Surgery on Thursday

Both vets think that Isabelle is strong enough for the surgery. Her regular vet called her a tough old bird. The tricky part will be the post op pain management. When Isabelle gets too worked up or pants really hard, that's when her trachea collapses. She will need some extra sedation and pain medication to keep her calm immediately after surgery. But too much sedation can depress the respiratory system so it can't be too much sedation. 

Fortunately both vets think they will be able to manage this after surgery. She'll likely stay longer at the vet after surgery than normal which is just fine. It likely won't be overnight since they don't have anyone at the clinic after hours. 

Isabelle was trying to push mom off the chair. She wanted it all to herself.

Mom is going to take Friday off to stay with Isabelle and be there with the oxygen if she needs it. Oxygen makes her feel very nice and calms her right down. 

This is the fourth version of a bandage. The first version would have been fine except that it got in the way of her going to the bathroom. Now that she's on steroids, she's drinking and peeing a lot more. Hopefully this weird version of suspenders will keep it in place. 

If you are the praying kind, please pray that the tumor shrinks. The smaller it is, the less surrounding tissue has to be removed too. Please pray for good margins, that the surgeon's hands are steady and skilled. Please pray that she recovers easily and that the pain is manageable. 

Mom is so not a pug. She's hungry for the first time since Saturday! She said the worry was quite an appetite suppressant.