Halas Removed His Stitches! ER Thinks No Big Deal? (really gross photo)

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas wears his cone of shame when I'm at work.  I was home for a long lunch today, just to give him a break from his cone.  I put it back on before I left, and went back to work.  I got home about 30 minutes ago to this:

The stitches are gone from this one on his left side, and the one on his right hip.  The right hip is pretty much closed up, so I'm not too worried about that one.  But, as you can see, this one is an open wound.  And it's deep.  My vet had closed about 15 minutes before I got home, so I called the ER vet.  They said it should be fine for tonight, since the surgery was 5 days ago, but I should get him to his regular vet first thing tomorrow.  I will definitely do that tomorrow as soon as they open, but what about tonight?  I don't see how this big, open wound is going to be ok overnight.  Maybe they are assuming that it's mostly closed up, but I tried to explain that this one WAS NOT closed up.  I even said I could email a picture of it to them.  Is this really something that looks like it will be ok overnight?!  I asked if I should at least put Polysporin and a bandage over it, but they said no.  WTD?!

And he did still have his cone on when I got home, which means he did all of this between 12:30 - 5:45 today while working around his cone.  And based on the fact that the other side is practically closed up, I think he's been messing with this one on his left side at other times, too, when I've been at work.  The one on his groin still has stitches, and doesn't look like he's bothered it, so at least the cone worked for that one.

This is grossing me out, and I'm really worried about it being OK overnight.  Any advice?  Call the ER vet back and explain it again? Put some Polysporin and a big bandage over it?  Leave it alone?

[F, Calla & Luca]

So is Halas patched up?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

YAY....otherwise, who will do Burpees with me on the cruise? LOL

[Leslie and Halas]

I know! That was a close one!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Really thrilled : )

[Robin and Libby Louise]

HAHAHAHA!  They do manage to look more pathetic than any other dog breed I've ever seen.  Very creative!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

How is Halas this morning?

[Carol and Banjo]

HILARIOUS designer outfit!!!! I'll have this image of Halas in my head all day!.....poor baby....

[Lynda Kamrath]

Leave it alone, but keep his cone on.  My dog has a cone now but he still will try scratching at his side (hot spot) with his back legs.  As soon as the cone is off, he is licking.  Their tongue is their best tool for dealing with pain.  Harpo also loves to scratch himself by rolling.  We just try to keep his wounds clean and dry.

[Leslie and Halas]

We got to the vet right at 8:00.  She confirmed that the incisions on his right side (We originally thought there was one, oddly shaped tumor on his right hip, but it turned out to be 2 smaller ones) look really good.  There was one suture left there, but she went ahead and just removed it.  But the one on his left side had to be stapled.  She put a numbing agent on it, and stapled it together.  The one on his groin hadn't been messed with, and it looks really good so far, too, and she left those stitches in.  He also got some antibiotics, a new pain-killer, and a larger cone.  He was really miserable last night and this morning, but he's feeling better now.  I think he was in a lot of pain from his DIY suture removal.  The numbing agent must have helped, and hopefully the pain-killer will kick in as the numbing agent wears off.  He shouldn't be able to get to it with the larger cone, but she said that it would be really tough for him to get the staples out anyway. She also checked his temperature, which is normal, so that's a good sign.  But the antibiotic should take care of any infection that may be brewing.  When I picked him up after the surgery last Friday, she was in the middle of some emergencies, so I didn't get to talk to her.  So she told me today that she rechecked all of the tumors, including the new, 4th one, and they were all just fatty, so that was great news, too.  I'm working from home today to keep an eye on him, and make sure that he can't get to that spot.  My mom is watching him this weekend, and I want to be able to trust the cone, so she doesn't feel like she has to keep her eye on him 24x7.  Here's a picture of his new staples.  It's blurry, but you get the idea.

[Carol and Banjo]

You're such a great Doodle Mom Leslie! Hugs to you both....hoping Halas has a more comfortable day and night.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Beautiful : ) Glad to hear it's all under control.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Poor Halas, but it's his own fault for messing with his stitches. :( And poor you. I hope he heals quickly and the meds help him to feel more comfortable.