Update on Cotton -Thank you Guardian Angels!

Written by Cotton's Foster Mom

Cotton is continuing to mend from the surgery to repair her spay and two inguinal hernias. All of her staples were removed last Saturday, but in the area where the hernia was located on the right side, a pocket of fluid has formed between her skin and the muscle wall. This pocket of fluid was of major concern to me, so a week ago yesterday (Monday), I took her back to the surgeon and he removed a cup of fluid from the pocket of skin and sent it off to pathology to make sure there was no infection (and there wasn't). By Wednesday, the pocket had filled up again so I took her back. This time he didn't do anything, but because I was going to be going back on Saturday to have her staples removed, we decided we would wait until then to see if something more should be done. This pocket of fluid was so large that it filled my whole hand with my fingers outstretched. Didn't bother Cotton--she even lay down on it (makes me shiver just to think about it).

On Saturday, after removing the staples, the surgeon removed almost another cup of fluid from that pocket. He says in time it will shrink when the skin re-attaches to the muscle wall. He recommended maybe using an Ace bandage to help hold it closer to her little tummy and not let it dangle and swing when she walks. I just have to figure out how to "rig" the bandage between her legs and around her tail.

Everything else is good with her--eating, pottying, playing. I would say she is pretty much housebroken, but she hasn't had much movement throughout the house because the surgeon wants her to stay relatively quiet which means she is basically confined to her x-pen. She is and continues to be sweet, gentle and loving. And I discovered a bonus--she and my new furkid, Maggie (CP-Magenta) get along wonderfully so they are being fed and let outside at the same time, separate from my other furkids.

I personally would like to thank all of you who have so generously become one of Cotton's Guardian Angels. She deserves this chance and each one of you has helped her along the road to her forever. Cotton and I (plus the rest of my herd) would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!