More Pooka than not

Apologies for having been off blogging for so many days. After the initial high following a first good night's sleep since her accident, the ensuing days have still been tiring, and nights more often interrupted than not. So while the sedatives have definitely helped, things remain a bit rocky. And thus, a bit of a rambling, tired post.

The biggest problems aren't really big deals. She's frustrated and bored, and wants to go outside and play. And instead, I take her out for mere minutes, then tie her to the furniture or shovel her into the kennel. And this is not making my life easy. She wants attention, a lot, when I'm home, and can barely stand for me to be in the other room while she's alert. A friend was over, and she was unsettled and whiny for much of the time. The whining may not start until 6am...or it might be 4am: whine whine moan moan barkbark, barkbark, barkbark...repeat to the point where I cannot take it any more and get up to take her out. Ear plugs are the new potty training pads. (See next paragraph.) I'm generally patient, but reached the outer limits of my ability to deal last night, and realized how much I need some time away from her after spending most of Saturday together in the house. I feel out of touch with my friends, my life. I miss all the walking we used to do. I need air, exercise. And so does she, poor kid.

The other -- the difficulty peeing problem -- is getting better. We no longer require the potty-training pads, though there are still very occasional accidents, and she seems to pee more in a single attempt than a week ago. Dr. A was concerned we might need to consult a specialist, because his opinion was that Pooka's bladder should be better if it were merely accident-related trauma, but Dr. M (the vet, not the dad) said he thought it might take weeks longer. I'm happy to give it time, as long as it's not getting worse or causing any major additional problems.

Other than that, her recovery seems to be on track. The incision has healed over, so no more blue doughnut or conehead Pooka for the forseeable future. The swelling in her legs and behind has gone down, her bumps and scrapes have scabbed over and are getting much better. Her shaved parts have enough hair that she doesn't look pathetic.

She can't stand well on the floors still, and I'm still helping with the sling on stairs and when she seems wobbly. She's walking more steadily, but nowhere near 100%. Today she tried to jump on me when I came home and took her out of the crate -- but realized when she collapsed into a squat that she wasn't quite ready for that yet. She's started using hind legs to scratch gently, and has begun a very toned-down version of the game where she parades around her favorite treat when I come home.

Basically, the hardest bits now are the waiting, and saying to her, no, you really can't go out again. You can't keep walking. You can't play with Maka. You can't get on the bed. You can't hang out on the couch while I'm out. Dog: stop being a dog. I hope she forgets this all when it's over. I hope I forget it, too.