Day 3- 1/20/13
Bubbles has continued to do wonderfully. Woke up to her snoring away this morning, but soon enough she was awake and ready to eat! She had her meds, and ate a good 1 1/4 cup of food from my hand, water, went potty, iced her bump, and back to sleep. She wasn’t too awake today, but I think all the sleep she’s been getting has been doing her good because her incision area is looking a lot clearer than yesterday. Finally around noon, she had her first poop. I knew she had to go, but she’s not a huge fan of her potty patch so I kept the kids distracted with snacks and carried her downstairs. Immediately she relieved herself, and I could tell she felt better- lighter even. Lol. I *did* notice a slight streak of bright red blood, so either way I called the vet but they reassured me it was normal for her first #2 pre-op and not to worry unless I saw clots. Since then, we have removed her fentanyl patch, started her codeine and she seems very comfortable. I was worried about her pain management, but I think we’re alright.
Below is a picture of her Day 2 and then Day 3 incision. As you can see, the redness/bruising has faded significantly, so I am very happy about that! 
January 21st, 2013 at 6:35 pm
Wow, that is an amazing difference in the surgical site! Dakota bruised badly and it took several days to diminish.
You know, I have a bulldog. I have to carry her sometimes. It’s hard! Carrying a bulldog while trying not to hurt that incision must be really hard.
Bubble sounds like she’s doing a wonderful recovery! I know you are so relieved. Now that Bubbles has moved past the Fentanyl and onto something else, stay watchful to make sure it transitions well. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of anyone here using codeine. Tramadol and something like Rimadyl or Deramaxx are the most common. I’m just curious–did they say why the picked codeine? I wonder if it’s a bulldog thing.
Shari (about to celebrate with the potty dance for Bubbles)
January 22nd, 2013 at 6:06 pm
Hi Shari! Yes, she is doing wonderfully. I’ll be posting a bit later with another updated picture on her incision, it looks even better today. She did cry while getting comfortable the first night off her fentanyl patch, and I found two of her codeine pills on the floor at different times, so at some point she didn’t get any pain medicine. I was so upset with myself for not having noticed sooner. I called her vet because I was worried about over medicating her if she *did* swallow one of those pills sooner than I thought. Luckily they gave me the heads up to wait an hour and give it to her again. I put it in a cheese ball and down the hatch! Now, she’s seemed much more comfortable.. stubborn brat. Lol. Thats a good question- I didn’t realize until hearing/reading other stories on here that codeine wasn’t common. I know that the first night at the vet post-op, they had a hard time controlling her pain, so its possible they prescribed her the codeine because its stronger? It could also be a bulldog thing since they are so unique to other breeds and what they can/cannot tollerate. Thats a question I’ll keep in mind for her follow up appointment next Friday. Thanks for checking in Shari! Give Evelyn a nice belly rub for me!
January 21st, 2013 at 7:06 pm
Great update! Congrats on the first poop! Funny how particular they are about where they like to do their business. I’m sure she thanks you for your lift downstairs! Her wound is looking great. We began to see clearing starting on the 3rd day, too, and by the 5th, things were lookin’ good. Keep up the good work, Bubs!
January 22nd, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Yes, today is day 5 and we look fab! Carrying her up and down wasn’t easy, but it paid off when she pooped! The potty patch seems so much cleaner and comfortable, but she will only pee on it. Haha. Now I carry her down and back up 3 times a day so she poops enough- I’m going to have some nice biceps soon. Thanks for checking in on us!