Flash And His Cone

Poor Flashy was so excited Friday morning when I hooked up the leash to his collar and escorted him out to the car. He loves to ride in the car. Most times when he goes for a ride in the car, we go somewhere fun, like ice skating over at Grandpa's. Not this time though.

Even when I put him on the scale at the vet's office, he let out a little excited pee as the vet tech rubbed his head and told him how cute he is. He had no idea what he was in for, but in the end it's all for his own good.

He was neutered (ouch) and had all 4 dewclaws (thumbs) removed (quadruple ouch). The dewclaws were optional but since we live out in the country (read: lots of things to get into) and since he's a very active dog, we decided to have it done so they don't become a problem in the future. Dogs with dewclaws can get them caught and injured and while many dogs have the dewclaws clipped off in the first few days of life, our mutt didn't have that service being born in a calf barn and all with very little human intervention until we picked him up and brought him home with us. So Friday was the day.

Friday afternoon when I brought him home he was groggy and confused and not happy about having a giant cone around his head but after he slept off the anesthesia, he started to perk up. The vet was concerned that he'd be in a lot of pain the first few days but since we've been keeping up with his medication, he's been fine. He'd like to be running around playing fetch and hopping up on the sofa (a no-no anyway but try and tell him that). To amuse himself he's been running into the back of our legs with his giant cone, bruising all of us behind the knees.

The cone needs to stay on for at least 2 weeks until the stitches in his front legs can be removed.
2 weeks is a long time for an energetic puppy.