Buttoned up!

It's been quite a week so far.
After rushing off to Cardiff to meet the new grandchild on Sunday (and may I give a general thank you for all the kind congratulations and lovely comments from blippers) - after that, there was the problem of Fred's ear.
 He had what I thought was an abscess last week but in fact was an aural haematoma, a collection of blood between the skin and the cartilage, apparently more common in dogs that in cats.

He had it drained twice but it returned and the only solution was surgery. The procedure, done under general anaesthetic, involves sealing off the leaking blood vessels with wire anchored to plastic studs on either side of the ear.  Hopefully this will create a permanent block after the buttons are removed in two weeks time.

Fred was still wobbly when he returned home with a large white bandage obscuring half his face and a plastic "lampshade"  cone fastened around his neck to stop him scratching. He was furious about all this. He got the bandage off in a couple of hours and removed the cone overnight.

The vet said put the cone back on - but what's the point if he can get it off? And getting it off can't be good for the ear. But what if he scratches off the buttons? 

This crisis is proving as stressful as it was costly. 

(It's not the first time Fred has spent time in the sick bay. Four years ago he was laid up with an injured leg after being hit by a car. He made a complete recovery.)

Extras show more detail of the ear buttons.