Sweet Petunia is still with us and getting stronger each day.  She has gotten enough strength back to where she can now walk on her own.   Because she had gone so long without food, we have to closely monitor her food intake or she would eat non-stop.   The best news of all is that she was strong enough for the Surgeons to sedate her and remove most of the dead, necrotic tissue on her body.   I know the pictures are graphic but there is no way to show you sweet Petunia without showing you how she looks now.   She has lots of little areas that are very raw and tissue has to granulate in on her face and neck area.   Removing the dead tissue was critical for us to be able to save her Life.   Dead tissue, loaded with infection keeps her body in a septic state that we are working diligently to get her out of.   We are still waiting for the cultures to come back so we know if we are using the best possible antibiotics for her.   Since she went so long without any medical care, we are expecting her to have some Staph infections which we are already treating her for.   We are closely monitoring her blood levels to make sure her skin that is weeping all the time does not change her blood levels in the wrong direction.  If that happens, we will put back whatever she needs to regulate her body.

The surgeons worked hours removing all of the dead tissue.  During the process they found a white powdery substance on her that was similar to flour.  We are not sure what it was but it appeared to be something that was put on her later.   Based on the deep wounds she has, the Doctors still believe she was caught on fire rather than a bad case of Demodex.  The wounds are also different from if acid had been poured on her.   We will never know exactly what happened to this adorable puppy unless someone comes forward.    What we do know is that she is the sweetest little girl that loves everyone.   She is too fragile for anyone to pick her up and hold her right now which is terribly hard for all of us.   We are closely monitoring her pain level to make sure she is comfortable at all times.    We do not have bandages on Petuna but instead have little blankets she is covered in that can be changed often.   We are feeling much better about her prognosis this morning than we did yesterday after her surgery.    She is resting comfortably and can now allow her body to heal and let new tissue granulate in.    She will be with us for several months healing and being showered with unconditional love and kisses which is the highlight of her day.