Our pup, Mabel, had to go to the vet yesterday to get fixed. The pricing is based on weight. Naturally, she put on like 15-20 pounds since we made the appointment. She’s almost 70 pounds now.

Yesterday morning, my wife dropped her off after taking the kids to school. She had some things to do during the day, and then she had to take our daughter to a gymnastics thing. So, she told me to keep my phone on while I slept today. As soon as she knew what time I needed to pick her up, she’d let me know.

Normally, I would still be asleep at 3pm, but yesterday I got up around 2:45pm. I showered and got ready for work, without getting ready for work, if that makes sense. I did everything but get into my scrubs, which I would change into when I got home with Mabel.

When they brought her out, she was being very stubborn. She was pulling away from them on her leash. Once she saw me, she came to me. Usually, she would be excited and jumping up on me, but she was still feeling the effects of the anesthesia. I had to help her into the car. She is so big now that she can’t really curl up on the seat. She sat up and I pet her the whole way home. I think at one time, she fell asleep with her head in my hand.

There were all kinds of post-op instructions, but the one that was bolded and in all caps was “NO LICKING.” They encouraged us to buy a cone for her so she couldn’t lick her wound. I found an inflatable ring that is made specifically for that purpose. When I put it on her, she looked at me like, “Really, man? I have to wear this ridiculous thing? What are the other dogs in the neighborhood going to say?!”

Doesn’t she look pitiful? I just hope that she takes it easy over the next week or so. Trying to get her to settle down is a very tough thing to do. Now that she can jump up on the kid’s beds, we may have to make sure those doors are closed. She’s always got so much energy, she’s going to have a tough time being calm.

I’m guessing she’ll be back to her old self in no time!