The Cone of Shame

At the beginning of this week, we nearly lost Scout.  She ended up having to have emergency bladder surgery to remove what the vet called “countless” bladder stones, one of which was large enough to keep her from “doing her business.”  We were given the choice of putting her down, allowing her to suffer an incredibly painful and slow death, or opting for the emergency surgery.  Scout was in significant and relentless pain at this point.  Whether or not you think you would pay for emergency surgery for a dog is not the question.  I do find it hard to believe that, given our situation, you wouldn’t.  Scout is a young(ish) dog and is otherwise healthy.  She is also a part of the family.  Given the choice of spending money we do not have and losing Scout, our decision was a no-brainer.

                  Scout did her part to add to the string of health issues that our family has gone through over the past several months.  She kept up with me and had surgery (although mine wasn’t life threatening and wasn’t emergency, so maybe she “wins”).  Anyway, as is the case with all surgeries, regardless of who is going through it, there is a recovery period.  Right now, our pitiful little Scout, has several shaved patches of fur, is taking quite a few medications, has had to drastically change her diet permanently and, worst of all, is wearing a cone to make sure she doesn’t inadvertently hurt her recovery chances.  This particular health issue, while not unheard of in dogs, is somewhat rare.  We haven’t gotten word yet about what type of stone they removed.  If it is one specific type, it will most likely come back.  If it is another, it will be easier to control.

                  I hate that we didn’t realize she was uncomfortable or even in pain until the day that it peaked.  While she wasn’t facing extreme pain until that day, she was stoically dealing with discomfort and some bouts of pain.  She never whined about it at all until it became too much for her.  Thankfully, it wasn’t too late.  We’ll figure out the ramifications of it all later. 

Amelia, while hesitant of the cone, has told everyone that Scout has a big boo-boo.  She is being as gentle as a nineteen month old can muster and Scout, as always, is being unbelievably patient.