The Dreaded Cone Of Shame!!

The good news:        I finished packing everything but the fridge/freezer food.
The bad news:          Jessie returned to the cone of shame!

There is no longer a big pile of boxes and "stuff" stacked near my back door.  I was finally able to get everything packed yesterday morning, except for some clothes and shoes and dog food and people food and camera equipment and ...... hmmmm maybe I'm not as ready as I thought!!

Once that was done, I began the extraction of Jessie's feet from the bandages.  Poor baby girl ... the surgical tape they used on her thin shaved skin just didn't want to let go.  I actually had to use olive oil to get it to release.  For obvious reasons, she wasn't too happy about that.

After another hour, I was able to remove the big bandages.  Both her legs look good and are healing nicely.  I cut some soft T-shirt material to wrap around the stitches, then used my horse tape to keep it in place.  Honestly, I wasn't too happy with my doctoring skills.

The second I was done, she madly began licking her feet.  I can only imagine it was to remove every last vestige of glue from the tape and to relieve the itchy feeling.   At long last, she settled down and left the bandages alone.  YAY!!  At least for the moment, I figured I did not have to watch her every second.  

I did a sweep of the house, not of the broom type, and set all the thermostats so they would not turn on unless it was 86 degrees inside (which has never happened), so the sprinklers can run one more day a week without breaking the bank.  Run both at the same time all summer and I'd be in the poor house.  

I also set the sprinklers up, but honestly, I like the sign that said "Our grass is brown because there is a drought.  Conserve water."  

With Jessie basically leaving her legs alone, I left the head gear on the table as we all crashed on the couch again.  I've decided it's not the comfortable couch that gives me the good night's sleep, rather the Benadryl I've been taking for these crazy allergies.  Try as I might, I just couldn't get comfortable last night.  

It was about three hours in when I heard the telltale signs of licking.  Yup ... I'm a light sleeper!!  I arose immediately to find Jessie had pulled the T-shirt material from under the wrap.  Not yet down to the stitches, but getting VERY close.   NOOOOOOOOOO rang throughout the house.  

Since I don't have a lot of horse tape left, I opted for scotch tape to keep the bandage intact until morning.  The cone of shame came into being instantly.  She wasn't too happy about that at all!!  Nor was I, since every time she moved, I now heard the scrape of plastic against the cushions.  It was a long night!!  When it was time to get up, I watched in amazement as the bandage just fell to the floor.  I need to take wrapping lessons from Nurse Patty.

With new material and horse tape cut in half to better fit her leg, she was rebandaged.  I imagine it might have put pressure on a different spot, making her a little uncomfortable in the beginning.  The cone of shame was reattached.  I'm bound and determined THIS bandage won't come off for a couple of days.  I don't know how long it takes dissolvable stitches to dissolve, but I hope it's soon!!  

Poor baby follows me around everywhere I go now, running into furniture and me.  I took a look at the back foot, and it too will require replacement soon.  Other than that, she's doing well and eating like a horse.  

Today is tire pressure day.  It always bothers me to use my big air compressor.  In the old days of rock crushing plants and trucks bigger than my house, there was an accident when someone was airing up a tire.  The thing is, you can't hook it up without paying attention.  Thinking about your girlfriend or your weekend plans is NOT a good idea.  You just might overfill the tire to such an extent that it explodes in your face, releasing the steel ring that will break your arms in several places, not to mention your face.  It happened. 

The second time involved a pickup truck.  As I got out, I heard a hissing noise.  I leaned down to the back tire to see if that's where it was coming from, when the tire exploded.  Thankfully, it missed my head, but my ear drums will never be the same.  It's scary stuff, but it has to be done.  Not that I have bad tires, I don't.  They are still in excellent shape.  My brain however, still remembers the BOOM.  I will be extra EXTRA careful!!