Rescue Journal

oh yay...oh shit.

Carol · Jun. 13, 2011

i slept right thru last night...a full 8 hours...10pm til 6:15am...i did not wake up even once during the night. and when my alarm hadn't woken me this morning....mystic decided i needed help waking up. so i am having my soft puppy schmooze and cheerfully contemplating not only my great sleep, but also that wonderful, grass growing rain that spattered my windows...when suddenly the oh shit arrived!

james bond should have been checked at least a couple of times during the night!!

shit.

hopefully he had stayed put...he had a big feeding, his drinks, he had a long pee in the litter box and fresh bedding before i went deeply to sleep.

ah shit no...he was not in his bed or even in the kitchen any more. i am not sure how he made it off the counter and over the back cat area gate..and it couldn't have been pretty or easy but that bloody stubborn james bond did. i found him in the hidey hole next to the furnace...he was looking at me accusingly like..."you stupid, lazy human..i had to take care of myself while you slept!"

i told him i was so sorry, gave him some more warm, soupy food which he drank and set him up with a fresh litter box, just a step or two away from his head.

but despite his herculen efforts last night to find a better and safer ground level bed...bond is no better..his back end is still totally wobbly and wrecked. i will be calling the vets today and setting up a probable euthanization appointment. after 20 years of being one of the strongest cats in the world, i think the time has come for bond to let go.

i should not have slept thru his probable last night and left him alone.

i say probable because hope floats til it sinks..and maybe when the vets see him today, they will find something easy to fix (?like maybe an infection?) and can suggest something to help him feel better....yeah, i know it is a long shot but that is the beauty of hope.

i love you bond, and i am sorry i suck.

Comments

heidi

thanks carol, well said. I love those harnesses...I've picked him up too like that to get him to go where I want to go...He can hold it for a long time, I'm sure he will be ok and if not then maybe he will learn his lesson.

You may want to check his neck out as well as sometimes when I was helping down off the bed with his collar he let out a yelp...just before his back went out. I asked the vet about his neck, cause the xrays make the neck look like the vertebrae are crossed and he said dogs necks can look like that....

Rae

Carol could you use 5 boxes of large dog Advantage multi? If so how would you like me to send it, by bus maybe with the postal dispute?

Carol

here is my view on animals making decisions..fine and good..i support them in their self-actualizations...unless they are being stupid. then i step up to the plate for them.

it is not too late for any one to take charge of an animal who thinks they are boss...when it is really important, you just put your foot down and say "no" and become a deaf and non negotiable brick wall.

when i take trev out, he wants to play with his ball ..he is out to pee and poop and go straight back to bed...and then he can play with his ball when he is back in bed.

i am not arguing with him or feeling sorry for him...this is the way that it is...at least for now and too bad if he doesn't like it but it won't be forever either. tonight he was being a doorknob..he peed but he didn't want to poop, he wanted to goof around so i picked him up by his 2 harnesses and carried him back in. if he poops in his pen tonight, i ain't my fault..he had the opportunity to empty his bowels.

if folk have trouble setting limits with dogs who are on enforced bed rest.... have a look at my priority list, it might make things easier.

their safety comes first
their health comes second
their happiness comes third
and getting to boss me around is much further down the priority list.

heidi

I think I need to get this off my chest and perhaps someone reading this, if they do, will learn from my mistakes with Trev.

Part of the reason Trev is back at Saints is that I couldn't get him to do what I needed him to do because I've let him be the boss. Under normal circumstances that was ok....if he wanted to go right but I wanted to go left I eventually gave in to him as opposed to struggling and fighting with a strong three legged dog that was more stubborn and persistent than me.
When he was well it didn't really matter. It matters now when he needs to be kept quiet and he wouldn't follow my lead because he knew if he persisted long enough I would give in.I tried compromising and taking him for short walks as opposed to just outside to pee/poop and because I felt that him flopping down on me and getting up and flopping down again when he didn't get his own way was going to be harder on his back than if I let him do what he wanted (within reason). Also it is a long way out from my apt to the grass and if he didn't go to the bathroom we would be out again....but, if I had made Trev listen to me when he was well....he would be totally easier to manage and probably wouldn't need to be back at Saints.

so moral of the story...we need to be in control of the walks...even if it doesn't matter....because it may matter down the road.

And secondly, i wish I had crate trained Trev or tried to. I hate the thought of animals in crates but trying to keep a quad dog safe from injury without confining him in something is very hard to do!!

Lesson learned....i am truly sorry Trev...and Saints...

heidi

thanks Lynne, I appreciate the update! and the confirmation that I am doing the right thing. I know in my head it is the right thing I just have to convince my heart of that. I know he will get way more attention and love there than he would in the vets and I really want carol's input into his care as she has probably dealt with more spinal dogs than most vets! Hope Bond is ok....rest is good....he was probably just thinking damn, I'm busted for moving!! Animals sure now how to pull at the heart strings!!

lynne

ya i agree with brenda you do not suck and you do have to sleep. how can you take care of these guys if you are not taking care of yourself. and heidi, trev is doing just fine. i have been there the last 4 mornings and he is getting lots of love and attention. best place right now is here. i know how much you miss him and my heart goes out to you hopefully it will not be too long. and dorina, the love of your life is also doing fine. he is a big hit around here and is happy. do not worry about him he is a okay.

Brenda

Possibly James Bond may have chosen to be left alone last night? - and you do not suck. Earlier yesterday he ate really well and played in the sink as usual, but he's sure not looking very "Bondish". Maybe you'll get better news at the vets.