Tilly update

So Tilly went in to be spayed on Thursday and things did not go well. To start with Tilly was pregnant with 3 puppies. I never even guessed that she was pregnant - she just looked a little overweight since she was thick through the waist area. Plus, she was bleeding like she was in heat. I didn't even ask how far along she was because I didn't want to know. Anyhow, that was one discovery when they opened her up. The other discovery was that she had gotten into the puppy's food that morning, without me realizing it and vomitted for quite awhile at the vets.

That alone would have been enough to be irratating to them, but add to it the fact that Tilly went into high fear mode and was biting and charging at anyone who even looked at her before and after the surgery. They gave her a pain shot both to help with her pain and also as a sedative to calm her down so she would rest for awhile. When I picked her up I went in the back and sat on the floor, thinking she would see me and run to me in relief. Nope. She was frozen in place curling her lip and not letting me get within about 2 feet of her. Finally they just gave me a couple of towels which I used to protect my hands from being bitten when I picked her up to take out to the car.

We put the crate in a corner of the living room and everyone steered clear of her until bedtime. After the other dogs were done outside I carried the crate outside and set it on the lawn, talking gently to her the whole time. Then I set a bowl of water on the ground and opened the crate door from where she couldn't see me. Luckily she was thirsty and out she came. I closed the door and she wandered around a bit and peed, which made me ecstatic. Then I squatted down next to her, facing away from her and she let me pet her for a bit. She seemed too weak to walk back across the lawn, so I brought the crate to her and gently lifted her inside. I pet her as she was standing near the front of the crate so she could see that someone's hands in her crate wasn't a bad thing. Whew.

Since then we have been taking regular forays outside, but always carrying her outside and inside in the crate. I want to give her more time to heal before I start getting her to come out of her crate and walk around the house. It's a little frustrating, because it feels like I've lost all the progress that I had made, but the fact that she is letting me pet her and actually seeking me out lets me know that she will bounce back once she's feeling a little better.

Sprocket will be neutered this coming Tuesday and thankfully his surgery and trip to the vet should be much less eventful.

The photo above shows Tilly the day after she came to us, before I had noticed she was "in heat" and she was still running around sans diaper. It shows her "thick waist" from behind.