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Crowe's avatar
Crowe
Explorer
Mar 02, 2022

I am completely defeated

Tully cracked a toenail all the way back to the bone it joins on the toe requiring removal of both. Every effort to keep him from chewing on it has failed. He's outsmarted the cone of shame. He pulled a Bite Free cervical collar off in the middle of the night and destroyed it. With permission from the vet, tried lemon, lime and Ultra Bitter Apple (not at the same time!) to keep him from chewing on the toe to no avail. Somehow in the process I got the Bitter Apple in my mouth (probably from my hands) and that's all I can taste despite repeated efforts to get rid of it. Can't cover the would because it needs to be exposed to the air. One option is a muzzle but I don't like that idea and I'm pretty sure he'll outsmart that too. We don't see the vet until the 15th. The vet did give us Trazadone to keep him calm and it works to some degree but I don't want to drug him for the next two weeks. Had to stop the anti-inflammatory because it was making him sick. He's still on an antibiotic and pain meds so I'm reluctant to use the Trazadone much. Any thoughts on how to get through the next few weeks without my having a nervous breakdown?

6 Replies

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  • Crowe's avatar
    Crowe
    Explorer
    Mar 03, 2022
    The Trazadone works well enough for Tully with no side effects that I've seen. I tried a different brand of Bitter Apple (Granniks, the original)and it works a little better. I've been able to keep the cone off of him for the morning so far. Only another 8 days to go LOL!
  • Scottiemom's avatar
    Scottiemom
    Nomad
    Mar 03, 2022
    I would try the basket muzzle, the kind that were used on greyhounds when racing.

    My doctor gave me trazadone to sleep at night. Bad idea. Kept me up the first night cause I had to pee every 2 hours. So much for a sleep aid. The second night the kidney pain was excruciating, so I dumped the pills. Back to melatonin, but I won't ever use trazadone again.

    Dale
  • Yeti_plus's avatar
    Yeti_plus
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2022
    Try washing your hands with some of the lemon juice, that may cut the bad stuff.
    Next thing I would try would be dish soap. Then on to mechanic type hand cleaner degreaser.
    Maybe even try hydrogen peroxide. (The stuff you need around for when Tully finds a cute friend of the skunk variety!)
    Good luck, both with the dog and your hands
    Brian
  • Crowe's avatar
    Crowe
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2022
    I'm going to try breath mints. The taste is going away in my mouth but not on my hands. Tully is just so tall and leggy with a long neck that he can get through anything. I didn't get Granniks, the original brand, so I might head back to the store tonight and see if I can get that. I also read that a gel vs spray might work better.
  • toedtoes's avatar
    toedtoes
    Explorer III
    Mar 02, 2022
    We had an aussie that could get around the cone. She pulled out her spay stitches twice. The vet decided to stop it. He got a plain rubbermaid bucket, cut the middle of the bottom out (to creat a hole just big enough for her head to fit through), cut a few vertical slices along the sides of the bucket near the bottom and ran a long piece of gauze through the slices.

    Put it over her head and tied the gauze around her neck to keep it on. It worked. She looked like an idiot, but she couldn't reach her stomach.

    Poor Tully! That's quite an injury!

    For Tully, I think the problem is that it's his toe and he can maneuver his foot to get around anything you put around his head. In that case, you either have to create an open weave "cage" to go around his foot or muzzle him.

    For you, I say buy a pack of gum and chew a piece at a time, replacing when the flavor dies, until the bitter apple taste goes away.

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