How is Millie today?

[miasmum]

Any more news Debih?

[debih]

Yes - sorry didn't get chance to get on earlier with all the running around for army cadets, etc.

I spoke to the vet who operated this afternoon and she said it went well. When she first put the camera down she could really see the difference from the first op but she still inflated again. Millie cane round well and one of the nurses rang me at about 6pm to say that she had kept some liquid food down and that she is going to try her with some more later and then they will try her on tinned food tomorrow. The vet is hopeful that, weather permitting, she can come home Friday night or Saturday morning.

The vet said that she will always have the stricture and that it may close up again - we will know that it has if she starts to regurgitate. They can operate again in the same way if it does happen. It would only really affect her quality of life if it kept happening a lot and she kept having to have the op all the time.

The nurse said that the feeding regime will be hard - she is being fed pretty much at head height at the moment, very small meals and when she goes onto tinned food it might need rollling into balls and feeding by hand. Then they are holding her head up for 5 minutes after feeding. They will show us what they want us to do when we collect her. It won't be a major problem for me to feed her during the day on my work days - I am only 5 minutes away by car - the problem will only be if the snow hangs around and it isn't as easy to get home but I know that I can ask neighbour to pop in to do it. I don't know if this is a short term thing or a life long thing. We will find out more when we speak to the dietician and nurses.

Just keeping fingers crossed that she keeps the food down tomorrow - but everyone is really positive. She has lost more weight and is now around 12kg (she was 17.5kg when weighed after the accident) so she will take some building up.

And then fingers crossed that the road doesn't get completely blocked so that we can get her home.

[Kaz]

It is sounding so much more hopeful for Millie now Debih! I'm so pleased for you - and that vet sounds wonderful xxx

[lissie]

I am so pleased to hear she is improving
I have been waiting all day for some news

[JoM]

That all sounds very positive Deb!!
Fingers crossed for clear roads!

xx

[Diflower]

Thank goodness Debih, it was sounding so awful when really there was nothing much wrong with her (I hope you know what I mean).
As you say it does sound manageable, other people think it must be hard with Minnie but it isn't at all when it's for their own good

[Teaspoon]

I'm so pleased that the op seems to be working. Hope you soon have Millie back home with you.

[debih]

I've just spoken to the vet.

Mick spoke to the nurse a short while ago who said that she was doing well. She has been eating yoghurt like it is going out of fashion. She was due to have some more about now and they will be feeding her some proper food at lunchtime.

He got me to ring back to find out what sort of yoghurt we need to get for her as he is going to stop at Sainsburys on the way home and the receptionist put me through to the vet. He is really, really pleased with her. He is going to try her on some gruel at lunchtime and as long as she keeps that down he would like her to come home today. He is going to let us know as early as possible if she can come home to give us time to get over there - the snow is falling fast although the main roads are clear.

She has put 500g on in a day bringing her up to 11.7kg (down from 17.5kg when the accident happened). She is going to look very skinny when she does get home.

The neighbours children bought a coat round for her this morning - their now deceased dog was in the local mountain rescue and it is her old coat. Steph (their mum) says we can borrow it until we get our own. It's a lovely, woollen red coat - very like a horse rug - with the mountain rescue log on. She will look very smart!

I will be lighting the fire later in the hope that this evening she will be sleeping in front of it.

[Diflower]

Lovely news Debih, it will be a long haul but going in the right direction now.

[JoM]

That is good news Deb