This is day #4 for Toby after his surgery and day #1 home.   
      
   He's sleeping downstairs with my son so that he doesn't have to climb the   
   stairs (he really didn't want to go up upstairs to my son's room after he   
   returned home, and I can understand that :()   
      
   Last night I was able to 'fool' him with painkilers in american cheese.  This   
   morning I got the antibiotic and "appetite-increaser" in him (didn't make him   
   hungry all day though), but after those two pills he refused his pain med.   
      
   I tried to force the issue but the two pills started disolving in my fingers    
   - we tried in cheese, in hot dog meat, in a rigatoni, hamburger, in   
   butter...all his favorites.. no go.. He'd hide it in his cheek and spit it   
   across the room.. geez how exhausting. I gave up.. he was happier.   
      
   I'm guessing his pain was of course at it's worst in the hospital the next day   
   after his surgery.  If dogs are like people, the 2nd day after surgery is when   
   the pain REALLY kicks in. AAMOF the dog hosp. told me he'd been on IV pain   
   killers.   
      
   So anyway, reading about tramadol (Not the first time I had to read up on it,   
   my mom was on it before she died, it's a nasty drug) late tonight, I read that   
   he really shouldn't stop it suddenly..   
      
   Also I figured he really needed some pain/irritation relief or he was going to   
   harm the sutures with the incessant licking of the sutures he that he started   
   tonight. He's supposed to get two of those tramadol tablets.  At least I got   
   one in him tonight with butter.  He just kept spitting out the second.  Really   
   sad..   
      
   I was just wondering if anyone has had to deal with major surgery on a dog and   
   pain relief.. what did your vet use, how long will it be till we're "back to   
   normal" hehe.. I'm dreaming two weeks. Any tricks you know for tempting a   
   non-eater to grab a glump of something with a pill inside...   
      
   He wasn't eating anything of consequence yesterday and today (poor boy is down   
   to 58 1/2 lbs!) He looks like an abused dog fer god's sake :(   
      
   So tonight I pulled out the left over rigatoni. Now it could have been the   
   hour tonight (the longer he goes, the more of the anesthesia gets out of him)    
   he actually ate about 18 rigatoni (tossed with a minimum of meat sauce ).   
   Not the stuff I would have wished he'd eat, but he ATE.   
      
   Then stopped again.  Period.   
      
   argh..   
      
   Take care,   
   Janis   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Dada-2   
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)