knucklehead

Mr. Knucklehead becomes Mr. Conehead

Thibodeaux has had a very long history of toenail problems. You could say it all started when the vet removed the wrong set of dewclaws. When just a pup and subjected to the humiliation of neutering, we threw in routine surgery for dewclaw removal. We left him in the capable hands of the veterinary office and when we picked him up, his BACK feet were wrapped instead of his front feet. Seems they do things differently in Oregon. It was too late to complain and we did not want to have him go back in for another surgery, so we brought the little guy home.

Over the years we have come to realize what a mistake that was. His dewclaws crack and break off all the time. His feet hurt a lot and he practically can't tolerate having anyone touch his feet. That is an exceptionally bad problem in the winter when we have to dry his paws after every jaunt outside.

This July (2010) he finally had an incident that pushed us over the brink. He split the dewclaw nail on his left front foot from the very tip all the way back to where the toe attaches to the leg. The dog was licking it all the time. This event happened while the grandkids were here for their annual summer vacation. Ashleigh accidently smashed his foot with her hand. She spun around and he spun around and they met - face to face. Thibodeaux left a scratch on her cheek. That was the proverbial straw. We called the vet's office for an appointment that day.

Four days later (we went camping over the weekend -- that's why the long wait) Mr. T had an appointment with the vet. For the vet to get a close look at the toe, T would have had to be sedated, but that didn't happen. The vet recommended taking the dewclaws off. Much to our surprise -- we had asked about this for years and always been told it was major surgery for a grown dog. This vet said, "We do it all the time!"

Two days later Dianne got up very early and delivered the boy to the vet's office. Later that afternoon, everybody returned to pick up the patient. The doctor said the surgery went well. We stood in the waiting area as Thibodeaux hobbled out. Seeing us, he tried to run. The big bandages plus the residual anesthesia in his system caused him to crash. Poor boy! We all crowded around him loving on him.

Mr. Don't-touch-me was so glad to be with us that he kept nudging the girls to pet him all the way home. He was so loopy from the medications he was pathetic. He got a lot of pampering the whole rest of the day.




                                  His eyes used to be his best feature! He's still so drugged!

He had only one day to get readjusted to his new feet before we took off camping again. This trip would be really different for Mr. T. He had to keep his feet dry for 2 weeks and the bandages came off after 2 days. That's when the CONE went on. The doctor explained that a dog's incessant licking would tear out the stitches, but even worse, the licking would cause the incisions to become infected. We knew the boy definitely was not going to like this new wrinkle in his life.


                                                            Life in the campsite.

The next day it was time to take off the bandage and put on the cone. The two of us realized that the cone might be a handy thing while trying to remove adhesive tape from furry feet that were tender from surgery. The girls pulled up chairs and watched the show.    We were all surprised. Thibodeaux did not fight, get angry, or even act up during the entire process. What a shock and what a relief. Of course, he was being fed bits of hot dog nonstop.


                        Nancy feeds Thibodeaux treats while Dianne struggles with the bandage.

The first few hours were the worst. This dog can't pee or poop without sniffing out the perfect location. Well guess what? It is hard to sniff the ground or a tree trunk with a cone on your head. He would try to sniff, bump into the ground or a tree, and have to switch locations. He would not potty. It was at least 6 hours before he finally got desperate enough that he was forced to figure out how to do what he needed to do.   He also had a lot of trouble targeting his food dish and his water bowl. The poor boy couldn't quite figure out what was going on.


                                                                    Time for a hair brushing.


                                                               The less-than-happy camper


                                                                         The un-bandaged feet.

As he bumped his way around the campground, we all started calling him Mr. Conehead. That name stuck for the next 2 weeks. But it could have been worse: other friends have called their dog Hoodie Head.

By the time we returned home Thibodeaux was starting to seem like he was used to the cone. He retired to the library, his favorite snoozing spot these days.



After supper, life returned to normal. Even with the cone on, he was fired up and ready for a came of toss the toy. Of course, he occasionally would clip door casings, cabinets, and walls. We tossed the toy short of the far door, because if he did his usual slide he, the cone and the door would all have been damaged!



A week after the girls returned to Louisiana the cone finally came off. One last thing we did before removing it was to give him a hair trim. It is hard to tell where the original shaved spots were.





            Incision is healing nicely.
We expected him to be ecstatic when we removed the cone. We thought he would run wild like an escaped prisoner. He didn't do anything. We were more excited than he was. Now he would not be jamming that blasted cone into the backs of our legs. Do you know how bruised you can get from being coned from behind?

Mr. Knucklehead becomes Mr. Conehead
Thibodeaux has had a very long history of toenail problems. You could say it all started when the vet removed the wrong set of dewclaws. When just a pup and subjected to the humiliation of neutering, we threw in routine surgery for dewclaw removal. We left him in the capable hands of the veterinary office and when we picked him up, his BACK feet were wrapped instead of his front feet. Seems they do things differently in Oregon. It was too late to complain and we did not want to have him go back in for another surgery, so we brought the little guy home. Over the years we have come to realize what a mistake that was. His dewclaws crack and break off all the time. His feet hurt a lot and he practically can't tolerate having anyone touch his feet. That is an exceptionally bad problem in the winter when we have to dry his paws after every jaunt outside. This July (2010) he finally had an incident that pushed us over the brink. He split the dewclaw nail on his left front foot from the very tip all the way back to where the toe attaches to the leg. The dog was licking it all the time. This event happened while the grandkids were here for their annual summer vacation. Ashleigh accidently smashed his foot with her hand. She spun around and he spun around and they met - face to face. Thibodeaux left a scratch on her cheek. That was the proverbial straw. We called the vet's office for an appointment that day. Four days later (we went camping over the weekend -- that's why the long wait) Mr. T had an appointment with the vet. For the vet to get a close look at the toe, T would have had to be sedated, but that didn't happen. The vet recommended taking the dewclaws off. Much to our surprise -- we had asked about this for years and always been told it was major surgery for a grown dog. This vet said, "We do it all the time!" Two days later Dianne got up very early and delivered the boy to the vet's office. Later that afternoon, everybody returned to pick up the patient. The doctor said the surgery went well. We stood in the waiting area as Thibodeaux hobbled out. Seeing us, he tried to run. The big bandages plus the residual anesthesia in his system caused him to crash. Poor boy! We all crowded around him loving on him. Mr. Don't-touch-me was so glad to be with us that he kept nudging the girls to pet him all the way home. He was so loopy from the medications he was pathetic. He got a lot of pampering the whole rest of the day. His eyes used to be his best feature! He's still so drugged! He had only one day to get readjusted to his new feet before we took off camping again. This trip would be really different for Mr. T. He had to keep his feet dry for 2 weeks and the bandages came off after 2 days. That's when the CONE went on. The doctor explained that a dog's incessant licking would tear out the stitches, but even worse, the licking would cause the incisions to become infected. We knew the boy definitely was not going to like this new wrinkle in his life. Life in the campsite. The next day it was time to take off the bandage and put on the cone. The two of us realized that the cone might be a handy thing while trying to remove adhesive tape from furry feet that were tender from surgery. The girls pulled up chairs and watched the show. We were all surprised. Thibodeaux did not fight, get angry, or even act up during the entire process. What a shock and what a relief. Of course, he was being fed bits of hot dog nonstop. Nancy feeds Thibodeaux treats while Dianne struggles with the bandage. The first few hours were the worst. This dog can't pee or poop without sniffing out the perfect location. Well guess what? It is hard to sniff the ground or a tree trunk with a cone on your head. He would try to sniff, bump into the ground or a tree, and have to switch locations. He would not potty. It was at least 6 hours before he finally got desperate enough that he was forced to figure out how to do what he needed to do. He also had a lot of trouble targeting his food dish and his water bowl. The poor boy couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Time for a hair brushing. The less-than-happy camper The un-bandaged feet. As he bumped his way around the campground, we all started calling him Mr. Conehead. That name stuck for the next 2 weeks. But it could have been worse: other friends have called their dog Hoodie Head. By the time we returned home Thibodeaux was starting to seem like he was used to the cone. He retired to the library, his favorite snoozing spot these days. After supper, life returned to normal. Even with the cone on, he was fired up and ready for a came of toss the toy. Of course, he occasionally would clip door casings, cabinets, and walls. We tossed the toy short of the far door, because if he did his usual slide he, the cone and the door would all have been damaged! A week after the girls returned to Louisiana the cone finally came off. One last thing we did before removing it was to give him a hair trim. It is hard to tell where the original shaved spots were. Incision is healing nicely. We expected him to be ecstatic when we removed the cone. We thought he would run wild like an escaped prisoner. He didn't do anything. We were more excited than he was. Now he would not be jamming that blasted cone into the backs of our legs. Do you know how bruised you can get from being coned from behind?