Teetering on the brink

EatingBeans

The idea of going to the vet is to get antibiotics which I cannot get by myself. If it is getting better by itself though there is an argument that she might not actually need antibiotics, in which case there is less call for a vet and I might be able to the ear by myself. Either way her ears need cleaning but the idea of not cleaning them before I go is it gives the vet a clearer picture of what they are dealing with.

However, given the slight improvement, I decided to clean and monitor first. Well. 😳 I am glad I put the collar and muzzle on is all I can say! Just wow. Even with Pet Remedy (which a behaviourist advised me to use on her to keep her calmer), and the last couple of days of deliberate desensitisation, that girl did not want her ears cleaned! I genuinely think she would have bitten me if it wasn’t for the muzzle. She’s threatened other people a few times but never actually gone for anyone, so it came as quite a surprise for her to actually try and get me, but she quickly gave that up as a bad idea as I told her no and then sat holding on to her, just patiently waiting for her to pull herself together. Just a few minutes later she stopped even trying to get away, gave me a little wag, and we did the usual, ear wipe, meat, ear wipe, meat routine. As soon as I got one good go on the bad ear (and she didn’t try to bite me), I gave her a big fuss, gave her some more meat and took the muzzle off. I let her bounce around a bit to shake off all the tension and then asked her to put her face back in the muzzle to win a bit more meat - I was very relieved to see she was more than happy to oblige (my concern being that I am going to need to be able to put it back on her next time and I don’t want her to think every time I approach her with it that I am going to clean her ears)!

Only time will tell if it has helped, but the ear solution is supposed to soothe irritation so fingers crossed. 🤞

So much for ear cleaning being something I can do in the time it takes the kettle to boil! 😬

Cherryfudge

Well done - that sounds like quite an achievement! Hopefully in the morning you will be able to see which way things are going.

daisy_1571

I was going to suggest a photo, can be hard to remember accurately

Much kudos for the way you are handling her not really wanting to be handled but also wanting to be a good girl but also being in pain and using one of the few ways they have to communicate that. Top marks for trying the muzzle again so she knows it doesn't always lead to ears

Dxx

kayannie

I thought you might be interested to know that TN was mentioned on BBC Wales TV this morning as being one of the very worst pain there is.

I missed the start of the item as I was in the kitchen but when TN was mentioned, went in the living room to listen. A man with TN said that he has TN in his jaw, but had surgery a few years ago which was a great success.

It was only on for a few minutes, but if you are interested, you may be able to access it.

KA x

EatingBeans

Thanks @kayannie I will see if I can find it. I bet the surgery he had was a Microvascular Decompression (MVD). It is the closest thing there is to a cure for TN although that is far from guaranteed and sadly many times the pain comes back years later. The surgery also comes with a huge list of risks and not everyone is a candidate for surgery. That said, it is the very thing I am now pushing for. The NHS will only let you go down that route once you have exhausted all possible medications and they have stopped working because it is basically the final thing they can offer but fingers crossed. 🤞

daisy_1571

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y2z2v964zo

You've probably had other people sending you this but i thought better you get told a dozen times than none, so here it is (again)

Dxx

EatingBeans

£85 excess spent at the vets today. 😞 Little Dog tried her best to stay calm in the waiting room despite all the other dogs/cats/people/noise and she got little cubes of chicken in return for not reacting. Sadly, as soon as the vet came near her, Little Dog lost the plot (I was very glad she was wearing a muzzle as the vet visibly jumped with surprise!). That’s the biggest problem of all - she looks so sweet and innocent, right up until she’s not. The vet suggested she might be trying to protect me and asked if I would leave the room so she could call the nurses to hold her instead. Well. I could hear the chaos from the waiting room and I was soon asked to come back in and have her back. 😬 It was decided the best cause of action was some tablets to help inflammation, plus some strong sedatives to give to her before a second appointment next week. If they still can’t get near her the vet said she might even have to knock her out. Now, I know everyone probably thought she was the worst dog in the world (understandably so as she can come across as very ferocious), but I was actually pretty proud of her because even after all of that, when I asked her to let me flip her ears over so I could show the vet (who was now at a safe distance behind the table), Little Dog complied without batting an eyelid. No fuss at all, she just sat there good as gold, even letting me mess around with the bad ear to show the vet as far down as I could. For Little Dog that was a big achievement, especially in such a scary environment. I guess everyone else was measuring her against what they think a Labrador ‘should’ be like at that age, whereas I could see we were asking her to do too much too soon, and I am just appreciating the progress in comparison to where she was. She really does want to be good, she just gets very scared. The vet suggested that the next time I visit we could also discuss longer term anxiety meds. I guess it couldn’t hurt. I’m all for making her more comfortable in the world then maybe other people will get to see the sweet girl that’s buried under all the fear. We can but hope. 🤞

daisy_1571

Aw whar a very good girl she is, please give her a reassuring rub and cuddle from me

Dxx

Cherryfudge

Well done all of you for getting through that and not blaming little dog. Especially big kudos to you, Beans, for all the thought and care you put in. I hope the tablets take effect quickly so she feels better.

EatingBeans

One step forward, three steps back. Little Dog wont let me put her muzzle on now so no ear cleaning possible today. 😞 So, back to the drawing board and I have fed her dinner one piece at a time just asking her to put her face in her muzzle to get each piece. As soon as I do anything that might imply that I what to do it up she instantly backs off so I suspect I need to go back to square one and try at get her used to associating it with lots of nice things. I have to have it on her to go back to the vets next week so I don’t have long! Time to buy more dog friendly peanut butter I think. 🤦‍♀️