Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Home from the Vet

I called up the vet's office to see if Skelly was ready to come home. They said "come and get him."

I grabbed his collar and got the car ready. On the way, I saw that in the oncoming lane, rush hour was about to be in full effect. Not exactly great news for us.

When they called me back, Skelly was waiting in an exam room. He was on his feet and rambunctious, but nowhere near full tazmanian devil capacity. He was losing quite a bit of fur, which has never been a problem before.

Dr. Chick explained to me that Skelly has been a bad boy this morning and was being a little too chatty with his neighbors. He gave me some Prednisone and Doxycycline to administer to Skells. He confirmed my suspicion that the reaction itself was due to the dead parasites in his bloodstream, not to the medication itself. He showed me the paleness of skeletor's gums. This was an indicator that he was still suffering from low blood pressure and anemia.

I asked Dr. Chick if we should continue to try and put weight on him and he said "Absolutely."  I thanked the vets for their great care and walked an ever-excitable Skeletor out to the cashier. As expected, the complications translated to a pretty hefty bill.  Hefty? Yes, but COMPLETELY fair considering the lifesaving feats they performed!

One interesting thing to note... There's a $9.95 charge on the bill for something called a "rubber chicken." I thought this was some kind of vet lingo, but was unable to find anything about it online. Perhaps they had to give him a rubber chicken dog toy to get him to settle down and stop disrupting the other patients :)

On the way home, we were hitting some nasty stop and go traffic. I did what I could to snap a few shots of Skeletor as he stumbled about in the backseat.

"Yo, lemme ride up front!"

"Are we there yet?"

Good to have ya back, buddy.

Aah... slobber in my ear!


Nobody said it would be easy, but it certainly is rewarding. We're happy to have our little foster doggie home and in one pale-gummed, slightly lethargic, but very hopeful piece.

25 comments:

  1. I'm soooo happy that he's alive and OK!

    What a relief. I'm sure it was a nerve wracking night for you guys. I don't know when I've seen a more beautiful sight than these pictures!

    Love Mom

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  2. Thank goodness he pulled through and ty for the update, ah come on still think yr just the foster...........listen to yr mom!

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  3. Oh, Skelly. I love you, you big lug. Don't you ever do this again! (Hang in there foster mom and dad!) Woofs and waggles to all of you!

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  4. Oh, yeah - almost forgot. The rubber chicken? That IS weird!

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  5. Oh Skelly!

    You just hang on in there, take your meds and put that weight on! You're doing incredibly well please please get better and fit and healthy!!

    Hugs to you and everyone at the vets and especially your amazing foster family!

    And do tell your lovely family about the rubber chicken so they'd tell us here! What was that about?

    I love the pics of you in the car! What a change from a couple of days ago.. you are one lovely amazing sweet doggie! And your family are just brilliant.

    Take care
    x

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  6. We're so glad he's back home. We were so worried, but he's a tough guy so we knew he could pull through.

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  7. I got that chicken for you...great news!

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  8. Oh this is such wonderful news! We are so glad that he is on the mend and at home now - he will do much better there now that the danger has passed! We know he is just such a fighter, we really had a good feeling that things would turn out ok! But please Skelly, no more scaring us for a while, ok!

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  9. How great to see!

    Take good khare of each other!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra & Khousin Merdie

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  10. Whew!! We're so relieved!! OK, Skelly, hon... time to love up on your beans, eat lots and recuperate fast!

    Oh, and tell Wesley he must find out what a rubber chicken is!

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  11. WOOT! Yay Skelly!

    It's been a restless night on the other side of the world, here in Singapore. I'm a habitual lurker-follower since the beginning, came by way of love-and-hisses. But just had to delurk and give a shoutout to the vet and the crew, foster mum and dad, and of course the dog of the hour himself.

    Wes, as one half of a self-financing 2-sister TNR and cat aid crew, I totally get what you mean by "As expected, the complications translated to a pretty hefty bill. Hefty? Yes, but COMPLETELY fair considering the lifesaving feats they performed!" I'd cringe at each kaching of the register, but at the same time, I'm at my most zen when parting with my wages at the vet cashier. Thank heavens for great vets and their wonderful crew.

    We're rooting for you, Skeletor! Now just work on getting back that weight and landing a family =)

    calsifer
    tippedearclan

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  12. so glad you're doing better, mr. skelly!! take your meddies like a good boy so you'll be back to full speed ASAP!
    *woof*
    the booker man

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  13. Thanks for the ride home photos Wes. They've got me misty eyed! He looks so much better than he did on the ride to the vet.

    Here's a quickie article on natural ways to treat your boy's anemia problem. I'll bet he would wolf down some spinach mixed in his wet food when he gets his appetite back!! My dogs loved it.

    "Anemia is a condition that is commonly caused by blood loss from wounds or parasites such as worms and fleas. Symptoms of anemia in dogs include white or pale gums, weakness, and a fast pulse. Sometimes this condition indicates a more serious illness such as toxicity that results from a drug exposure. However, the more simple and common cause of anemia which is blood loss can be easily treated with a view toward promoting the growth of new red blood cells.

    You need to give your dog a special diet rich in iron, protein, and vitamin B12. The following lists of foods and supplements are especially helpful and provide the necessary nutrients that your dog needs to treat anemia.

    1. Beef liver which contains iron, protein, B complex, and B12.
    2. Kelp powder which contains iodine and other trace minerals.
    3. Green vegetables which contains iron and other minerals.
    4. Nutritional yeast along with B12 which offers the same benefits as the liver.
    5. Vitamin C, from 500 to 2,000 milligrams per day (depending on the dog’s size) which helps with the absorption of iron from the intestinal tract.

    If the condition is caused by parasites, then you will need to nip the problem in the bud and treat the parasite infestation first before using any other forms of treatment."

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  14. Yay Skelly! We've been worried about you even though we knew you'd be okay.

    We love ya Skelly. Stay strong!

    Love,
    Stella, Gunther and Betty

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  15. We have been waiting waiting waiting over here and checking your blog all the time while having fingers and paws crossed! So glad that he is better!!!!
    Slobbers from Down Under - Teal'c

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  16. I glad he is home with you now.
    I'll try to donate to you today to help with the costs.

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  17. He looks great! Brings tears to my eyes. You guys are just too awesome.

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  18. You look so darn happy!!!

    Woo Wooo
    Shiloh, Shelby, & Their Mom
    GonetotheSnowDogs.blogspot.com

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  19. WOO HOO!!!!! Way to go Skelly! Fighting the good fight. We are sending tons of purrs for you still!

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  20. oh skelly we can finally uncross our paws
    we were so furry worried about you
    dont you scare ush that way again deal?
    happy st paddy's day
    pibble sugars and wee wags
    the pittie pack

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  21. Yeah! Knowing is 1/2 the battle and a good home is the other 3/4ths! :)

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  22. Skelly, dear boy! We sure are glad everything is okay! You better be a good boy for your pawrents and take your meddies and eats a WHOLE LOT!

    Wags and Woofs,

    Mack and Mia

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  23. So glad he's home! I also love how specific vets are in billing. When I had to have surgery the insurance company's bill said, for example, $41 "misc hospital expenses". That's specific. I just giggle at the thought of reading "rubber chicken" :)

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  24. This is the bestest noos EVER! Thank yoo so much for looking owt for Skelly.

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