Gogo's Recovery

18 years ago - #Gogo

We're on the fourth day after Gogo's surgery and doing well. When I picked her up, she was hobbling on three legs quite well. When we came into the waiting area of the animal hospital, she was wearing a cone, had her complete lower right side shaved, and was hobbling on three legs desperate to get out of the hospital. She got a universal "awwww..." from the waiting area.

The first day, there were times that she had a wide eyed terror look in her face that I assume was the last of the drugs wearing off. There were times when she would simply whine about nothing in particular. The first night of sleep was fitfull and we had to get up every few hours. I think she was mainly feeling pain and the effects of the opiates. Despite all of that, she was much much better this time around for the surgery. She was able to go to the bathroom outside without any help. Last time, she stumbled and fell over and couldn't figure out how to move. She drank water right away this time and she has the typically abundant Gogo appetite.

Still, I completed underestimated how much work it was to care for her in recovery. Although Oz has been very respectful of her state and never leaves her alone, he still wants his walks. And I underestimated how hard it would be to leave Gogo alone. I called Rodrigo, our dog walker and general helper, and asked if he had any time to walk Oz over the weekend. He helped out tremendously.

The second night of sleep went much better and Gogo didn't make much of a fuss at all. In fact I think I woke up before any of the dogs which is a rarity - believe me!

I did leave them alone for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. Gogo didn't seem too bothered by wearing the cone. Rodrigo said that she was asleep when he showed up.

This morning I noticed that Gogo's "hospital grittiness" had disappeared. When I picked her up, she had a lot of dandruff where she still had hair and just seemed to feel sort of gritty. This morning her coat is feeling strong and smooth again. I assume it's a combination of being allowed to sleep in the sun and getting her omega oil supplements.

I think the big challenge on this recovery will not be helping her through the pain and disorientation, but trying to slow down her recovery. Now that she's more awake and aware, I can see her little devious mind trying to figure out how to get the staples out, how to lick wounds without getting caught, how to jump up on the furniture, etc.

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Gogo spent the morning destroying a stuffed animal in the Bollywood room. The room was completely dark. We turned on the light and saw nothing but white fluffy carnage.
I had been looking for this photo to show Mom while she was in town and I didn't have it handy. But now here it is: Gogo at Christmas. This was done a few years ago when David and I went to St John and left Gogo at a kennel. They dressed her up in a Christmas collar and somehow convinced her to smile for the camera. Though I don't approve of dressing up dogs for photos, this will go down as one of my favorite Gogo photos.
Here are some shots of how Gogo slept when she was a puppy. She used to love to curl up in our neck and doze off. It didn't last long, which is probably a good thing, because I couldn't really sleep when she did it. But it was too cute to disrupt her.