She's home..... now what?

It's been about a week since Daisy returned home and she is doing well. She has had two CBC's to check her platelets and they continue to rise....but she will not be out of the woods until they reach 30,000.  The challenge with Daisy has been trying to keep her calm. I must say that I was not fully prepared for Daisy's release from the Randall B. Terry Jr. Center at NCSU which was supposed to be October 21st, but was extended until the 24th of October to allow her platelet counts to rise (otherwise she would be susceptible to internal bleeding especially since Daisy is such an active dog).  From my understanding of platelets you need a certain amount to help form blood clots to mend small tears within the body. If you have too few, excessive bleeding can occur.  Daisy was released when her platelets reached 13,000 which is still low but apparently still in a reasonably "safe" range for discharge but only if she remains physically inactive for the next several weeks.  She can only be let out for short walks to do her business and that's it.  Daisy is not allowed to jump, run, have long walks, get overly excited or over exert herself in anyway.  Little did I know how challenging it was going to be to keep her calm!!  I decided to make a "to do" list for other BMT dog owners so they can avoid my pitfalls:

1) When driving your dog home.... buy a ramp. I had to lift Daisy in and out of the SUV to keep her from jumping and over exerting herself during the drive home (14 hours worth). My synapses finally kicked in about half way home and I bought a ramp. 

2) Hide the toy chest.  Shortly after returning home Daisy picked up one of her toys and gave me that "chase me" look (hiding the toy chest was on my list of things to do but apparently I didn't do it quick enough).  My heart just started racing because I knew she was about to start running! Luckily I just took a deep breath and very calmly sat down on the floor which prompted her to bring the toy over. 

3) Confine your dog to one small area of the house.  Daisy tends to bark at her fish, squirrels, raccoons and even insects or lizards sitting on leaves outside the window (yes she has EXCELLENT vision).

Here is a picture of Daisy looking up at a squirrel on the utility line in the yard (not barking .....YET):

Squirrel looking back at her: 

There is one particular koi fish from her pond that likes to stare at her. When this happens its as if the two of them are in a stand-off.  She begins a tantrum of sorts barking loudly and continuously at this one fish!  She can really work herself into a tizzy... so I put up a blockade in front of the french doors overlooking the pond....and now I  keep her confined to the living room area....but the squirrels are everywhere!  

4) Close the door to all bedrooms.  If your dog likes sleeping or taking naps at the bottom of your bed..... make sure to shut all the bedroom doors. 

5) Hide all pillows.  For whatever reason Daisy began humping pillows when she returned home.  Of course I took them away from her but after awhile I had to hide them because it was excessive!! Dr. Lurie (her oncologist) said that this behavior will likely cause small tears in her abdominal muscles which might cause Patechia (minor hemorrhaging/broken capillaries).
6) Check your dogs abdomen morning and night.  I looked at Daisy's abdomen on her second night home and found "Patechia" (a small group of 1-2mm purple spots caused by minor hemorrhaging/broken capillaries).  I called Buffy at NCSU as well as Dr. Lurie, Daisy's oncologist at Miami Veterinarian Specialists. They both said that it was nothing to worry about unless it got bigger in size or began surfacing in another location. Luckily the patechia had disappeared within 24 hours!