We called the hospital this morning to inquire when we could
pick up our Stella. They stated that she
had just been giving the last of the loading dose of Phenobarbital and was
pretty zonked out so we should not pick her up until late afternoon.
We arrived at the hospital around 4:30pm and were given
Stella’s discharge instructions by an ER technologist. When she could not answer some of our
questions she sent in an ER vet to speak with us. We were told to give Stella ½ tablet of
Phenobarbital (full tablet =64.8mg) twice a day. We were told
this medication schedule is very stringent; we need to stick to a strict
schedule, making every effort to keep it at the exact same times every single day
and to not skip a dose. We were told
this is extremely important for the medication to be effective. We were also told to continue with the
Gabapentin, three times a day. When we
asked why Stella would need to be on both medications the ER vet was unsure and
said that until we spoke with the Neurologist we should continue to give it to
her.
With all the different medications Stella has been on the
last two weeks we asked if it was ok to still give her the monthly
Heartworm medication and Frontline
protection for fleas & ticks. The ER
vet stated she ‘thought” it was ok but since she seems unsure we will hold off
for now. We do not live in a wooded area
and Stella does not come into contact with wild animals and with all she has
been through we haven’t taken her for walks so she is seemingly safe in her own
fenced-in backyard.
When the tech brought Stella out to us in the waiting area we were quite startled at her appearance. She could walk but kept turning her front paws over as if waking on her "wrists" and then would stumble and land on her face. She would stand herself back up but it took several seconds and then she would fall on her face again. Luckily being a Pug she is not far from the ground (and her face is already flat!). Hopefully this is just a reaction to being loaded with powerful drugs and once she is on s steady medication regimen this will wear off.
When we arrived at home, we decided that until Stella could
walk properly, we would line our kitchen with small rugs so she would hopefully
have more balance and not slip on the tile.
We also will carry her to the grass portion of the yard to protect her
from hitting her face on the concrete patio.
*Because we have had
dogs with various issues with walking, whether sick or injured, we have numerous rubber-backed bath rugs that we keep for these such circumstances. I highly recommend that all dog owners have these on hand if you have wood floors or tile – but I hope you never have to use
them. Also the rugs are easily washed in
the washing machine and easy to store on a shelf.
The rest of the night Stella was seriously disoriented, more
like catatonic. Maybe Baby Girl will be
better tomorrow after a good night’s sleep in her own home. We have doggy stairs for the girls to get up
in our bed at night but we are worried Stella may fall so we will have her
sleep in the kitchen to keep her safe - her sister Betty will keep her company.
Incidentally, we have decided her stringent medication
schedule will be at 6am and 6 pm every day.
**HELPFUL SUGGESTION – if your dog is ever
in a situation where they are in the hospital overnight receiving IV fluids be
sure to line your car with WATERPROOF pads.
We have a heavy duty canvas car hammock for the girls in the
backseat. It keeps them confined to the
back seat are and yet they won’t get tangled in seatbelts or leashes. We also keep soft blankets on the hammock for
them (spoiled spoiled spoiled). Even though we let Stella relieve herself prior to getting in the car, once on the road she passed out and as her body relaxed all the fluids from the past 15 hours(!!!!) just seeped
out everywhere; right thru multi layers of blankets and even through the thick “waterproof”
canvas. I have a “Dog Recipe” that I use
to remove pee and vomit and it does work however one of the steps requires
baking soda and although the smell is out of the car I cannot get the baking
soda out of the grooves of the pattern of the fabric on the seat. It looks like a bag of flour exploded!!!!
This “recipe” is the
best method I have ever found and works to get the pee and vomit smell out of
carpeting and upholstery. If you would
like it, leave me a comment.
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