I tried to search for an answer to this but I don't have time right now to sort through all the results so I hope I am not asking a redundant question.

Tate's surgeon is off today so there is a new (to us) vet.  He wants to keep Tate another day only because his incision is still draining, however he will consider letting us take him home tonight if we're willing to deal with the drain.  We're not worried about the "eeewww, gross" factor, we're worried we might do something wrong and cause an infection or worse.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how difficult is it to do right?

Hi,

First, you can't cause any permanent damage to a drain. They can even be replaced if necessary…not desirable, but not impossible.

Tate is far more likely to develop an infection in the hospital, than at home.

The drain is probably a JP (brand name, universally used to refer to similar products) type drain. A soft tube connected to a flexible bulb. The only maintenance is disconnecting to empty. You simply need to squeeze the bulb when reconnecting to maintain suction.

Accidental disconnection just requires cleanup, but does no damage.

There are a few other possible types of drains, equally as easy.

If you bring him home and run into problems/questions PM me. People go home with multiple drains all the time & you would be shocked to see what they manage to do to them & still cause no harm.

Cynthia

Ha! Glad you enjoyed the poem, so certainly you may stick it somewhere else if you like.

Yes, we've had a few unusual issues up here in the mountains, but it makes life entertaining. (Have you ever broken up a dog fight by beating the dogs with various parts of a shop vac?) Sometime I'll tell you about the time I flew my rocket ship to the moon…now that was a story!

Shari