We laughed with great hilarity when Gretel, the mini dachshund I adopted last August, went after a squirrel and twice ended up in the crotch of our backyard tree. I was so sorry there was no camera handy because it really was a sight to see. But now we're paying for it. In a pretty spectacular way, I might add.
Although nobody can say exactly why her back is giving her problems, jumping is a reasonable assumption, and the tree jump is probably about three feet. After a couple of weeks of progresive pain, I took her to the doctor and he gave her a steroid shot and prescribed an antibiotic but no pain medicine. When I asked for some a few days later, I was told the shot and the drops should be enough. Sunday the pain was so bad that Christina took her to the emergency room. The doctor on call there gave her pain medicine and said she should be checked by a specialist, which I did yesterday. That doctor gave her a steroid pill and told me to get a kennel and put her in it for one month. Take her out only for brief visits to the backyard. I bought the kennel today and she has cried nonstop about it.
And get this: Liezel came in and saw her in there and went on the attack! She walked around and around it, barking and growling. The upside of that is that Gretel forgot her back pain and her crying jag and was bewildered and befuddled about this stranger trying to get at her. But she started growling back, ready to take her on. You want a piece of me?
As my daughter says once a day, Lord help me.
On a lighter note, our little boy is doing just fine. The sleep apnea alarm goes off from time to time, but it always seems to happen when someone is holding him and watching his behavior with great fascination and pleasure. Nobody has ever thought he wasn't breathing. Just false alarms, possibly. Angela is having a little trouble with carpal tunnel in her shoulder, but that might be easing somewhat.
Janine's play "Harvey" was a ten! The lead character was certainly a match for James Stewart. The characters did a wonderful job of copying the clothes, the shoes, the makeup, the hair styles, and the decor of the 40's. Janine did her hair up on one side with a roll and pinned it back on the other side, loose curls hanging down -- she was Ginger Rogers!!! Only prettier. Katie and Amy, Julia Manguno, Lois de Gruy (Christina's former mother-in-law) and I had front row seats and really enjoyed it.
That's my report.
Grandma, it sounds like you have your hands full with those two dogs. That wouldn't be my mother with the continual response of the Lord help me?! Because I think I do hear that in our house quite often. I hope Gretel gets better soon!
Sorry to hear about Gretel. Liezel probably smelled the medicine on/in Gretel or even the hospital smell and perceived Gretel as a stranger or a weaker Gretel. My cats do that when one returns from the clinic. They depend more on smell than sight when recognizing each other. If the smell is off, it takes a while for that to sort itself out. Hope she gets well soon.
This morning when I got up at 5 because Gretel was crying about everything in her life being so awful, as she had cried for most of the night, by the way, I found blood on the pillow in the cage/kennel! What in this world? I checked her feet and mouth and couldn't find where it had come from, but it tells me she really, really doesn't like being in there. She's out right now, lying on the floor, and seems content. Why wouldn't that be approximately the same as being contained in a kennel? I have spent so much money on this situation, in so many different places, it would be a shame to ignore all of the good advice I've been given, but but but . . . .
Today Angela and Samuel and I are going to visit the carpal tunnel man and see what's what with the shoulder. It should be interesting, traveling with a two-week old infant once again. It's been a long time.
I took 11-day old David and also Robbie, Sue, Janine, and Katie who were only slightly older than 11 days, to the doctor because of an intestinal problem. When the doctor said he should go to the hospital for a test, I decided to call in the BIG GUN, because I just couldn't see myself walking the hospital halls with my entourage, well-behaved as they were. The BIG GUN came home and the children were dispersed and off we went. And everyone lived happily ever after, healthy, wealthy and wise. Approximately.
And that's my report for this day.
I had horrible carpal tunnel when I was pregnant with Murphy. My hands were numb for the last 2 months of my pregnancy and I don't think the pain in my forearm went away for a couple of months afterwards and it took about 3 months to regain feeling completely in my hands. I had never heard of that side effect from pregnancy, but Molly told me she had that as well. Hopefully, Angela will be able to get some relief from the specialist.
It's so hard to keep animals down when they are supposed to be resting. Sidney, our highly active Lab, underwent TPLO surgery (the equivalent of knee replacement surgery) at the end of December. I believe she had been taken down by one of the many dogs in my family on a cabin weekend. Poor thing ends up in the emergency vet every time we go to the cabin. Anyway, after the surgery, she was not supposed to climb stairs or do any kind of walking about or running for at least 8 weeks. After a week, she managed to eat her cast off her leg and grew a terrible infection in her leg, thus prompting another trip to the very expensive surgeon only to redo the surgery and pay for it all over again. We made sure she was kept down this time and even though everyone comments on her growing middle section, she has maintained a sedate life and has finally healed. But it was the saddest couple of months I've ever spent with her. She was so unhappy at the lack of activity. But now she'll be able to frolic and play with the rest of them, even Oliver, our newest puppy. Sidney isn't quite sure about him, but I'm sure they will grow to be great friends. Mostly because Oliver can't hip check her.
Pets! Man, they can be more or as expensive as kids sometimes! After Wishbone lost his eye he had to wear a collar to keep from scratching it. Well, he hooked it on something and wrenched his neck. So, off to the vet we went. The Dr. gave him valium for a week to ensure that he would indeed take it easy. No walks or collars for 2 weeks. I guess she knew he wouldn't lay still without the medication. Tell me I didn't feel weird going into Target Pharmacy getting valium for my dog :) ha ha. Carol
Carol and Mary -- I appreciated your accounts of those serious injuries to your pets and how they were taken care of. It made me feel like I wasn't totally off the wall, weeping over a pet and spending money so lavishly.
This is an update of Gretel's progress. I don't know if we've lost the beautiful personality which has made her so much fun, but now she prefers to rest in the kennel guarding her new toy and rawhide, growling and barking at Liezel when she passes by. The rawhide is hidden beneath her blanket with great care and much effort, probably more effort than is good for her back. Maybe I'll take it from her since she doesn't seem inclined to chew on it anyway.
She never cries while she's in there now. I'm just a little worried about where she's gone and if it's a permanent change. One month is a long time to be behind bars.
Robbie -- I mentioned Liezel's seeming attack mode to two different vets and they just shrugged it off, disinterested. Now you tell me you've seen that very behavior in Crispin and Casey and that makes a lot of sense to me. It's not just the kennel, it's a difference in the animal that alarms her.
This is my life.
Her personality is not gone, Mom. She has adapted to her new environment. When her old environement returns in a few weeks, she'll be back to normal.