As I write this, Santana is curled up in his crate next to me getting some much needed sleep. He's not usually crated at this time of day (or any time for that matter), but he needs some time by himself and we can use the break in the canine tension that we experienced last night.
I've had a cold the past couple of so I've been exiled to the spare room upstairs so Kathy can get some much needed rest. Willow and Zappa have been sleeping with me and Sandy has been bouncing between Kathy and the upstairs couch. Last night when Kathy got home from work (I knew she'd pulled in because the dogs were going nuts as always happens) I gave each dog a rawhide treat to distract them so Kath could enter in peace. I didn't realize she was on a phone call and while she finished it outside, the dogs finished their treats. Except Zappa. When Kathy did enter the house the dogs crowded her in our small foyer and since Zappa hadn't finished his treat, Sandy made a grab for it. Big mistake.
The ensuing fight was not much different than the ones we've been experiencing lately since Sandy has been trying to assert himself as top dog over Zappa. There was barking, howling snapping and biting and when the fur stopped flying, Sandy ended up with Zappa's treat. Unfortunately that was not the only thing he ended up with. Kathy didn't notice it until bedtime, but Sandy had gotten a nice little puncture wound on his back passenger side leg (That's the only way I can aptly describe the location because left and right on a dog depends on whether your in front of or behind them).
Since I was already asleep (or trying to sleep) with the other dogs upstairs, I didn't know there was an issue until I got up to let the dogs out this morning. Kathy said that Sandy had had trouble getting up on the bed last night and that's when she noticed the wound. There was no bleeding which may be why we didn't notice it earlier, but since he was moving much slower than usual this morning I knew he needed a trip to the vet.
I like our vet. It's actually a local animal hospital and it may not be cheap but it is close to home and everyone there is very nice. I called them this morning and they said they were all booked for today. They told me we could do a walk-in visit and pay an extra charge and the first available vet would see us. We got there a little after 9 and the doctor, Dr. Hu,(pronounced Dr. Who) saw us by 9:30. After the initial look, she said she needed to have a closer examination which would require shaving the area. Sandy was pretty sore back there so she said that they may have to put him out for the next phase. Dr. Hu said that they couldn't do anything until after noon but I could leave him there and they would address his wound as soon as they could and would call me when he was done. That was fine with me because I still had 2 dogs at home who needed their daily walk.
They wrote up the proposed procedure for me to sign off on including a best and worst case scenario. The best case was about $700, which they would need as a deposit before they did any work. The worst case was about $1100 and that was only if they had to put him completely under and if he were to require a drain and for all I know a hair transplant. I charged the $700 and hoped for the best.
I got a call a little after noon and Dr Hu said Sandy had come through the procedure fine and would be ready to pick up around 2:00. No over night stay that was part of the worst case scenario so that was a savings. The doctor said that once he'd been shaved the wound wasn't as bad as they first thought so that was good news as well. I took the time we were down one dog to do a little house cleaning and prepare for his return. Kathy and I both went to pick him up and after they went over his medication needs with us and they refunded us about $200, they brought our drugged and logy boy out for a trip home.
Sandy is not a big fan of car rides and I only got him to the vet this morning by plying him with Slim Jims. He was so out of it this afternoon that even that didn't work. Poor guy was dazed, with a sore leg and we were trying to get him up into the back of our station wagon. Because of his wound I was afraid to pick him up in fear of hurting him more and having him lash out at me due to pain or fear. With his soft funnel collar in place, I got his front end in and gently hoisted in the rear. Not graceful but it did work.
Once home again he was still a little stoned but gradually came to terms with these familiar surroundings. He took a long whiz and then I crated him which is where he remains. We've had him out a few times since I started writing this and he had some food and even a short walk. He's beginning to return to his normal self which is a relief and a concern. The hope is that this experience will confirm for him who is top dog, but he's a bit of a hard head. Since I can't dock his allowance to remind him of the monetary cost of this mistake I can only hope that his sore hindquarters will.
We do a lot for our pets like most people with animals (or kids, for that matter). We do it because they enrich our lives in a way that money never can. While I was waiting for Sandy to be seen at the vet's this morning I got an email from my old boss with the news that he and his wife had to put their 13 year old Shepard mix down on New Years Eve. Not a great way to end a year, or to start one either. As big as a pain in the ass Third Dog is, at least I got to bring him home at the end of the day, and for that I am thankful.
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