Pork Chop is not 100% right now...

[Paul Coover]

Hi all. Pork Chop has a problem. His cart has, in the past, caused the inside of his theigh to become red and sore. Well, I have treated it a few times and it goes away. Well, the past 3 weeks, I had been treating it. He was getting better, then last Thursday one of his legs looked pretty bad. We treated it and wrapped it in gauze. The next day, it was a rather nasty gaping wound. He kept licking it and it caused his leg to get worse, almost to the point of infection.

On Saturday I had to take him to a vet, not my normal vet 3 hours away but one of the 2 local vets. Luckily, they had an open appointment. Now he is on antibiotics to avoid infection and he has a spray to promote skin healing and growth. It also has a really nasty taste to it, so he doesn't lick it.

His cart is being used very sparingly right now, vet's advice. I have contacted Doggon' Wheels regarding his cart and they are going to replace the frame of his cart and give him a different harness so his legs do not get irritated again. It's been a long weekend, but yesterday was the 3rd annual Weinerfest in Belfast, Maine. He was in the cart most of the day, and he is doing OK now. His wound looks like it is getting better. His attitude has certainly not changed. He is as happy and full of energy as ever!

[CarolC]

Hi Paul,

Is it GentaVed spray? That stuff is great. Maybe a temporary fix would be to put him in a bulky diaper and then put him into the cart so he would be fitting into the saddle differently? I remember Toni had to get Ivan's Doggon' saddle redone several times till they had a proper fit. If you are going to have to discard the current saddle anyway, maybe you could trim the area that rubs and not worry if it's going to fray.

[Paul Coover]

I did wrap the saddle in gauze, which has helped considerably. Any kind of diaper or wrap on him irritates him, so I have been trying to avoid it. By the way, that is what the spray stuff is, and so far it has been doing great!

The vet said to avoid putting him in the cart for a couple of weeks, only very brief periods in it. We had him in it for a few hours on Sunday at the Weinerfest, but since then he has been mostly in his crate.

[Christine]

Hi Paul,

How is Pork Chop doing? I hope he is healing nicely. Also wondering if Auggie has warped into his new home with his new family.

[Paul Coover]

Pork Chop is still not there yet, but he is healing nicely. I think in another week or so he will be back to normal. He is as feisty as ever, as he never lost any of his spirit!

Auggie is doing great! He has fit in perfectly. He has his own spot on the bed, he gets along with Kebo now, it took him 2 days to figure out how to use the doggie stairs, he even eats dry food. He is such a crazy boy! He is still a little nervous with me, but only when I bend down to pet him or pick him up. He is getting better each day.

It's hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks already!

[Paul Coover]

Choppy is contimuing to get better, and he has a vet appointment on Monday. Hopefully soon he will be well enough to get back into his cart!

[connie]

hi paul,
sure hope choppie gets well soon. cricket had a bad carpet burn on his inside thighs, nothing helped. so finally i put the cream i use on an elderly woman i take care of who had bedsores. now it is well. i thought of you and your gang this morning when i went yard saling. down the street they had dauchund pups for sale. paul they had one darling light brown one that stole my heart. but cricket i knew wouldn't let me bring him home. heck cricket runs every date i have off in house. lol, he bit the last one. lol. so jealous of his mom.
anyway these people are not the best pet owners so i will be watching them closely, so worried about those pups. i wish they had a home like yours, they are so sweet., looks like they ae gonna be real small. so i been on my phone most of the day telling my petless friends they need one. lol wish me luck finding them homes. give choppie a big hug, hope his cart sores are better soon.
hugs,
connie and cricket

[Paul Coover]

Pork Chop got a clean bill of health from the vet!!
His wounds are all but healed now, so he is doing great and is very happy to get out of the crate!

[ems736336]

Oh Pork Chop! We are so glad you are better and have a clean bill of health. You are so cute! Hugs and kisses to you.

[Barbara Boehmer]

I am a little late on this one, but to prevent future injury, instead of wrapping the saddle in gauze, you might try "mole skin", which is thin, but extremely soft and non-abbrasive. You can usually find it in the grocery or drug store near all of the foot stuff. It is commonly used to cushion irritated spots on human feet. It was recommended by a vet for use on a horse that had a similar sore from equipent rubbing.

[Paul Coover]

I have had many people offer help for preventing future issues, but instead I am replacing part of his cart so it doesn't happen again. His cart has some parts in disrepair, so I figured I would fix that. Doggon' Wheels will be replacing the saddle with a better ring system like the Eddies Wheels cart that Johanna uses. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Paul Coover]

Choppy is back in the crate. His wounds have returned, but not nearly as bad as before. I want to be extra cautious. He is already getting restless!

[critters]

Poor guy. So the new parts didn't cure the problem?

[Paul Coover]

I didn't get the new parts yet. I need to remeasure him, but he has had swelling in his legs from the wounds. The cart people told me to wait until the swelling was gone before taking the new measurments. Well, I am going to have to wait a little longer now.