March 11: Liquid Bandages

Anyone have dogs? We have one. She's been with us since 2001, and she's a wonderful family member. Great watchdog, too. She carefully watches every bite of food anyone in the family eats - breakfast, lunch and dinner. But, seriously, she is very protective of our house, and, more importantly, our family. A few months back, must have been October of last year, she had surgery to remove a growth on her left front leg. Our immediate concern was that the growth was cancerous, thus we wanted it removed just to be sure or safe, depending on how you look at it. She came through great and recovery went smoothly; although she could not wait to shed that darn cone contraption that the Vet said she had to where for about 6 weeks following surgery. But, once we removed the cone she left her wound alone and things went back to normal. Well, for a short time now she's back to licking and/or chewing in that same area. And, she had gotten to it pretty good, so I took her in to get the Vet's perspective. Believe me, we were willing to try anything other than having to put that cone back on the poor dog's head. The Vet recommended something I had never heard of before, which is liquid bandages. He said it would create a sealant over the wound, protecting it from the attention that our dog has been giving to that area of her body recently. Today, I stopped into the local CVS and purchased some liquid bandages. I was surprised to find there are several different brands from which someone in my position could choose. Being the skeptic I am that this was really going to work, I went with the CVS brand. Here's a little tip: if you're considering CVS for any future liquid bandage purchases, make sure you open the box to ensure the thing is in there before you get to the register. The cashier identified that the box I grabbed from the shelf was empty (I knew it felt a little light when I picked it up). Anyway, long story short, I still had to use the cone, but only temporarily, as this stuff needs to dry before you can risk the dog licking at it. I honestly saw no difference, but perhaps after a couple of days it will start to take affect. Either that or our dog is going to grow fond of the taste and become even more addicted to licking her leg. Which, if it goes that route, at least the family will be able to enjoy a meal without the dog hovering below the table begging for handouts.