"I am in for an EDC light"
An update on the addition of Ranger and how Dylan and him are interacting. Ranger had a bit of a rough start, as did Dylan as a result...a domino effect if you will. When we picked up Ranger, he was without a cone (he had just been neutered 2 days before). The lady said he had been doing good and not going to that area.
As soon as we got home we found that to not be the case. Tried a manner of cones bought at PetsBarn over the weekend (our vet was closed as I prefer the cones they offer). First up were inflatable ones. Yup, plural because the one that was sized for him did not stop him from reaching the incision area, nor did the 2 sizes up. Next up was the clear cone that does not have loops to feed the collar through. Instead, one must attach the cone to the collar with the use of gauze or string. Well, by this point Ranger wanted the cone off. He attempted to force it off with his front paws to no avail. I figured he had given up and it had been a long day running back and forth to the store for the different cones. I was laying down with Dylan. Ranger got up on the sofa and I figured just to leave him up there if he would rest. All it took was that split second I closed my eyes for something to happen. A yelp and some crying caused me to jump up. When I looked, Ranger was trembling and the cone was off of his head. I thought he might have hurt himself so I was able to get him on his side. A brief look and I thought everything was okay. But as he tried to walk he would quickly sit to his side and then want to inspect. A closer look showed that a section of the incision had opened up and he was bleeding. From what I assume, he could not get the cone off with his front paws so he went to his hind legs and in the stretching process opened himself up a bit. A trip to the animal er to flush the opening, and a take home of antibiotics, pain medication (same thing my Dad got when he was fighting his cancer!), an anti-inflammatory, and a proper cone.
The negative aspect was having to remove the cone as Ranger would drag it along the dirt when going out to the restroom. Of course he would also walk into our legs constantly. Poor Dylan got the worst of it though as Ranger inadvertently popped him in the head a few times as he was turning. Because of this, Dylan became afraid. We decided to put Ranger up at the vet for boarding for four days. It was to give Dylan a break, but also so they could properly clean the incision area. I was instructed to use a 50/50 peroxide and water solution to dab the affected area 2-3 times a day. I did that once before with Dylan, but it was different with Ranger as it was opened and seemed to hurt him. Maybe it was to strong and I didn't dilute it enough or wet it too much, but I thought it better left to the professionals.
Four days later Ranger came back home and wore the cone for a few more days before a follow-up with the vet gave the okay to remove it. Dylan and Ranger get along for the most part indoors, though Ranger has a bit of an alpha male side to him that wasn't present in the meet and greet they had when we first signed the adoption paperwork.
Toys are an issue indoors because it doesn't matter if they each have one of the same, or even multiples. Ranger can be playing with a toy and if he notices Dylan get one he goes to take it from him. Outdoors it is a little worse. Off-leash, Ranger will sometime charge Dylan (like a goat using his head!) and hit into the side of his body or his backside. But if that wasn't enough, he will also go to nip and bite at Dylan's paws (he will sometimes do this inside). Dylan is very passive so when this happens he cowers and gets scared. It's gotten to the point were I can only comfortably take them out together when on a leash together, or take them out to the backyard individually. When this happens, the one that stays inside whines and barks their head off. If I take them out for a walk they do great together. They are able to sleep together as well, though sometimes they do so separated.
If anyone has any tips or ideas we could definitely use them.
