Pat's Daily Dog Log NOVEMBER 11 - 17, 2001

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11 2001

Julie has ANOTHER eye infection

      I couldn't believe it when I saw Julie (recently diagnosed as diabetic after suddenly going blind) holding her left eye shut this morning at 2:30 a.m. as I leashed her up to take her from her bedroom kennel to her outside kennel to let her go potty before her first meal and first insulin injection of the day. Holding her eye shut could only mean another eye infection. Darn! We had just cleared up the infection in her right eye.

      Because it's Sunday I didn't want to disturb our vets too early in the morning, so I waited till eight o'clock to call our clinic's emergency number about Julie's new eye problem. Dr. Collinsworth told me what eye drops to give Julie for that eye, and suggested I take her to the eye specialist along with Beauty when we go tomorrow.

      This will work out fine. I called Shannon, who (when Bill's tied up at his regular job) has been driving me to all of these out-of-town vet visits, to tell her that Monday Julie would be going with us to the vet specialist in Arlington, so she could arrange the seats of her car (if need be) for two dogs instead of just one fella. She prefers to drive her car (a Suburban) instead of our long dog van on these trips with just a couple of dogs.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 12 2001

Julie and Beauty visit their eye specialist clinic in Arlington

      Our appointment with the eye specialist in Arlington this morning was for 11:15 for Beauty--and now for Julie too. Because needs her second injection of insulin along with a meal at 11:00, I had to pack Julie's food, insulin, eye drops and container of water so I could feed her at 11:00, our estimated arrival time at the clinic.

      When Shannon got to Straydog at 9:00 a.m. we put a crate in her car for Julie (who rides much better in a crate than loose in the car), and Beauty and I sat in the back seat, and we started off on the nearly two-hour drive to the eye specialist clinic.

      We arrived at the clinic a little before eleven, just as it started to pour down rain! Shannon hurriedly took Beauty into the clinic with her to sign us in while I fed Julie outside, in the rain, beneath the leafiest tree branches I could find.

Wonderful news for both dogs!

      Dr. Paulsen examined Beauty first and said she is just fine! (He had to perform surgery to remove her badly infected, sightless right eye last month, and this was the follow-up visit.) What wonderful news. (Beauty will now begin treatment soon, at our vet clinic in Gun Barrel City, for her heartworm problem.)

      Next Dr. Paulsen examined Julie's eyes. He gave me new eye drops for the infection in her left eye, which medicine he said would clear up the infection quickly. I was really surprised to hear the doctor say that he also felt that Julie needed to have the cataract surgery done very soon, while there is still time to save her sight.

      Dr. Paulsen believes that her diabetes is close enough to being under control now to go ahead with this surgery as soon as possible, and he scheduled an appointment for the cataract removal surgery for this coming Thursday. Wow! How wonderful for Julie to be able to see again!

Vet Visit Schedule for this Week:

MON. Nov. 12 - Beauty and Julie see vet in Arlington.

TUE. Nov. 13 - Four fellas to our local vet: Julie (glucose curve); Maggie (final H.W. test); Kelli and Candy (checkup); Pick up Julie at 6 p.m. (in the DARK)

WED. Nov. 14 - Susie goes to DVSC in Dallas for surgery on leg and will stay there over night.

THUR. Nov. 15 - Julie goes to Arlington for eye surgery, and while she's there we pick up Susie in Dallas after her leg surgery. Then we go back to the Arlington clinic to pick up Julie. (They want to send her home soon after the surgery.)

When we arrive home Thursday evening with Julie and Susie, we're in for tons of special care for these two doggies. (I hope no unforeseen problems develop with ANY of the other dogs for at LEAST a few months!)

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13 2001

New dog may be coming to Straydog to be a companion for Angie

      Poor Angie needs a doggie friend or a LOVING FAMILY to take care of her, but since we know it may take a while before she finds her forever family to adopt her, we're going to see if she likes the newest big pup, "Freckles," whom Shannon rescued recently, who is being boarded right now at Shannon's vet clinic.

      From what I know about Freckles, he is a big, bouncy puppy dog, about six months old. Shannon will bring him to Straydog today and we'll see how he and Angie get along. We can't imagine there would be any problem since Freckles is a (neutered) male pup, and Angie is such a happy-go-lucky young (spayed) female, who appears to like most other dogs. You never know tho. It may just not work, but we're going to find out.

      I think we're in for another very busy day.

      7:45 p.m. - Too busy to write much, and it's past my bedtime. ...

      I took four dogs to the vets today. Maggie is completely over her heartworm treatment, and her final blood test today shows NO MORE HEARTWORMS! Now she can run and chase her favorite ball in the park!! Yea, Maggie! Now Maggie is available for adoption too.

      The pups are fine. Dr. S still wants to wait to do the x-rays on Kelli's legs and hips when he spays her December 6th. I think Kelly may have some type of problem, and we'll know more then.

      And Julie's report was good too. She had to stay at the clinic all day for periodic tests to check her blood sugar level.

      I arrived home at 7:30 tonight after getting Julie from our clinic a little before seven, and now I have given her her meal and insulin and eye drops and she is in her house crate now next to my bed, all cozied up on her blankets, and she is sound asleep.

      Our vet said that her diabetes is a little closer to being under control, and he agrees with the eye specialist vet that's it's okay to have the surgery this Thursday to remove the cataracts from Julie's eyes.

      Little Susie's having her knee surgery tomorrow in Dallas, and then we pick her up on Thursday while Julie's being operated on in Arlington, and then we go back for Julie. We're going to be very busy for the next few days.

      And Beauty begins her heartworm treatment this coming Monday. ...

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14 2001

Susie's knee surgery went fine. We pick her up from clinic tomorrow

      As soon as I received the great news from the veterinary surgeon in Dallas that Susie had come through her surgery just fine and can come home tomorrow, I told "the crew." Everyone here has been waiting to hear how Susie's doing.

      Susie's big kennel in the house is all ready for her. This will be quite a change for Susie, being in the house all the time now, except for going outside for short potty walks (on leash) several times a day for the next eight to ten weeks.

      After a week or so we'll begin to take Susie to the park on a leash to spend some time with her kennel mate, Anthony, when goes for his turn in the park, but Susie won't be able to go back to the kennel with Anthony to stay until long after her leg is completely healed. At least they will be able to be together for this short period in the big play yard every day.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15 2001

Julie went for her eye surgery in Arlington; then we dropped off Baron and picked up Susie at the surgery clinic in Dallas; then we went back to Arlington for Julie

      Shannon arrived at Straydog at 5:00 this morning (with her little dog Barnon in the car) to accompany me on this long day of scheduled vet appointments in Arlington and Dallas for Julie, Susie and Shannon's her little dog, Baron, who also has an appointment to see the vet at the surgery center in Dallas about Baron's hip problem.

      We put Julie in a crate in the back of Shannon's car and off we went.

First stop: the eye specialist clinic in Arlington

      At 7:30 a.m. we arrived in Arlington (about 90 miles from Straydog) for Julie's scheduled appointment with the eye surgeon to remove the cataracts from her eyes. After checking Julie in I kissed her goodbye and prayed that all would go well with the surgery. This afternoon Julie will be able to come home (with a bunch of medication the nurse said).

Second stop: DVSC to leave Baron and pick up Susie

      After leaving Julie Shannon and I were on our way to Dallas. Shannon had an 11:15 appointment at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center for her dog Baron, and I'd be picking up Susie then too. (Susie had had her operation yesterday to repair the cruciate ligament tear of her left knee.)

      We had a few hours before our DVSC appointments, so we stopped at a restaurant and had a little breakfast. It was a beautifully cool morning, so Baron did well staying in the car waiting for us. He had his little nose glued to the front window waiting for his mommy, Shannon, to return!

      By 11:00 we were at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center and Baron had his visit with the doctor, who said that Baron does need surgery on his hip. The doctor was able to schedule Baron for surgery early tomorrow (Friday) morning.

      It was just about noon when Shannon was finished with Baron's appointment and Baron was lead off to the kennels in the back, where he would await his surgery. Next we saw Susie's doctor. He gave me all the instructions of her special care, and added that it was important for us to keep the thick cotton bandage, which covered her entire back leg, very dry. I knew this already because of the similar leg operations we'd gone through with for Puppy, Bobby, Briar and Sandy, over the last few years. It is an easy problem to solve by simply securing a big plastic bag abound her entire bandage.

      After the consultation the nurse brought Susie to me with pretty, thick, bright red bandage on her leg, and we left the clinic. Once outside I took Susie to a grassy area so she could go potty before we began the long trip to pick up Julie in Arlington.

Whoops! The bandage gets all wet

      Susie was glad to be on the grassy area, and as she tried to support herself to go potty, she leaned on her "casted" leg and promptly wet the entire inside of the bandage. I'm sure she didn't feel the dampness but the bandage was soaked. Geesh! Back into the hospital we went, took the elevator back to the second floor, and we went back into the office to see the doctor again. I explained what had happened, and he took Susie back to put on another bandage. A few minutes later she returned wearing a pretty yellow bandage this time.

      Soon we had Susie settled in the back seat of Shannon's car and were on our way to Arlington to pick up Julie. (THANK HEAVEN FOR SHANNON'S HELP IN ALL OF THIS!)

Julie is next to be picked up

      When we arrived at the eye specialist's clinic, we had a several-hour wait until we could see the doctor and Julie. I wanted Susie to be comfortable during this waiting period too, so I brought in a big soft towel for Susie to lie on inside the clinic waiting room, and I also brought in her favorite stuffy toy, and Shannon, Susie and I sat on the floor and waited, and waited and waited. I was more than a bit nervous about Julie. Going from being blind to now being able to see is a dream come true for this precious dog. (I also paid the huge vet bill. (The cost of both Julie and Susie's surgeries totaled more than three thousand dollars.)

The doctor says Julie can see!

      Finally they called me in to see the doctor (while Shannon stayed with Susie). The nurse brought Julie in, with a big E-Collar on her head, and I could tell from the way Julie was weaving from side to side as she walked into the room, that she couldn't see--yet. Julie was so happy to be with me again, and I was about in tears being so happy that Julie had made it through her operation.

      The doctor explained that Julie DOES HAVE HER SIGHT BACK--"She can see!." He went on to say that her sight will "come and go, fade in and out" for a few days but this is just temporary. I felt like giving Dr. Paulsen a big hug to thank him for everything he had done for Julie, but the nurse and Julie were in the pathway to get to the doctor, and I didn't think that climbing over the examining table to get to the doctor would be a very cool thing to do, so I contained myself, but I probably thanked him a dozen times!

      The nurse brought in a bag of medications and eye drops for Julie and explained everything thoroughly to me, and we were ready to leave. Julie needs to go back to see the doctor for a recheck in four days, which is this coming Monday. (Bill will have to take off work again to drive us, as Shannon's going to be away on a trip.)

We head for home

      It rained all the way back to Straydog, where we arrived shortly before 6:00 p.m. I walked Julie to her kennel and then carried little (but heavy) Susie to her kennel in the house. This would be a really new experience for Susie.

      Shannon was finally on her way home--another 45-minute drive for her, and it took me till 9:00 p.m. to take care of Susie and Julie, who now require lots of special care. We are so thankful that these fellas have had their operations and will be okay now.

      At 7:30 p.m. I had given Julie all the necessary doses of eye drops and pills and then brought her into her house kennel for the night. She still could not see and I couldn't imagine what she'd feel like when she suddenly does regain her sight.

      At 8:00 I finally got Susie to eat enough of a little meal so I could give her her medication. Then I took her for another potty walk (with her plastic wrapping around her bandaged leg this time), and back to her house kennel she came.

      9:00 p.m. - ALL IS WELL. All doggies are finally settled for the night.

      Danny Boy is "tucked in" now in his cozy quarters at the other end of the trailer, and his doggie-door to the outside is shut for the night.

      Maggie is in her big kennel in the kitchen, and Toby is curled up in his spot next to Maggie's kennel.

      Susie is in her big kennel in the kitchen/living room, snoozing away.

      Julie is in the bedroom kennel sound asleep.

      Blackie is on the bed snuggled deep in the middle of all the clean laundry that still needs to be put away.

      The alarm was set for 2:30 a.m., as usual.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16 2001

A busy day with the special care doggies

      At 2:15 a.m. I got up, dressed quickly and took Julie out to her outside kennel for the morning. I could tell by the way she was weaving back and forth as I walked her though the kitchen and then outside to her kennel that she still could not see.

      After putting Maggie in her outside kennel, and opening Danny's doggie door so he could go out, I took Susie out for her early morning walk in the dark.

Julie can see!

      By 3:00 a.m. I was on my way to Julie's kennel with her morning food and medicine, including her insulin injection. When I approached her kennel she was dancing up and down in anticipation of the forthcoming meal, as she always has done, but this time I noticed that she was watching my every move as I got closer to her. Julie has her sight back! She can see! How wonderful. It's just almost unbelievable!

      The rest of this day was busy with dog care and a zillion other things.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17 2001

Saturday Adoption Day at Canine Commissary on Lower Greenville in Dallas

      Billy Lawson will be the driver today (as Bill's 93-year-old father isn't feeling too well, and Bill wanted to spend the day and tonight with him), and Billy will be here about 9:00 a.m. to drive the dogs to Dallas. We'll be taking Maggie, the beautiful, six-year-old Black Lab, and cute little Retriever/Shepherd mix pups, Kelli and Candy.

Billy Lawson arrives with a pathetic little stray he found in middle of highway

      As soon as Billy arrived, he told me about a pathetic looking little stray dog he'd found in the medium of highway 175 on his way to our shelter this morning. Naturally Billy pulled over and rescued the little white dog (who was now waiting in Billy's truck). Billy wasn't sure what he could do with this little fella. He and his wife have all the dogs they can handle now, but had he not rescued the matty little dog, she surely would not have survived much longer.

      We went to Billy's truck to see the dog. Her white fur, that may have been pretty and fluffy long ago, was a tangled mess of huge burrs and mats. She most likely is blind in one eye and appears to be deaf, and I'm hoping she doesn't have heartworms. From the appearance of this little dog she must have been a stray struggling to survive for a very long time. How sad. But we will take care of her now, and she will never suffer again!

Little stray will join our Happy Home for Strays

      Billy was relieved to know that we would take care of the little dog and that we'd have one of our kennel team members, Joel, take her to our vet as soon as we got our Adoption Day fellas in the van and ready for the trip to Dallas with Billy Lawson at the wheel.

Our vet calls a little before noon with a report on Billy's rescued stray

      The vet at our clinic just called to give me the report on the little stray we've named Snowflake. (She will be soft and fluffy white after her bath and the mats and burrs are removed, and the technician thought Snowflake would be a pretty name for her.)

      The doctor said that little Snowflake is about 13 to 14 years old and weighs 21 pounds. She is totally blind. There is no hope for the one bad eye, and he wasn't sure if anything could be done for the other eye.

      He thinks Snowflake is deaf, and while examining her ears, he also discovered (and removed) a grass burr embedded in her eardrum.

      Snowflake also has heartworms, and we will go ahead and have our clinic start the beginning treatment for heartworms this coming Monday. The other blood tests the doctor did show that her kidneys and liver are okay (thank heaven), so this is a plus for this sweet little dog.

      She also has a skin condition and a bacterial infection.

Snowflake gets a bath and is brushed all pretty

      The technicians have given Snowflake a much needed bath and cut out all the mats and burrs and brushed her, and now (they've told me) her white fur is clean and soft and fluffy. This alone must help her to feel much better.

      She will be well fed and cared for during her stay at the clinic, and after her first heartworm treatment (which will last about three days), we will bring her to our Happy Home for Strays.

Snowflake will never, ever suffer again

      It was very puzzling to Billy Lawson (and to me) how this little blind (and possibly deaf) dog got to the medium of a busy, four-lane divided highway with traffic constantly whizzing by at 70 miles an hour (or faster). When Billy spotted her she was just walking around and around in a circle, he said. (Could some inhumane monsters have grown tired of their aging, special-needs pet and dumped her?!) Thank God Billy Lawson saw Snowflake and pulled over to rescue her.

      We will take good care of this little, old dog (just like all the others here), and maybe someday a wonderful person will want to adopt her. (For now, we'll have to find room in the house for just one more kennel for this little one.)

No adoptions today

      Billy Lawson got back with the van and all the dogs before five. A couple who had come to Canine Commissary to look at Kelli last Saturday came again this afternoon, but they decided to wait a while longer to think about adopting Kelli. Maybe next week.