Thursday, October 22, 2009

The Cone of Opportunity

Since so many of you were kind enough to inquire after the health of by babies, furbaby & humans...I can well you the health barometer in the G household continues to rise. M was fever-free yesterday morning and is back at school today. And Lucy...well, Lucy is back to being a rambuctious (that's the nice way of saying obnoxious) 10-month-old Labradoodle.

When she's not running around crazy, she can be very lazy...
And I'm probably the only person I know who keeps a towel by the back door to clean my dog's face when she comes in (big fan of the sandbox).

As most of you know, Lucy is in the cone of shame because she got spayed the previous Monday, the incision got infected because of 4 straight days of rain, and then this past Monday, she was put on an antibiotic for 10 days and sentenced to the cone of shame and "quiet" until next Monday when she gets the stitches out. And it can't come soon enough.

This was how we started post-surgery...

The tshirt worked pretty well....

(told you she liked the sandbox)
...until all the rain - did I mention 4 days straight? It seemed like so much longer...

So back to the cone it was. However, once she adjusted, she was doing fine. And the antibiotic kicked in because after 36 hours of it, BAM, obnoxious 10-month-old puppy was back. Stealing socks, destroying shrubbery in the back yard, digging holes in the sandbox. She can do anything with the cone except eat. It even helps camouflage the shoe she has in her mouth that she is running around with. Yes, running. Darn it, give me back my navy patent flat!

I was able to keep her quiet for about a day and a half. But she's back. And she is wielding that cone like a weapon. Thank goodness it's long-pants-weather or I would have bruises on my calves from the number of times that cone knocks into me. And she's not shy about shoving that cone right in your face or your lap when she wants attention. Oh yes, she has adjusted.

She sleeps comfortably.
She figured out how to get to her bone. (3rd appearance here, yes, it's her favorite)

And her other toys.
But if nothing else, the cone makes a nice backdrop for a portrait.

16 comments:

DaniBP said...

OMG she's so cute!
Glad things have improved in your household!

Meli said...

awwww I love that last shot! She's beautiful! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh no, the cone of shame!
She is so adorable. I am glad to hear everyone is getting better.

Drewablank said...

That "portrait" comment made me laugh! You're hilarious, Heidi! :D And how she's adjusted to the cone...too funny!

You know what, I'm with you when it comes to having something handy to wipe the dogs off after they come in from outside. I always have a pack of wet wipes (generic, or else I'd go broke!) to wipe off feet or gross-nose-dirt. ;)

I am so glad that she's back to normal. Albeit, normal is "rambunctious". *rolls eyes* Heehee! The weekend looms near... :)

Anonymous said...

She is adorable, I love the sandbox pic. Your story made me laugh and I had a crazy day so thank-you for making me smile!

Emily said...

Lol the "cone of shame!" Glad to hear that things are looking up for everyone in the Heidi household!

Sonya said...

Thanks for a much-needed giggle! -- sorry it's at the expense of poor Lucy and her cone of shame! Give her a big cuddle for me.

Unknown said...

So cute!!

Summerilla said...

I just love the portrait picture and how the cone makes a nice background - very true! She is just so adorable.

I had a similar experience with Toshi because she wouldn't stop jumping - how do you tell a cat not to jump when that's what they do all day long. She ended up with tons of swelling and was put on 2 weeks of mandatory no jumping, yeah right. All we could do was empty out a room for her of all thing jumpable and keep her locked up in it - poor thing.

I'm glad both M and Lucy are feeling better!!

kittykat said...

What a cute baby. I love the cone of shame.

post-fab princess said...

Awwww. She is so freaking cute.

jmpb said...

Too Cute!

kristin said...

What a cutie! A good alternative to the "cone of shame" is the blow-up "donut" (just an inflatable ring that goes around the neck). Seems like she is handling the cone okay, but if that changes, give the donut a try. It came in very handy when one of mine had to have surgery last year.

Awakening my Wardrobe said...

You expressed that snapshot in time, sick kids, vet emergencies, mom to the rescue...so well and with such hilarious humor. Cone of Shame...what a great description. Your dog is so adorable. I have two huge,(rambunctious) long haired dogs whose coats are like canine dust mops. I too, keep a towel next to the door to wipe off their muddy paws and dirt when it rains, I'm with you 100% on that. Glad that your human and canine family are all finally well.

Anonymous said...

Yea!!! Lucy is back on track!!! :D
What an adorable pic. on that last shot~ she is ahhhh-dorable!

HeidiG said...

Thank you, ladies!

Drewablank - I never thought about the wet wipes, but they certainly do have their uses.

casual-crew & Lady Buttons - so glad I could make you smile!

Summerilla - awww, poor Toshi - 2 weeks in a prison cell. Makes the cone look easy!

kristin - thanks for the info - I will have to check that out - I'm guessing the donut is much less lethal to our shins & calves, huh? And then I could let E decorate it with stickers - wouldn't let her decorate the cone as I thought that would mess with Lucy's head too much.