EXCERPTS FROM PAT ARNOLD'S DAILY DOG LOG - September 30 - October 6, 2001
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30 2001 We're afloat (at least for the next several weeks) thanks to the readers of Jacquielynn Floyd's column in The Dallas Morning News this past Tuesday, 9/25/01.
Readers of Jacquielynn Floyd's column immediately began sending contributions to Straydog Inc. How wonderful it is to know there are so many caring, loving people out there! Click here to read Jacquielynn Floyd's column.
Tony the Pony was adopted today by Debbie, a reader of Jacquielynn Floyd's 9/25/01 column!
Tony
likes Debbie and is eager to jump into the
back seat
of Debbie's car for the ride to his new home.
Click here for the complete story of Tony's adoption.
MONDAY OCTOBER 1 2001 Vet says Beauty may lose eye
Beauty's right eye didn't look any better this morning, and it was swollen for the first time, so I took her to the vet clinic first thing without taking the time to make an appointment. Dr. Stephen interrupted a surgery to come take a look at her. After examining her eye again (I think this is the forth time we've had her there over the past few weeks), he said there is nothing more he could do for Beauty, her eye is getting worse and it was best now to refer us to a veterinary eye specialist. He will get in touch with the specialist and then call us so we can call the doctor to talk with him about Beauty too, and then make the appointment. Our doctor thinks that Beauty's eye problem probably stems from some sort of a puncture wound she must have sustained during her life as a stray.
I am so glad that Beauty is here with us where she will be well cared for and loved, until the day she is adopted by a wonderful family. We will have the doctors do everything that they can to help her. Our doctor said that once the eye problem is taken care of, and she is feeling better again, then she can begin treatment for heartworms.
Beauty's eye is looking much worse!
TUESDAY OCTOBER 2 2001 Maggie and Angie go see the doctor
Maggie (the pretty six-year-old Black Lab mix who joined our Happy Home for Strays on September 6) is ready to begin the treatment for heartworms, our vet said, and her appointment was for 8:30 this morning. I walked her to the van, and she jumped with ease into the van and then went right into her traveling crate.
Maggie
Angie (who joined us on August 21) was going to go with us too, since she is off most all of her medication now (for treating the mange problem she had), and the doctor wanted to do another skin scraping test. Joel brought Angie to the van, and in she jumped too, eager to go for a ride!
Angie kind of looks like Stevie in this photo.
The doctor said that Maggie will begin the heartworm treatment this morning and I will be able to bring her home this Thursday or Friday.
Angie's test showed no mites, which is great news.
Dr. prescribes more eye drops for Beauty to help swelling go down
The doctor had called in a prescription at our local drug store for Beauty for more eye drops, this time the drops are to help the swelling go down in her right eye, so Angie and I stopped at the drug store on our way home to pick up Beauty's newest medication.
As soon as we arrived home, and Angie was back in her kennel, I went to see Beauty. She is the sweetest little dog anyone could ever want. She "smiled " happily when she saw me come toward her kennel and ran up to the fence to greet me. (She really does smile!) We are all hoping the dog eye specialist will be able to help her. It's going to be hard to wait until her appointment on Thursday (which Dr. Stephen set up for us yesterday).
This afternoon I called the new vet in Arlington to confirm the day and time of our appointment, and they had us down for this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. for the doctor to see Beauty.
I'll give her a nice bath with the mild puppy shampoo that smells really good, and she will look especially pretty for the new doctor.
Beauty to see an eye specialist Thursday afternoon.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 2001 Beauty's eye worse! To the specialist today!
Beauty's eye looks horrible this morning. I called our local vet, and he said to stop all medications except one. Then I called the specialist in Arlington to see if we could get in to see him before tomorrow. They'd just had a cancellation for four o'clock this afternoon so I switched Beauty's appointment for today.
Beauty's appointment switched to this afternoon
At 10:00 this morning Shannon, who often volunteers her services for many of the dog duties there are to do around here, called returning my message asking if she'd be able to drive Beauty and me to the specialist in Arlington today. Shannon said she'd be here at noon. Neither of us knew exactly where this clinic was or how long it would take to get to Arlington. (My sense of direction is absolutely terrible, and for me to even try to attempt that drive would be a disaster. We'd be circling for weeks!)
The specialist says it's best to remove Beauty's eye
After a careful, very thorough examination, the doctor said that Beauty had lost practically all the sight in her right eye due to a deep infection and the beginning of glaucoma, and that Beauty is in a lot of pain. The doctor felt that the infection and glaucoma were caused by a puncture wound she must have recently sustained during her life as a stray. (We hate to even think how that may have happened, but from seeing the visible scar that encircles her chest and leg, we know something horrible happened to Beauty. And her being without any front teeth could be the result of her having had to chew herself loose from the wire that was cutting into her skin, leaving the scar.)
"Please do everything you can to help Beauty"
The specialist added that to attempt to keep the eye would be very painful for Beauty (even on strong pain medication). She would not regain sight in the eye, and it would be pointless to put her through any more unnecessary pain when it would not be doing her any good. I agreed with the doctor and asked him to please do everything he could for her.
Shannon and I hugged Beauty goodbye, and the nice technician took Beauty back to the hospital annex to await her operation, which they scheduled for early tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
The cost of Beauty's operation could be as much as $1,000, but it has to be done. We will make sure she gets whatever treatment is necessary. This precious little dog did not deserve to have this happen to her. The only thing that matters now is that Beauty receive the medical attention she needs to make her better.
Shannon and I will go to pick up Beauty tomorrow afternoon to bring her home. I will miss her tonight.