Dog Health: Spider Bite Recheck #2

Think Lilly is out of the woods on this crazy spider bite? Alas, think again. Monday, Tom helped me take BOTH dogs to the veterinary hospital. Ginko for his wellness exam. Lilly for her recheck #2. The saga is still NOT over.

Seriously.

Perhaps next week, I’ll write about Ginko’s exam, but for now … let’s continue our tale of Lilly’s doggone mystery spider bite to her neck.

You can catch up via Dog Spider Bite Part 1, Dog Spider Bite Part 2, Dog Spider Bite Part 3, Dog Spider Bite Part 4, and Dog Spider Bite Part 5 of our latest veterinary fun.

Spider Bite Recheck Appointment #2

As Ginko and Tom made a made dash out to the car, after his appointment, our veterinarian turned to Lilly, who was still a bit wiggly after being surprised to find Ginko in the exam room, and said, “Hop on up here, short stuff, and let’s see how things look.”

Lilly obliged and happily hopped up on the bench between me and our veterinarian.

She had been super smiley all day. I’d awoken in a bit of a funk, which I drop kicked to the curb upon hearing about the tornado devastation in places like Joplin, Missouri. So, that news and other worries felt mitigated by Lilly’s happy mood.

Not kidding. Every time I looked at her Monday, she smiled so hard I thought her cheeks might cramp up. That smile. That silly, silly smile she gives me perks up my day … no matter what.

So, I had high hopes that she was finally feeling 100% again. At that point, on Monday, we had just 1-2 more antibiotic doses and 1 more steroid dose left.

Not So Fast. Ongoing Spider Bite Worries

Surprised, I was to hear our veterinarian ask, “Tell me what meds you have for her?”

“You mean in general or for this?” I asked, revealing my distraction of having both dogs in the exam room in quick succession. I’d briefly lost track of the conversation.

“For this.”

So, I told her what was in the bottles at home and what I understood about her med orders from a week ago.

“Let’s refill those. We’re going to watch until it’s gone. Gone. If it balloons up again, though, you call me,” she warned.

“Have you seen that happen?” Tom asked, having stowed Ginko in the car and returned.

“Yes. Sometimes, we have to go in,” she explained (meaning surgical removal of lagging infected tissue or other possible irritants left behind).

She explained that she could still feel a firm central core to the spider bite area as well as some relatively squishy spots. She convinced Lilly to open her mouth, after Lilly clamped her lips closed tight.

The doctor felt around the back of Lilly’s mouth and throat, to be sure there wasn’t any swelling or weird spots on the inside. She has done this at each spider bite appointment so far, and Lilly finds it none to pleasing.

“So when do you want to grope her check again?” I asked, trying to make the best of the worry.

This made our veterinarian laugh. “10 days. Let’s continue with the antibiotics and steroids until then,” she said.

Friday, June 3, is our next appointment. Let’s hope Lilly can beat back this darn spider bite and infection by then.

Quick Dog Training Note

Since I’m veterinary contact #1, I stayed in the exam room while Tom shuttled the dogs in and out. He reports that Lilly didn’t seem scared or nervous to walk into the veterinary hospital … despite some recent, unpleasant happenings.

I suspect it’s because she adores Tom so much. I believe she was just so excited to be with him that she would have followed him anywhere.

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I have some other recent stories to tell and some posts I’ve promised to others coming up next week, but you can be sure, I’ll continue to report on Lilly’s medical condition until this darn spider bite is fully resolved.