Poor Little Man

Yesterday was the big "N" day for Ryder.  I dropped him off at the vet at 7:30 am.  Even though I know this is a routine and relatively safe thing to do, I did what I do best.  Worry.  And when I worry I often bake.  So I binge baked.  I made chocolate zucchini cupcakes, cheese scones, cinnamon buns, and chocolate chip cookies.  Let's just say I had a belly ache last night.

When Ryder came home I was instructed to ensure he wore his "cone head".  He freaked.  I've never seen a dog have such an extreme reaction to wearing the cone of shame.  He was body slamming into walls.  Leaping into the air backwards.  I became very concerned he'd hurt himself.  Grabbing a hold of him I sat on the floor beside him trying to calm him.  When 45 minutes had passed and he wasn't giving up the freak out I cratered.  Pulling the cone off of him I decided to just keep an eye on him.  Like the good little boy he is he just settled down and went to sleep.

When it came time to go to bed I was in a bit of a quandary.  What to do?  Deciding to take another crack at the cone, I shoved it on his head, and man handled him backwards into his crate.  I figured he wouldn't be able to move around enough to do himself any damage.  Climbing into my own bed I talked to him as he body slammed the side of the crate, jerking forward to smash his face into the mesh door where he made Darth Vader sounds.  Drifting off I listened to this routine.  I listened to it for over an hour before I gave up.  He was not settling down.  Letting him out I pulled off the cone.  He skittered to his sleeping spot between my bed and the wall.  Blocking my door so he was stuck in my room (so I could monitor him) I once again went back to sleep.  I woke when I heard slurping sounds.  Telling him "no" seemed to work.  Throughout the night he only needed a couple of prompts to leave his ouchie alone.

While I realize he's supposed to wear the cone for 7 days, I've quite given up on it.  He woke up bright and cheerful this morning.  In fact, I even took him for a short run with me.  I was careful and watched him closely for any signs of discomfort.  If anything I'm spending more time trying to keep him from running around or trying to play with Diva.  It's going to be a long few days as I try to keep my Border Collie from being active.  Wish me luck, I may need it.