Stitches? I don't need no stinkin' stitches!

Charlie went to the vet's Tuesday to be neutered. He's a little over a year old now. It's time. He jumped into the truck eagerly awaiting whatever adventure we were bringing him on. He walked into the vet's office like he owned the place, sniffing all around, happy to meet new friends.

"Wait, you're leaving me here?" he asked with a hint of panic. "Yes," I replied. "I'll pick you up later. You'll be fine".

The dog we got back at the end of the day thought there was a bee stinging his behind! And out came the "collar of shame".

Even with that collar, by Wednesday he'd managed to pull all of his stitches out. And he broke the cone and ripped it off his head. "Charlie, what did you do?" I asked. "Stitches? I don't need no stinkin' stitches!" he grumbled. OK, so that's paraphrased from Blazing Saddles, but it certainly fits his mood!

His regular vet was on vacation. Of course! And we couldn't find another vet that had any time to see him. So Wednesday evening he was paying a visit to the emergency clinic. They gave him a bigger collar and quite a few staples to close the incision, and a round of antibiotics.

By Thursday he'd managed to again break the collar (note the gorilla tape in the photo) and pull the staples out. Called his regular vet's office again and they said that since he was so determined to pull them out it was sort of pointless to put more staples in and that the wound would eventually granulate and close on its own. They did suggest a "pillow" around his neck that sort of looks like a blow up inner tube. It prevents the cone from flattening and further prevents him from reaching the incision.

So poor Charlie! He has the blow up collar, then the cone. We have to keep him inside so he doesn't get fly strike. He's miserable! What would have been only a few days till he could resume his livestock guarding duties has turned into weeks of house confinement with a cone on his head.

Please send Charlie your love and prayers for what he has had to endure at the hands of these humans who not only took his masculinity but now his freedom!

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