till this evening. Weird dog. Sympathy stress?? LOL

My main concern now is when the itching kicks in... I'll keep an eye out for itching, and the minute it starts, the e-collar will come back out.

More updates tomorrow - hopefully there's not much to report on - dog wise :)

Kota - post surgery - WARNING for the weak stomachs

it may not bother some - but it may bother others, so I figured I should warn you all... I picked Kota up today after work and his e-collar (lent to us by our agility / photographer friend, Amy) was splattered in blood.... like there was a little mini murder in his collar!

He whined a good part of the ride home, and was more calm when i was touching him (*sigh*). I have to keep the 2 younger dogs completely away from him until he heals some, so I stashed them in the yard and put him in my bedroom... he has cool lineoleum floor to lay on if he wants, and all the bedroom floor any dog could want. :)

now on with the "end result"....


He was laying down in front of me, so I grabbed this one....
and the backside of his ear... (poor kid looks like a quilt)
And this is him holding it up as best he can... I see a crease, despite my best efforts. I got tired of trying to keep him in tape. We'll work on it again after he's healed some.
So there ya have it. He has an appointment on Tuesday the 12th to follow up with the surgeon, and on the 26th for suture removal... he's on 2 weeks worth of antibiotics and has 4 days worth of pain meds should he need them.

I just want to make it all go away for him... I feel so bad :( keep sending good vibes, thoughts, well wishes, crossed paws, prayers, ANYTHING to Kota - for speedy healing and UP EARS! :)

Surgery day for Kota

The first medical attention I saught for Kota's hematoma was on 3/18.... here we are 5/4 and will finally, hopefully, have resolution.

I take him to Companion Pet Clinic this morning for his surgery and should be able to pick him up right after work today (thank goodness). It'll b e a day of pins and needles for me, despite this not being "that big of a deal" as far as surgeries go.

He's pissed that the kids got breakfast and he didn't... I just hope he doesn't get "hungry-sick" on them... when he gets too hungry, he vomits bile... always has.

So say a prayer, cross your fingers, do whatever it is you do to wish Kota good luck at his surgery today....

catching up - again

so it was brought to my attention that I've not been a very good blogger lately.... I think some of it is due to the fact that my camera has decided to hate me. I usually post pictures, so not having any pictures to post has kept me from posting.... and considering the fact that life is in overdrive right now, well... it's all I can do to keep up on everyone else's blogs (and of course find time to read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn ;-) )

KOTA

After his appointment at Companion Pet Clinic, I was more convinced than ever that he needed surgery. His ear filled up 2 days after it was drained... filled up, AND some. Surgery is scheduled for Monday 5/4/09. Please keep all fingers, toes and paws crossed for a flawless easy surgery that leaves Kota's ear as much like normal as it can be. And that it doesn't reoccur for goodness sakes. Poor kid had 12 cc's of blood drained from it on Saturday, and it's even more full now than it was then. :( I feel like such a bad dog mom.
I took this picture of him tonight... I'm amazed that it's clear!! Yahooooo! :)

SEDONA & CHANCE

The kids are entered in the shows in Albuquerque on the 9th and 10th of May. There is a 3 point major in dogs and 4 point major in bitches, so I couldn't NOT go, given that Chance only needs his majors. His sister, Suzie, finished her Championship recently, so Chance REALLY needs to follow suit.

WORK

Work has been drowning me in paperwork and meetings and evaluations and changes, but I still LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do - despite the insane pace it's taking right now. I'm not sure if I mentioned in my last post, but I'll be changing schools next year... it's kind of a bittersweet thing. I'll be getting an INCREDIBLE room at the Elementary school I'll be working at, and I'll also be sharing the Intermediate school case load with my work mentor, Laurie, so I'm really excited about that. The interesting thing, is that the Intermediate school is where I went to 7th - 12th grades.... kinda funny. So I'm really excited about next year, but I'm ready for this one to be over.

CAMERA

I think I'll be starting to look for a new camera. Since my ole reliable Olympus SP-700 has crapped out on me and is taking more UNfocused pictures than focused ones, I need to either get this one repaired (goodness knows how much THAT might cost), or start shopping for another. I wish I could afford the D-SLR that I want, but I might as well keep dreaming... maybe when I win the lottery! Darned technology. LOL

AMERICAN IDOL

I'm a Danny fan through and through.... I picked him out from the auditions, and am proud to say that he's still there, and i expect that he will be in the finals.... I can't wait for his album! :)

TWILIGHT

I avoided the bandwagon for as long as I could. I finally gave in a few weeks ago and bought Twilight (the book) at Costco. I read it in no time flat, bought New Moon, and had that read in a little more than a day. I am NOT a reading fanatic, but these books really did catch me! It took me a few days to get through Eclipse, and I started on Breaking Dawn last week - but since work has been so crazy, and I got myself a touch of something icky in my throat, it's taking me longer than the previous books have. I've really enjoyed them. I finally watched the movie this week and tho I was comparing it to the book the whole time, it was, on the whole, a pretty good movie :) I can't wait for New Moon (the movie) to come out now :)

Well, my bed (and Breaking Dawn) is calling - I will take my fuzzies and hit the pillows....

dogs, work, and life

Well Kota is being a great sport about all this hematoma crap - doesn't seem to get him too bad, until I go to wrap his ear back up into a standing position. I figure if I can help in any little way possible so that 1) muscle memory stays, 2) no creases form or 3) it provides some protection, I'm good.

I'm taking him to Companion Pet Clinic tomorrow to get checked out and get an estimate for surgery (and to get the blasted thing drained again). I've got to make a decision pretty soon on what to do - I can't keep just getting it drained. If there were a way I could keep pressure on the ear, I wonder whether I'd be able to keep it from coming back... but since it's a friggin CORGI ear and INSISTS on standing upright, it's hard. :(

This is Kota today - after work - after taking off the wrap...

I'm trying really hard not to get down about it, but it bums me out.... I just want him to be 100% of course. :(

On the positive side, he's kicking agility butt, and I'm so excited about it :) He pooped out early last night (I think the stress and discomfort of the ear thing got to him after a while), but he's doing SUCH a good job, and is one of the "stars" of the class most times :) I'm going to enter him in a DOCNA trial this summer and run him in jumpers and gamblers :) It'll be a load of fun! :)

Work is in the process of wrapping up - we have 19 days in May and just one week left in April.... the light is at the end of the tunnel and teachers and students alike are starting to crawl the walls.... We're all tired and ready for a nice long break. :) I'm volunteering (I'll get paid) to work over the summer for Preschool evaluations and such - it'll give me extra money and more experience :) And heck, Preschoolers are cute, as long as I don't have to work with them every day! :)
I'll be moving to a new school for next year - a really nice school with a nice big speech room :) It's half the size of a regular classroom, as opposed to my closet I have right now. I'm not sure what I'll do with all that room! I'm having fantasies already! :) In addition to working a K-4 school, I will also be sharing the new "Intermediate" school (grades 5 and 6) which is going to be at the school *I* went to for 7th through 12th grades! A little weird, but kinda cool at the same time! I'm just happy to have a job in this economy, and am SO thankful I got out of Telecom when I did! Yay! :)
So i'll be packing up my stuff and taking it home over the summer, I guess... just more stuff I might have to shuffle when/if the house sells. *sigh*

Been feeling kinda sad about Dad in the last few days... This is the longest I've gone without talking to him, and I've been wanting to... knowing that I can't. I try not to focus too much on it, but I know it's a stage in the "process"... so I'll let it take it's course. I miss the old grump tho. *sigh*

I've been blowing through the Twilight books... I picked up Twilight 2 weeks ago this weekend and zoomed through it. Then I bought New Moon last weekend (Saturday) and had to buy Eclipse on Monday! I finished Eclipse last night and now am borrowing Breaking Dawn from a co-worker since I can't find it in the stores right now! I resisted for a long time, but I decided I just needed to suck it up and see what all the hype was about. NOW I KNOW! I can't put the books down! :) They're great! If you haven't read them, you really should.... they're wonderful! :) Another co-worker told me today that I'll probably finish Breaking Dawn this weekend... not sure about all that - it's over 700 pages long! Whew!

I entered the kids in the Rio Grande KC shows in Albuquerque in May - majors in both dogs and bitches.. Keep your fingers crossed for the kids.... Sis is in GREAT condition right now, and Chance is just ready for those majors to start flowin' in :) It should be a good time :)

Wish Ko and I luck tomorrow at the vet - I might get ONE MORE quote (they always say to shop around), and then make a decision... *sigh*

Oh, and a Tupperware party tomorrow - FUN!!! :)

maybe I spoke too soon....

Later last night, his hematoma started filling with fluid again. It's not nearly as bad as it was, but I'm SURE it will be again. Poor guy. He's holding it up better, but it's still coming back. Seems neither Kota OR I can catch a break these days. Poor kid.

I've called the vet that MY vet recommended to me (due to cost) to get an estimate on the aural hematoma removal surgery and dental work... she told me that she really couldn't give me any sort of ball park that was better than "between $300 and $1300" without seeing the dog in person. I'm sucking it up (UGH) and taking Kota to yet another vet....

We have an appointment to see the new vet on Saturday... wish us luck. *sigh*

a whole new dog...

As you can see in the photo of Kota jumping over his new agility jump in the yard, his hematoma was getting big and was weighing down his ear.... the first draining really didn't do much for him, but THIS time?? She did SUCH a good job!!!!

I still think he might need surgery, but we can definitely put it off now... his ear is standing almost completely upright (just the tip is tweaked right now) and I'm feeling much more hopeful than I was before the draining this afternoon....

keep your fingers crossed for the kid... I'd much rather not have to have him have surgery, of course...

And he's SO much happier and relaxed this evening :) WHEW! :) The pressure (literally) is gone! :)

this weekend (and the things I've done)

When I got mail (like USPS mail) from Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cannon I scratched my head.... "what could THIS be?"

Is this awesome or what?!? Thanks Tom and Carolyn!!!!! You guys rock! :) I love it! Now I have to clean the windows to find a place for it! :)

Since last weekend my camera has been an @$$hole, and I can't figure out why, so unfortunately I have to submit you folks to blurry photos....

Kota's hematoma has gotten bigger.... to the point where it is flopping his ear down. While cute on a puppy, it's NOT so cute on an almost 6 year old dog I was hoping to show in Veterans.... *sigh* So because it LOOKED like a puppy ear, I'm TREATING it like a puppy ear! LOL

Kota's not THRILLED about having his ear taped, but it's working, so I'm doing it. I'll do whatever it takes to not lose that ear if I can help it. If I do, I do.. but I'll do whatever I can to save it. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know...
He goes in on Monday to have it drained (to relieve some pressure) and I will be talking to the Dr about surgical options.

And since I've had 140 feet of PVC pipe in my back yard for .... oh gosh, I dunno how long... I finally got off my butt and bought the T-joints and end caps I needed to make agility jumps...


I got the plans from Instant Agility and it was SO easy! Tho because I'm working with 1 1/2" PVC piping, the stability bar ends up being ALMOST an 8 inch jump (which is what Kota has been jumping at class). I put marks for a 10" and 12" jump, but I need to find something to drill bigger holes in the pipe. My drill bits are too small :( for now this is fine - since the two younger dogs are just learning anyway, and Kota is comfortable jumping this height... Again, sorry about the blurry photos....

Here's Chancey trying out the new jump....

and Kota, excited to have one of his OWN now! :)

And Sedona - after having to learn what to do, gracefully hopped right over... I think she'll be a natural once she gets some training....

updates on this and that...

Kota's ear is doing well... *I* still feel fluid in it, but it's not getting any worse and it's not bothering him, so I'm leaving well enough alone. his ear is standing, tho a bit weird looking at the top (to my discriminating eye). I'm going to let it do what it's going to do... no sense in putting him through the stress of the vets office and needles if he doesn't need to. Poor kid. On a good note though, he's REALLY come into his own in agility, and now that our BC friend has moved up, he's one of the best dogs in the class - without a doubt. He LOVES it. I wish I could get him on video for everyone to see... He's not super speedy (like Zoey!), but he's clean and accurate, and he wears a grin from big ole ear to big ole ear while doing it.... that's what's important to me :) I actually had to *run* to keep up with him last week, which was something new! :)

The house is still a weird pain in the butt subject... According to what I can find online, it looks like the owners "sold" the house to a company called Cal-Western Reconveyance Corp, and THEY are managing the "Trustee Sale". My property manager tells me that until I'm notified otherwise, that I am obligated to stay in the house as per the terms of my lease. *sigh* So I sit. I wait. I hope that whoever buys the house doesn't kick me out (but they likely will). Fun times are ahead.

No word on Grad School - they're probably just filing through the gazillion applications they received to find the 25 they want to accept for this cohort... Keep your fingers and toes and paws crossed that it's my time.... this is attempt number 2 to get into Grad School, and if I don't get in this time, I'll have to take the stupid GRE again (which will just stink!). I'm due for something to go my way, and for something good in general dang it. :) Think positive thinks please :)

Work is getting back to normal again - it was a little weird coming back after being out for 3 weeks... I came in to see the notes that I had taken on my Dad's medical condition when I got "the phone call"... they were sitting right on top of my desk. I had to turn them over and just look past it - but I did have to clean my desk later that day.... Today was honestly the first day that it felt GOOD to be back at work. The kids all missed me so, and the feeling was VERY mutual :) I love those little rug rats! :)

I was going to save up for Chance's OFA x-rays, but now with the stinky house situation, it looks like I'll have to put that on the back burner again... He's sitting pretty at 10 points now, and I'm being VERY selective about where I'm entering him. If there's not a guaranteed major it REALLY is not worth my time to enter. He's really grown into himself in the last few months, and his latest win photo is evidence of that, I think. Finally. Whew. He's a handsome big goober of a dog... speaking of which, Carolyn has a FABULOUS picture that I HAVE to post to the blog as soon as she sends it (hint hint Carolyn!!) :)

And now that it's certain that Jeri is going to "test drive" Pilot, I feel comfortable saying that I will "test drive" Sterling... based on how Pilot produces with the beautimuss Lizzie, I might want use him for a 2nd litter out of Sedona, if Pilots moms agree. There are many things about both boys that I really like, so this will give me the opportunity to see what Pilot produces with Lizzie, and what Sterling produces with Sedona. Plus, I like me the blues. ;-)

I need to get Sedona's CERF test done, and aside from that, I think I'm good to go...Sterling's Penn-hip x-rays looked really good per Kim S., so I feel comfortable if she does...
I'll start consulting with folks to see what I need on hand, and who I can import to sit by my side and tell me all is ok.... ;-) After watching Kate, I'm a little scared, but seeing those little baby puppies makes me think it's all worth it in the end when the stress of the whelping is over...

In American Idol news, I LOVE Danny Gokey - HATE Megan Joy whatever-her-name-is. She's got to go. Adam did well tonight... really well. Danny is my favorite... almost as much as David Cook was my favorite last year. Yes. I did my part. I voted :)

Well, I think I will go to bed early tonight.... I had dinner with some friends from High School last night that ran a lot later than I was expecting - but I had a great time, so it was well worth staying up late (and having a hard time waking up). I can't believe the week is almost over!

Kota and his ear

Well, after having to yell at the vet staff for WAY over charging me, I think we'll be alright... Kota will NOT keep his ear flipped over backwards in vet wrap, so I'm nixing the vet wrap. They tried charging me $25.00 for vet wrap. Are you KIDDING ME? So I fought that, AND the $12 they were trying to charge me for an e-collar. Given that they quoted me $32.50 originally for the procedure, and when I went to be rang up, it came to $119 and change, you can BET I was fuming... I got the bill down SOME, but not as much as I would have liked....

I MENTIONED that my "vet friend" had done this that and the other, and he took it to mean that I was "requesting" things. So whatever... I paid for the injection of Vetalog.

He wanted me to keep Kota's ear pinned backwards, but Kota keeps shaking his head out of the vet wrap, so like I said... unless I hear otherwise, I'm leaving it out.... he's just going to shake his head till he gets it out anyway - and I can't supervise while I'm at work... soooo... he'll get crated until this heals when I can't supervise directly (48 hrs, the vet said).

I'll continue him on the Prednizone as an insurance measure... again, unless someone tells me otherwise.

Argh. darned puppy dogs! :P

Taken in the car, before we went to the vet:



Taken AT the vet:


Kota after he came out from "the back".... how HUMILIATING!


The "after" ...




I'll keep monitoring, but he seems to be ok... It may end up being a situation where it bothers ME more than it bothers him....

A quickie vet visit

This morning I woke up to see Kota's ear looking a little strange.... (see below)
For a while now Kota has had a few small lumps (Karen Harbert called them hematoma's) in his ears, but none were very big and they didn't bother him, so I didn't worry...

When I woke up this morning, this one was quite a bit bigger and had tweaked his ear, so I didn't want to wait...

I called the vet to see if they could get us in... And in they got us. When I asked if I could bring the whole crew to get weights they must have thought I was crazy, but in the end I was complimented left and right about how good my dogs were etc, etc, etc.

See the tweak in his ear? Poor kid.
Such a gooooood dog, my Kota dog :)
Always happy - even at the vets office! :)
And the cheering committee :) They're always happy too!
I like to take my dogs to the vet even when they're feeling ok so they don't get a bad feeling about the place... they don't seem worried to you, do they? ;-)

Current weights:
Dakota (5 years 9 months) 35 lbs (I was upping his food since he started agility and had gotten skinny, but now I might reduce it a little, tho he's not looking fat at all)
Sedona (2 years 9 months) 32 lbs
Chance (2 years almost 1 month) 40 lbs (I upped his food after SoCal and he's in good show weight now.... tho not easily "pick-up-able" :P)

I declined the drain of the hematoma in Kota's ear for now... I got some prednisone and will see if that will reduce the inflamation... if it gets any bigger I will take him in to have it drained... :( Poor kid. He's laying on that ear dreaming a doggy dream right now, so it doesn't seem to be bothering him :)

Oh, and I got the lecture about vaccinating my dog(s)... and then they quoted me $82.00 for titer testing for 2 vaccines (one of which was NOT rabies, which I know he's "technically" probably due for). When I have a spare $82.00 I'll have him titer tested... until then, I'm alright where I am... and so is he ;-)