She is to stay one more night for observation and will likely be discharged in the morning. Matt showed me the x-rays from Saturday and the ones from today and she has improved a lot. Her right lung looks good but her left lung is still partially collapsed. It had been collapsed enough to allow her heart to move to the left instead of being centered under her backbone, but today it's improving and her heart is back in the normal position. She hasn't needed oxygen since yesterday afternoon and she's much happier since the oxygen lines have been removed and she doesn't have to wear the E-collar. Some of you probably know this, but they use staples and glue attached to the skin to hold the lines in place, not fun. The E-collar is to prevent the dog from removing the staples.
calliecritturs:Is that awesome or what? I love it when a place encourages such hands-on treatment and encourages owner contact. That's just wonderful
They have been so nice! Yesterday Jessie was able to be off the oxygen quite a bit so they took her to a room where I could visit with her longer because you're only allowed to be in the ICU five minutes. She didn't need oxygen at all today so I was able to visit with her in a room again. Matt said he believes it definitely helps when the owners visit. Dr. Meeler said I could even bring her cooked diet for them to feed her, but she's been very willing to eat EN and that's easier for them. I've been using it for treats in case there were a time when she couldn't have her cooked diet, so her system is used to it. Callie, we may not find out what caused the pneumonia, but if it turns out that the cough she's had all summer is caused by chronic bronchitis from her allergies, I'm going to try acupuncture for her. There's a veterinary acupuncturist certified by the Chi Institute in a nearby town. I spoke with Dr. Meeler about this and she is on board with the idea. Thanks again everyone for all your wonderful support.