July 8, 2016 Scooter’s near death disaster. This may say the author is Ted but only the bottom three photos with captions. This is my story. Ted handled the crises well and wrote his story and posted it here http://www.bitterrootbugle.com/2016/07/07/9668/.
Ted is kicking himself for not having removed the cause before today. Yesterday, there was an old piece of metal pipe with a T top just the right height that Scooter impaled herself on it during a romp in our yard with a new doggie friend. This is a VERY tall garbage can. The rod must be 3.5′ long and was really deep in the road next to our yard, impossible to remove by hand, most likely, until not frozen and water and warmer weather had made it a little easier.
The owner of the visiting dog, David, felt terrible and pulled out the offending metal with his bare hands. When Ted tried it himself he was never successful. He says he should have cut it off, of course.
I was shopping, thankfully, when it happened and didn’t even find out about it until 2:30. It happened around 10:30. I was trying to raise Ted on the ham radio but never at the same time that he was listening. He was trying to reach me and having no luck, either.
Mom was there, unfortunately, and felt terrible about it, moved to tears, she has such a tender heart.
It will be at least five days before the vet can remove the drain. Scooter will be on antibiotics and pain meds. Suffice it to say that I can’t imagine traveling or leaving our vet until Scooter is much farther along on the mend schedule. We will simply have to reschedule the Nebraska trip that was supposed to commence on Monday.
I pointed out a structural defect in the upper bed where Ted planned to sleep in the camper. He needs to fix that. Now he has the time. He has scheduled a mechanic to do a thorough check on Monday with any necessary repairs to be done.
Scooter has had several good drinks of water, eaten, and followed Ted around the yard while he turned off the sprinklers, but she didn’t do any eliminations yet. I bought her a second bed, today so that she can stretch out on it, but her favorite is still the oval bed with the soft foam. She tried to get in her crate but the cone made that impossible. Poor baby!
Well, it’s been a long day. We are all wasted and going to bed. I think I’ll make a bed here on the floor next to Scooter. Ted managed to get her to lie down again. Bless him! He posted everything below. I am just adding my version. She has always been a skittish dog, and this experience hasn’t helped that trait. We love her anyway. Rather ironically, my copy of ENERGY HEALING FOR DOGS: Using Hands-On Healing to Improve Canine Health and Behavior arrived just a few days before. Now that I caught up on my sleep today I hope to sit next to Scooter and read it while encouraging her to rest and heal.
July 9
I have had about 3 hrs sleep/night, 3 nights in a row, and slept in until 1:45 pm today! Ted made dinner tonight and Scooter is getting spoiled in all kinds of ways. Have to make up for Ted holding her down while I mopped up dried blood buildup from the drain tubes. And, tip here, no matter what the vet tech tells you at the counter, be sure to READ the Rx bottles because although I heard “1 each twice a day”, the directions on the pain med was 1/2 a tablet, a HUGE difference that I didn’t discover until I had given her two doses. I guess she will survive. Had to call my friend, Carol, at around 10 pm last night for reassurance.
MORNING AFTER – She needs company in order to lay down and rest
THE WOUND 26 stitches + 2 drains … gunna feel odd for a while
2ND MORNING – Scooter can’t seem to rest without companionship
