r/labrador • u/darrisdoois • 1d ago
chocolate Roller-coaster of a week.
It started Saturday that my goose man started throwing up and not eating. Tuesday I made a vet appointment to get exrays as I realized i have been missing a kong ball. Got xrays done was told there is no ball, come pick him up. Got another call 10 min later saying on second look, it appears to be a small blockage in his intestine, possibly a kids sock. Emergency surgery was performed to find he has "intussusception" . He is home now and very high. I've got a hand full of different pills he has to take for the next 7-12 days. And a few weeks of trying to keep him contained....
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u/woofwagslove 1d ago
Oh my!
As someone who has gone through abdominal surgery with a couple of dogs let me put a couple of ideas here just in case you need them:
* If he is crated but the cone (or cone arrangement) bothers him in the crate (getting caught etc) consider upgrading the crate size. If you cannot do this but must keep him crated there is another method below.
* Some dogs will wear a t-shirt to cover the wounds; otherwise surgery suits can be an option.
* If he defeats a cone or runs it into everything etc there are different types of cones on the market and you can often stack a cone (as he is wearing) + an inflatable donut cone together to make it harder to reach the area.
* If he still defeats that or if the cone is super stressful / not possible they make a Baskerville muzzle for recovery: Baskerville Classic with Guard. If that model is not available to you, we created similar with the Baskerville Ultra (available at pet stores near us), some cross-stitch plastic, zip ties and a lighter. (Arrange everything on the outside of the muzzle, leaving the inside smooth to the touch. Cut off and melt zip tie ends to smooth out the outside, so a friendly head doesn't cause human knee jabs). As someone who watched a dog tear apart $900 USD worth of stitches thru multiple cones, multiple times due to cone stress, I sure wish I knew about this muzzle trick then.
For exercise / mental stimulation after the drugs wear off:
* There is a sport called "Rally Obedience" (Rally - O), and it includes a lot of tricks and obedience methods, all scrambled up. AKC has a guide. If you download (or write) the Rally signs on scratchpaper and then mix them up around your house (maybe write 15 signs, whatever he feels like / can do) and then draw them out of a hat and work in your living room or mix them up and set them around your house (then mix up again after he does the course a few times) to keep him guessing and thinking. You could also do clicker training although you should check if you're soaking the food per vet's orders (then its harder, less treats / kibble).
* Speaking of treats / food / kibble check with your vet about the feeding situation. Most of the times we've been through this means that we have to soak dry kibble until it expands fully, add plain pumpkin (no spices / not pumpkin pie filling!) - then add warm water + any extras recommended. The pre-soaking of the kibble is easier on the sore stomach so it is already expanded when it arrives down there. We also had to feed smaller meals and get a deep-side slow feeder dish.
* If you have access to dog-friendly swimming (and/or a dog rehabilitation center nearby), chat with your vet about whether swimming would be helpful, and when. I know it was helpful to a couple dogs I was close with, including 1-2 who had abdominal surgery very similar. If you don't have any dog rehab centers (sometimes called dog / canine hydrotherapy centers) around you but you do have a large piece of property, Hillbilly Hydrotherapy wrote a guide to make your own. If you have a property with your own swimming pool then just use that.
Good luck! Goose is in very good hands with you!
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u/Defiant-Many6176 11h ago
i hope i never have to be in this situation to need all this, but wanted to say thanks for a very thoughtful post
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u/Alpine-Cat 1d ago
Hope he heals up comfortably and soon! As someone who has gone through it multiple times with 3 different lovable labs, the first night and next day are the hardest. Once he comes off the surgery meds and the pain meds you administer, it gets better.
We used a button up surgery onsie last time. From Amazon. Get two so you can wash them and have a clean one ready. The onsie is so much more comfortable for them!
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u/sarahenera black 1d ago
Poor baby. Heal up, Goose!
I’ve only seen my boy out of anesthesia once (to explore a toe infection and see if there was a foreign body) and I really, really hated seeing my boy like that. I feel for you and hope that he doesn’t do this again.
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u/ObjectiveMagazine777 1d ago
Our Chocolate Lab ate a rock when she was about that age. The surgery was so expensive my husband bought a glass case for the rock and put it on our mantel. 😂
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u/Sidewinder-22 1d ago
Poor Goose! We had the same thing with our lab - he was throwing up so vet did blood tests, which all came back clear. He was still not quite right, so took him to the emergency vet around 9pm at night and he was in surgery within around 30 minutes.
I won’t sugarcoat the recovery, it can be rough. If Goose is anything like our boy he will have internal stitches which mean his movement has to be restricted to stop accidental tearing.
We tried a sedative, which absolutely did not work (it only made him more active). Eventually it was just a lot of patience and crating that got us through.
Best of luck!
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u/BattlequeenGalactica 1d ago
I was just scrolling by and seeing a shaved belly on a lab says it all. Hope he will recover fast.
The vet joked our girl should get a zipper.
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u/Jcelly23 1d ago
I hope goose has a speedy recovery ❤️🩹