Well, after all your great advice and encouragement, Lucy (the old gal Yorkie I found) had her surgery yesterday. She had a spay, 3 mammary tumors removed, and 8 rotten teeth extracted (some were embedded in the sinus cavity). They did a pre-op exam, blood work and a chest xray before the surgery. Even with precaution, she still had trouble with her heart rate / blood pressure while under the anesthesia. The surgery went well, though the vet recommends Lucy not have anesthesia again. She was slow to wake up, and is in a lot of pain. They continue to give her pain injections, and monitor her closely. They think recovery will be slow. They want to keep her until Thursday evening for pain management and observation. I got the ear, respirtory infection and dermatitis cleared up, she has put on a few ounces (though she'll probably lose weight again), her foot pads have healed (from the embedded toe nails), and she's now utd on her shots. The Anipryl for the dementia is working great. We've been busy girls! My poor little Lu has been through so much. It just breaks my heart because I know she doesn't understand this is all for her own good. I know it's for the best that she be at the vet, but I just want to hold and comfort her, and tell her to keep on fighting. Wow, how quickly she has wormed her way into my heart. I am completely and hopelessly smitten. You guys gave good advice, but no one warned me about that.
I guess there are just some things us "newbies" have to figure out for ourselves. But after reading some of the other posts, it appears I'm in good company.
Thanks for listening!- Kim (Lucy's Mom)