The Littlest Patient

How is that for a sad face? Poor Gwen can not get comfortable in her body today. Yesterday she had a mastectomy (yes, that's what they called it) and was spayed. She looked pretty chipper and comfortable when we picked her up this morning, but I think now that either (a) they had given her better pain meds that have worn off or (b) she was just happy to be outside of the clinic. We walked out the front door and she immediately took several deep breaths, filling her nose with smells. Now that we've been home a couple of hours, the exhiliration has worn off and she can't figure out what to do. She wants me to hold her, but then she gets up off my lap and just lies next to me. She starts to shiver and gets in her blanket, but that's not right either. It hurts to get up on the couch, but it isn't much better when I lift her up. Nothing is right today.

She's been beside me on the couch, on top of one blanket and under another, shivering. There's finally one little patch of sun in our backyard, so I put her pillow out there for her to sunbathe. As you can see, she's still not a happy camper. She isn't shivering anymore at least. I think at this point she's just not comfortable, and that I can't change. My next move, if she continues to act chilled, is to bring her pillow up to the office and turn the heater on in here. I don't get hot as quickly as Alex, so I can make the office fairly warm without being uncomfortable. And I can sew while she rests.

Yes, it's Thursday and I'm at home. Yes, it's because my dog is recovering from surgery. Yes, I'm checking on her every few minutes and searching for ways to make her more comfortable. Are you surprised? I didn't think so.

P.S. - The tumor has gone to pathology for testing, so we won't know for 3 to 5 days whether it's cancer or not. Even if it is, we caught it early. The vet will take a chest x-ray to make sure there's no cause for concern there, but they anticipate having removed the tumor and mammory gland will take care of it.