Poor hurt puppy

[deborahjross]

Dave's German Shepherd Dog, Oka, has got to be the most expensive pet we've ever owned, and that includes the horse I had in high school. He's a wonderful, wonderful dog, but has had a string of bad luck in his 5 years. First, he inhaled a foxtail -- one of those seeds with a very sharp point -- that worked its way through his diaphragm and under his skin, where it formed an enormous abscess. It took 2 surgeries (incisions hip to shoulder) to get it cleaned out. Then he got heartworm (yes, we do know about ivermectin, but Dave got careless, and now we have proof it's endemic in the mosquito population here) and went through the treatment with nasssty arsenical salts. Then he developed pannus, a chronic eye disease peculiar to GSDs and Siberian huskies, that if untreated results in blindness, so he will be seeing a veterinary ophthalmologist and receive steroid eye drops for the rest of his life.

Now... he slashed open one of the pads of his front paws (glass?) and I'm waiting for the vet's office to open so I can take him in. Poor baby keeps jumping up from the floor with his usual boundless energy and then getting this puzzled look when it *hurts* to put any weight on it. More updates later...

Comments

[cardigirl.livejournal.com]

Sympathies for Oka and for you! Hope all goes well with getting the pad stitched up. I know how dogs can be expensive no matter how careful you think you are: I had one of my first Cardigans who was a rock-eater and, occasionally, NOT a rock-passer. In fact, the 4th time she did this, at 14 years old, I had to make the hard decision that she probably wouldn't make it through the surgery yet again, and let her go. I'd been watching for her to pass away in her sleep for many many months already, and decided the pain and recovery at her age just wasn't fair.

Oka update

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

The lacerated flap has been excised, and he will be sore for a while. But while we were there, the vet checked his teeth -- tartar and gingivitis. And Dave finally agreed to neuter him, so everything was accomplished with one anesthesia, one course of pain meds and antibiotics. Poor puppy is in an Elizabethan collar for 7 days, but he does NOT feel like moving around much. We'll walk him on-leash once his foot is a bit healed.

Yes, animals often tell you when it's time to stop fighting. Our old cat, blind Rosie, gave us "the look" earlier this year. She was somewhere between 18 and 20, and although she adjusted well to the loss of her sight and the hypertension that caused it, we were just waiting for a major organ system to fail. It was kidneys. The vet came out, we all cried as she slipped away. She didn't struggle; she had had a long adventurous life and was ready.

Oka, otoh, is 5 and full of boundless intensity and zest. So we listen to that and feel grateful we have the resources to keep him going full speed.