Shake loose my brain, see what falls out

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.” —Dale Carnegie

Not having a spleen seems to make Sadie very gassy!

Sadie isn’t allowed to use her doggy door right now, and she ended up wetting her bed last night. It’s one of those big round dog nests, and it is soaked through in one spot.

Does anyone have any ideas how to clean such a thing? It’s too big to fit in my washer.

First of all, oh my gosh, the incredible response from people posting about Sadie is just overwhelming. Thank you all! I will be back with cheers and individual thanks very soon!

Mr. Wren and I got a motel and stayed in Salt Lake City last night. We wanted to be close to Sadie. Her surgery was delayed because they had to give her blood, but they were able to do it.

Her recovery was much quicker than anyone expected. She is up and walking around! When we went to visit her this morning, they told us they were concerned because she would not eat, so they wanted me to try feeding her. She readily ate food from my hand. The vet says, “This tells me she will do better at home, so I am going to send her home today.” We had to wait to late afternoon before she was discharged.

Now Mr. Wren is out back building a ramp for Sadie, as we think it might be easier for her than stairs. Sadie is snoozing in the living room. We have to wait till mid-week for the results of her biopsy. I am going to get the house in order and try to decompress

There is a good possibility that the recent difficulties she was having walking were the result of the mass in her spleen.

It was so awful at the vet’s. I had to make a decision on the spot about whether or not they should resuscitate her, and they were fully intending to need to do it, as she was in very bad shock. At one point, they brought her to see me, and the entire atmosphere was that it was a chance for me to say goodbye. Needless to say, I am so grateful to see her doing so well now!

Last night, Sadie woke up screaming in pain. I took her to the emergency vet. She was in severe shock, and bleeding into her abdomen. After a long wait, they were able to do an ultrasound and determined that the tumor was on her spleen. This is better than a lot of other options, as dogs don’t need their spleens. They are operating on her to remove her spleen right now. Then they will have to do tests to find out if the tumor was malignant. If it was, we’ll need to follow up with an oncologist.

This was so hard, as it happened in the middle of the night, and Mr. Wren is 4 hours away in Bryce, and there is no cell phone reception. God bless, Bluepark, who took my calls and calmed me down and held my hand long distance. I will never be able to repay her kindness.

Mr. Wren is on his way home now. The surgery will be over in about 90 minutes. I live 50 miles away from the emergency vet, so I am trying to find ways to stay occupied away from home. The vet said I should stay around town for awhile, as I would want to see her when she gets out of surgery. She will be able to come home on Sunday.

Again, I am grateful beyond words for Bluepark’s help. In times like this, it is really hard not having a family.

Please everyone think a good thought for Sadie. <3

I just discovered the true identity of the creepy Burger King King.

^{click on hyperlink to reveal the answer!}

This seems like it should be an obvious thing, but I’ve never done it before and I can’t figure out how to do it. Can someone tell me how to block a user?

Thanks.

OMG, yesterday afternoon was harrowing. The whole of it was spent with Sadie’s first acupuncture treatment.

The alternative health vet was really just lovely. The office is so comfortable and non-clinical. There are bowls of water everywhere, and they gave Sadie so many treats. It was quickly apparent that the vet had come in on that Saturday just to see Sadie. I have never seen Sadie so comfortable in a vet’s office. She even got on the scale to be weighed without freaking out.

Sadie got a special type of Chinese massage that I can’t begin to spell, and she got some chiropractic treatments, and she got acupuncture. She is not generally a big fan of being handled, but she loved all those treatments. And of course, the vet and the vet assistant loved Sadie. Veterinary people always love Sadie. Well, everyone loves Sadie. That is the kind of dog that she is.

The vet reviewed Sadie’s x-rays with me and gave me information I had never heard before. It isn’t just Sadie’s leg that is in trouble; the vertebrae in her spine have fused together from years of making up for the deficiency in her rear quarters. It brought me to tears to think of how much pain Sadie has from this.

After the treatments, I got instruction on lifestyle changes. I got some herbs and some fatty acids and a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement to give to Sadie each day. I got instructions on the right way to pick Sadie up. The vet also said that Sadie should not be climbing stairs anymore. This one was really troubling, as our house is full of stairs. Just lately, Sadie has taken to pacing at the bottom of the stairs if she wants to come up. Then I help her up the stairs, following closely behind her and giving her a little boost if she loses balance. The vet said even this is too much. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this. Sadie weighs 45 pounds, and doesn’t particularly like to be manhandled. I am worried that I can not carry her up the stairs. And for all these years, Sadie has slept at night in the bedroom with me. I just don’t know.

The vet also was very insistent about clipping Sadie’s coat for the summer. This is another one I feel ambivalent about. It’s true, Sadie has an exceptionally thick coat, and most of it is black. She’s never been clipped before, never even been professionally groomed. She has always been terrorized by loud noises and mechanical devices and being manhandled, so it seemed obvious that she would hate a trip to the groomers.

So. Really nothing has changed. Sadie was in all this pain before we went to the vet. Now I just have more information that I did before.

The vet did say that Sadie has a very strong constitution – her heart, lungs and mind. I already knew that, but it was still nice to hear.

Sigh. I really wish Mr. Wren was home right now.

I just looked at my 43T info & noticed that it’s been 2 years since I joined.

:)

that some people seem to have a knack for asking really annoying questions?

Is it them? Or me?