（４８） Ｍｓ． Ｍｅｒｃｉ ａｎｄ Ｅｌｉｚａｂｅｔｈａｎ Ｃｏｌｌａｒ
文字数 3,114文字
You may think that I am a tough dog because I can walk, boat, climb, and so on. However, I once had a serious illness and had an operation. That was in January 2019 at the age of 8.
I couldn't eat dog food in the morning. Mom was worried and gave me my favorite chicken fillet, but I couldn’t eat even that.
Mom was still working around this time, so during the daytime, I was alone. It seemed like I had a fever.
In the evening, Mom came home, and served me chicken fillet on a plate again. But I was still sick and couldn’t eat it.
I couldn't eat anything for the whole day, so Mom was worried and took me to a nearby vet clinic the next morning. I was too sick to bark and was just quiet and had a blood test and an X-ray.
The vet said, "Looking at the X-ray, there is a black shadow on her uterus. There is a possibility of pyometra." Then he asked Mom, "Surgery may not help, but do you want your dog to have surgery?"
I didn't understand the story well, but the vet explained pointing to the lower part of my stomach in the photo. He said I was sick. Mom looked so sad that I realized that my illness was probably serious. Mom was about to cry and replied, "Of course, please perform the surgery."
On that day, I was hospitalized for surgery. I couldn’t eat at all, so the vet used a big needle to feed me. It's called an intravenous drip.
The next day, I became very sleepy and remembered nothing after that. He used anesthesia, a medicine that made me sleepy but that didn't hurt me. Later, I heard that it was a major surgery.
When I woke up the day after that, Mom had already come to pick me up. I felt the lower part of my stomach being pulled, which felt strange. Mom was crying for joy.
The photo was taken when I got home. I had a megaphone-shaped piece of plastic put around my neck. The surgery was done on the lower part of my abdomen, not around my neck. This piece of plastic is called an Elizabethan Collar. It seems to have been named because it resembles the collar of aristocratic clothing during the Elizabethan era in 16th century England.
I was worried about the area of my abdomen after surgery. It was a little itchy. If a dog licks the surgical wound, the wound will not heal. The Elizabethan collar is a device that prevents dogs from licking their wounds.
A slight lick will make the wound worse. Therefore I had to wear the Elizabethan collar until the surgical wound would be completely healed. I had to Keep it on when I ate and slept.
In the olden days, ruffs seemed to be popular : we can see pictures of Queen Elizabeth I, Miguel de Cervantes who wrote Don Quixote, and the white Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland”, all of whom wear a ruff around their neck.
It is also said that if you have sterilization surgery when you are young, you are less likely to develop pyometra. I was able to survive, but surgery after my age may not save its life. If you're worried, it's a good idea to talk to your vet while you're young.
Ms. Merci wearing an Elizabethan collar
Ms. Merci resting on a cushion with the Elizabethan collar on
I couldn't eat dog food in the morning. Mom was worried and gave me my favorite chicken fillet, but I couldn’t eat even that.
Mom was still working around this time, so during the daytime, I was alone. It seemed like I had a fever.
In the evening, Mom came home, and served me chicken fillet on a plate again. But I was still sick and couldn’t eat it.
I couldn't eat anything for the whole day, so Mom was worried and took me to a nearby vet clinic the next morning. I was too sick to bark and was just quiet and had a blood test and an X-ray.
The vet said, "Looking at the X-ray, there is a black shadow on her uterus. There is a possibility of pyometra." Then he asked Mom, "Surgery may not help, but do you want your dog to have surgery?"
I didn't understand the story well, but the vet explained pointing to the lower part of my stomach in the photo. He said I was sick. Mom looked so sad that I realized that my illness was probably serious. Mom was about to cry and replied, "Of course, please perform the surgery."
On that day, I was hospitalized for surgery. I couldn’t eat at all, so the vet used a big needle to feed me. It's called an intravenous drip.
The next day, I became very sleepy and remembered nothing after that. He used anesthesia, a medicine that made me sleepy but that didn't hurt me. Later, I heard that it was a major surgery.
When I woke up the day after that, Mom had already come to pick me up. I felt the lower part of my stomach being pulled, which felt strange. Mom was crying for joy.
The photo was taken when I got home. I had a megaphone-shaped piece of plastic put around my neck. The surgery was done on the lower part of my abdomen, not around my neck. This piece of plastic is called an Elizabethan Collar. It seems to have been named because it resembles the collar of aristocratic clothing during the Elizabethan era in 16th century England.
I was worried about the area of my abdomen after surgery. It was a little itchy. If a dog licks the surgical wound, the wound will not heal. The Elizabethan collar is a device that prevents dogs from licking their wounds.
A slight lick will make the wound worse. Therefore I had to wear the Elizabethan collar until the surgical wound would be completely healed. I had to Keep it on when I ate and slept.
In the olden days, ruffs seemed to be popular : we can see pictures of Queen Elizabeth I, Miguel de Cervantes who wrote Don Quixote, and the white Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland”, all of whom wear a ruff around their neck.
It is also said that if you have sterilization surgery when you are young, you are less likely to develop pyometra. I was able to survive, but surgery after my age may not save its life. If you're worried, it's a good idea to talk to your vet while you're young.
Ms. Merci wearing an Elizabethan collar
Ms. Merci resting on a cushion with the Elizabethan collar on
