Harper's in emergency surgery

[cheryl]

Aww i don't blame him for being mad..who would want an ecollar around their neck,

i remember when my Daisy had her op and pulled out her stitches,she had to also wear a e collar and she hated it to pieces.



cheryl

 

[MyBoyHarper]

I'm at a loss now. The vet said leave the e-collar on at all times except to take it off and let him eat and then put it right back on. However, whenI take it off, he only wants to chew the heck out of his stitches. Is there any way I can hand feed him? He can reach his hay with the collar on, but not his pellets.Can I mash them up with some warm water and syringe feed it to him? Or is hay good enough of a diet for a few days?

Here's the pic of him in his e-collar:

 

[Haley]

aww poor little Harper (he looks so darn cute though!)

Could you hand feed him pellets? Or put them in a smaller little cup or something that he can get at with the collar on?

 

[MyBoyHarper]

None of the cups seem to work and he won't take them from my hand... I've been trying to think of other alternatives but can't come up with any.

Cheryl, how did Daisy eat her pellets with the collar on?

 

[cheryl]

Awww he does look kinda cute,it reminds me of Daisy,i wish i had taken a picture of her with it on



The collar i had for Daisy was much smaller than that,i got a really small one..like for a cat..Daisy would have trouble trying to eat as well,i would sit there and feed her,the vet also told me to take it off when she eats,but like Harper she just wanted to get at her stitches,but i distracted her with food..was i glad when she was healed and the e collar could come off..lol when the collar came off she looked kinda funny,i guess we were used to seeing her with the collar on,but she was one mighty happy bunny though to be rid of that thing



cheryl

 

[cheryl]

How did Harper go when you put it on him for the first time?

Daisy went bonkers,she ran and ran around the room,she tried her hardest to get the collar off..poor girl i felt very sorry for her



cheryl

 

[MyBoyHarper]

He ran around for about 60 seconds, then just sits in place now. He won't budge while it's on. When I take it off,he's all happy, whenI put it back on, he stands like a statue... LOL

 

[binkies]

Poor angel. Good job at catching it mom!

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Okay, he won't eat or drink with that e-collar on. So, I took it off for a minute and he's chewing his staples. I'm thinking that after he chews them for a minute, maybe he'll go eat and drink a little.

So stressed out. Who wants to guess that I will NOT be sleeping much tonight?

 

[cheryl]

Same as Daisy,after she settled down she would just sit there, probably trying to work out a plan on how to get the collar off lol



cheryl

 

[LuvaBun]

Sorry I'm just seeing this now - poor Harper. He may just need time to adapt to the collar before he eats his pellets. Eating hay is the most important thing, so as long as he's doing that and managing to drink, he should be OK.

Of course, he could just be making you suffer since you make him wear the collar

Jan

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Well Harper gave us a scare between last night and this morning! He wasn't eating, drinking, or pooping. However,after another vet visit, we found out he is fine. He isn't eating or drinking because he hates the e-collar, and isn't pooping cause he isn't eating. So, all day I have sat by his cage, with the cage door open, and let him run around with his e-collar off. After 3 hours of sitting there (my legs were numb by then) watching him groom himself,he finally began to drink some water. And drank, and drank, and drank.*Whew* He made the water level in his bottle go down nearly an inch.

He did nibble a little hay as well, but not much. But I'm sure he'll eat more later. The vet told me to give him some Nutri-Cal for now, just so he can get his vitamins.

He's a little upset again now, since I justnow put the collar back on. I need a break from staring at him so I can go grab some lunch and stretch my legs!

 

[HoneyPot]

Soo glad to hear he is doing well (even though he has to wear the collar!).

_________
Nadia

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

Nose rubs to Harper, and hugs to you for taking such wonderful care of him! We'll be keeping you both in our thoughts!

 

[JimD]

Poor little guy!

Binkie says to tell Harper that the collrr will come off eventually and he should try to get used to it so he heals faster. Binkie HATED he rcollar (and me for putting it on her), but she figured out how to shovel up the pellets with it and then use it as kind of a serving tray. The most frustrating part for Binkie was not being able to groom herself....and she wouldn't let me do it for her either. She also had a bit of a problem getting in and out of her litter pan without the collar getting caught on the side of the pan, but she even got past that and figured out that she had to hold her head up.

Give Harper an extra scrunch from us!!!

`jim

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Hey Jim, long time no see!

Harper is doing better in the collar today, my mother is baby-sitting him for me. She said he has drank 4 times with the collar on and has eaten hay. This is a definite improvement since yesterday when he would only eat and drink when I took the collar off. So that definitely makes me feel a lot better!

His incision seems to be healing nicely already as well, which I am very glad about. The doctor has him on Baytril for 10 days as a precaution since it was such a big surgery. He seems to be feeling a lot better today though!

 

[Carolyn]

I noticed Harper's beautiful face on Jan's post about Dearest Perry. I fell instantly in love with him then.

Oh - That Nose!!!! :kiss:You're an incredible parent for this perfect little Angel.

Can't take any more bad news since Perry passed. My heart dropped when I saw the name of this thread when I came in to check Perry's thread, and I was reluctant to look at it, but I'm glad I did.

:sickbunny:

Happy Healing Harper! (That's such a cute name!)

-Carolyn

.

 

[Haley]

Im glad our little man is feeling better today.

Ive been keeping him in my prayers. ray:

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Hi Carolyn!! Good to see you around, you're rarely here!

Harper is doing good this evening. He's drinking loads of water, and nibbling on bits of hay. However, I am getting extremely concerned. He barely pooped a few tiny little poops yesterday, and absolutely none today. The vet seems to think it's because he is barely eating, however I am still worried. He is also refusing to eat his pellets, and hasn't eaten any since he came home Wenesday (he had the surgery Tuesday). He only wants to nibble on a *little* hay here and there.

He's also grooming himself a LOT when I take the collar off, as well as pulling out his chest hair because of the Nutri-Cal that keeps spilling there, even though I wipe it off. All this worries me because he sheds so badly all I keep thinking about is another hairball blockage.

I called the vet and the receptionist said he was gone today for some reason but she wouldpass on my message to him. She said he would call in the morning and let me know whether to come in or not.However he opens at 8, I live an hour away, and he closes at noon.

After a blockage surgery, has anyone had any of these problems or concerns? This is Harper's first surgery and first big illness and I am beside myself with worry.

He and I sat together awhile ago and he got a 45 minute nose rub while I was watching Spongebob. My hand was cramping by the time I finished,and then he was upset and kept nudging me for more when I quit, LOL! Him and I have bonded a lot lately since he got sick, because I've been with him nearly 24/7. He's probably sick of me by now!

 

[Haley]

Have you tried syringe feeding him pellet slurry? I think he needs to be eating to get things moving. It might be pain thats causing him to not eat. Did you ever speak to the vet about pain meds?