Recuperating Pets

We have been meaning to have our little Kazakh dog Perdita spayed for some time.  While we would truly love puppies from her she is not really clever enough to be a good mother, we have no homes to pass them on to and there is no way we could keep more than one pup.  In effect it would be deeply selfish and stupid to breed from her.   Sadly every time that she has had her season and been able to be spayed we have either been in the middle of an international move, brought a new child into the home, had a nightmare finding a competent vet or been otherwise unable to help deal with a convalescent pet.

Bessie our English dog teaches Perdie the Kazakh Dog to enjoy the Beach

Last month we rescued Kismet, a tiny little kitten and made an appointment with the vet to get her fixed as soon as we possibly can.  The two younger pets bonded incredibly quickly and are now fast friends.  With this in mind the vet agreed to spay our dog at the same time.  Bessie our older dog looked rather put out when we loaded the other two into the car but this was one road trip she was pleased to miss out on.  They were operated on one after the other and placed side by side in the recovery room while they waited to come round.  When I collected them they were both rather shaky but I had welcoming meows and tail thumps while I received the post-operative instructions and made payment. 

Kismet the Malaysian Kitty

The two girls had to be crated for 8 days.  Kismet is still new to the home so is crated in the living room in one of the dogs’ airline crates at night so we were able to leave her in there quite happily.  Perdita hates being in her crate with a passion and even a comfortable bed did not tempt her in.  We compromised by placing her on the sofa and keeping her there.  She slept in the downstairs bedroom with my father (who is visiting) the first night to save her the stairs and the next few days was carried up to sleep in our bed as a special treat.

2 girls recuperating post op....

Neither pet had a buster collar as all stitches were internal (save one small stitch on the cat), unlike all our other pets they never once tried to worry the stitches which was a relief.  Previous dogs have been forced to wear collars or suffered the indignity of child’s trousers to stop the worrying.  The dog has been most indignant about being kept housebound when her older sister is allowed to go for a swim and long walks.  She has also been rather put out at being left behind when we go for runs in the evening.  She is so much younger than Bessie and a steppe hound to boot so she needs to run. Going out with us gives her the chance to stretch her legs and while she still hobbles a little she is desperate to get outside.  She is slowly getting better and should be able to go out for a family walk in the next few days.  The running will have to wait a little while longer though.

Perdie - desperate to go for a walk

Kismet coped with the crate for a few days but she is a very little kitten with a real desire to be with us.  We allowed her out for a few hours a day just to sit on the sofa with us.  Sadly she decided to be a little naughty and explore the dining table and, in the process, bust an internal and her external stitch.  The damage did not seem too bad and we cleaned her up.  The vet saw her the other day and gave her some extra strength antibiotics and says she should be right as rain soon although I will need to drive her over every few days for a quick check.  Sadly she is back in the crate for most of the day though I am keeping her in her travel crate (which has a petting flap) for a few hours so she can sit next to me while I work or on the sofa with the rest of the family and this seems to calm her down a lot. 

Joining in family fun

Through the process I have become a dab hand at feeding pets pills.  Bessie is just plain greedy and will eat any pill if offered on the palm of the hand.  Sadly Perdie and Kismet do not share this greed and need to be persuaded to take their pills.  I have spent the past few days forcing my fingers and pills down their throats and massaging them until they swallow.  Thankfully neither bite and seem to forgive me the indignity almost immediately. 

Hopefully by this time next week things should be getting back to normal.

Click on the picture for more posts on expat pets.

Posted in the Animal Tails Linky hosted by Eco-Gites of Lenault