My thoughts and prayers are with you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" /> .It's hard to type through the tears, the two of you have been through so much. We know that if you have him put to sleep it is only for Flip's benifit. May God rest his soul and heal your broken heart <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" /> We are here for you.......

As a nurse, I know that any invasive surgery can cause swelling of tissue that was cut through. You've indicated that Flip wound up losing some muscle tissue during the surgery and that he has been quite active since you brought him home. This may be contributing to the swelling you are noting rather than something having gone wrong with the surgery and/or its being an infection. If an infection is present, the vet could always consider placing a DRAIN tube in the vicinity of the infection to give the antibiotics time to work. However, Flip would have to be monitored very carefully to make sure he doesn't pull the DRAIN tube out.

However, if my suspcisions are correct, the swelling may be due to overactivity by Flip since his surgery. If he'll let you hold him a bit, consider gently holding a warm/moist washcloth in the area of the swelling several times a day for as long as Flip will let you but under no circumstances should a microwave be used to heat the cloth as I've seen cases of people doing so and suffering severe burns as a result. Also, you might want to consider keeping him in a small travel cage to limit his activity to reduce stress on the surgical area. A last thought might be to have the vet provide some type of medication to keep Flip mellowed out until he's healed up more.

Francisco, sending more prayers for you and Flip in your time of need. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" />