Saturday, November 3, 2012

Ramsey Update II

A little good news...Ramsey is out of surgery and was able to stand up.  He is very heavily medicated and is in intensive care.  The surgery itself went well, the vet debrided the coffin bone and removed the affected tissue.  They could not tell for certain if the joint itself was also infected so they treated it as if it is, which means that they flushed the joint and injected antibiotics directly into it. For the next 4-5 days, he will be getting high doses of antibiotics injected directly into the lower leg. 

I am taking all this as good news, but we are not out of the woods yet.  Not by a long shot.  Ramsey is going to have to stay in the hospital for at least 5-7 days (at $600 a day), until there is some granulation tissue covering the wound in his foot.  There is some chance that they may have to go in again and remove more tissue, but we are all hoping that won't happen.  This is going to be a looong recovery, but the prognosis is good so far. 

The vet's greatest concern at the moment is that Ramsey will want to just give up because of the pain, it is making him very depressed.  We are trying to think of ways to get him interested in life.  I am going to visit him tomorrow morning and I am going to take some of his toys and some things with familiar scents on them.  I have a little packet with some of Emma's hair and an old t-shirt of mine.  I told the vet to make sure that Ramsey gets lots of attention and affection, which is what he thrives on.  Donkeys are highly motivated by food as well and I am going to suggest that they give him a treat every time someone checks him.  It is a terrible habit to teach him, but if it makes him perk up, it will be worth it. 

I have had an amazing response from people offering donations.  I am immensely grateful for the help and support.  It also makes me squirm like a fish.  I don't do hugs well either, but I am trying.  I have added a PayPal button to the top right of the page, hopefully it works OK, I am new at this.  I asked the vet if Cornell could accept donations directly, but he was not sure.  It will have to wait until Monday when the business office opens. 

Keep praying for us.  Hopefully Ramsey will be King-of-the-Hill again soon.

13 comments:

  1. Oh such encouraging news, hang in there Ramsey we love you. You hang tight too Kris, thoughts and prayers are with you both.~~Diana

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  2. Oh my. Hang in there. We'll all pitch in to help take care of "our" favorite little donkey.

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  3. Thinking of you and Ramsey today and sending positive thoughts, prayers, energy, love and healing.

    ~Lisa

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  4. I'M glad to hear these two updates. Now I can breathe a little easier! If it makes him happier, treat and spoil the heck out of him, you can always retrain him later.

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  5. Hope you will return from your visit feeling more hopeful still than yesterday. Hope that the antibiotics are doing their job perfectly, so that an effective pain management, which is hugely important to the healing process, can finally be implemented.
    Sending a virtual belly-rub to Tanner, who is probably very worried about you. e.m.

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  6. Jenny in MN, now in AZNovember 4, 2012 at 9:14 AM

    This is encouraging. Poor little guy. All this pain is completely new to him. I hope they can control the pain for him while he recovers. Keep us posted and take care of yourself too.

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  7. So nice to see this positive update this morning Kris! You had me all teary with Emma's hair and your T-shirt. I want that little guy to feel better pronto!!!

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  8. Hello........sweet Donkey.........will say a prayer for Ramsey's recovery.........Blessings Francine.

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  9. Sending lots of prayers his way, poor little guy. He undoubtedly misses his mama, for sure. I'd be more than happy to try again with Emma, just say the word. Big hug, Kris.

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  10. Sending lots of prayers his way, poor little guy. He undoubtedly misses his mama, too. I'd be more than happy to try again with Emma, just say the word. Big hug, Kris. Stay positive, God will provide!

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  11. Oooh Cris,I can believe what I've read.Poor little Ramsey.And it's Enma doing along?
    I wish you all the best,I'm sure he'll recover.

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  12. Thank you so much for the update. I have been very concerned about him and you both. I hope he is back to himself soon and I will continue to pray.

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  13. Love and attention work wonders. I'm on vigil with everyone else. I can't imagine a better place for Ramsey to be.

    Virtual hugs. (we all need them sometimes - you can take the virtual ones when you're ready)!

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