azdak

We picked Flan up yesterday and brought him home, to the great delight of the rest of the menagerie, not to mention Lucky and Mowgli. Almost half of his neck has been shaved, which looks rather peculiar - who would have thought black labradors have white skin? - and he has a small wound in it, with stitches. He also has, amazingly, a small wound in his heart (where the probe went in) so he has to take painkillers and antibiotics, to make quite sure no enterprising bacteria set up shop there. He has an ultrasound in six weeks, and the stitches come out next Monday. Other than that, it's all over. Easy peasy!

I can't honestly say, looking at him, that he gives the impression of having had major heart surgery (it took them over an hour and a half to reach the spot and inflate the balloon), but he is a bit slower than usual. He's allowed to go for gentle walks, but other than that, he's supposed to rest. No running, said the vet sternly, looking at Tashi. No jumping (also looking at Tashi), no playing ball (Tashi again the prime suspect), and absolutely no swimming, because of the risk of infection via the neck wound. Other than that, it's life as normal. Which seems quite bizarre after all the anxiety and tension. You mean it's over? Just like that? Wow.