Isla Update...

It has been a long, LONG week with lots of ups and downs. On Friday we learned that she has an infection just above the injury but our vet seemed to think that it was no big deal. It hadn't spread beyond the initial site so he gave us an antibiotic to give her twice a day. I had noticed a nasty odor coming from the bandage on Thursday and called but they told me that she would be ok until Friday morning. We left the appointment feeling optimistic.

Saturday morning I noticed a great deal of seepage on the bandage and the odor was back. We had been read the riot act about keeping the bandage dry (and we had!) so I called again and they said she should come in. Our vet's partner, Dr. Wolf saw her and was decidedly less optimistic. She said that the infection had spread and that it could potentially be life threatening so she added an additional heavy duty antibiotic and gave me her home phone and cell number to call her if the bandage showed seepage or developed an odor again. We were so upset to hear that things weren't going well. Ironically, she seemed to have more spunk and energy than at any time since the injury.

Dr. Wolf called last night and the bandage seemed to be holding up well so we agreed to wait until this morning to change it. She was adamant that it be changed, despite the fact that today is Sunday and Isla is scheduled to go in tomorrow morning to have the wound drained, lanced and re-evaluated.

So I went in this morning and acted as her Vet Tech as she took off the bandage, cleaned the wound with a form of hydrotherapy using a heavy duty antiseptic and re-dressed it. I have to say if it wasn't for the fact that it was MY dog lying on the table, I would have been fascinated with the process. Isla, for her part, was very cooperative, clearly glad to have me with her through the process, although obviously in pain. What a trooper! She even wagged her tail when Dr. Wolf's husband stopped in, despite the fact that we were elbow-deep in the hydrotherapy.

Isla will most likely lose the large pad on her foot but Dr. Wolf said that she will still be able to walk, as the area will scar over and develop a toughness to replace the pad. We still have a very long process ahead of us and infection still looms as the spoiler to the healing process. This morning she said things look a little better but she wants me to bring her in tonight for another bandage change.

I am so grateful to all of the vets who have worked on her. They have obviously gone "above and beyond" to help insure a positive outcome. I would be lying if I said that I don't miss the almost $800 that this little incident has cost so far but I also know that I would never consider NOT paying what it takes to fix this horrible situation as long as it was in my power. Ok, so it means no new fall wardrobe or a few less dinners out and a little trimming of the household budget...I can live with all of those things. I don't need any more yarn...it is going to take a couple of lifetimes to use up what I have so I don't have to feel tempted to buy more.

It still angers me to think that a moment of careful consideration instead of juvenile selfishness could have averted the whole ordeal. It has certainly made me think twice about the consequences of my actions.

So, keep your fingers crossed that we continue to see progress. I only have to look in those gorgeous brown eyes so full of trust to know that we are doing the right thing!