It Happened Again!

Right now it is a very worried and stressed situation here in our house, in our pack. What can I say --- it happened again.

Zara, our latest, wonderful dog--sniffing our son's leg on the Tuesday blog--is terribly sick. I took her in to the veterinarian today, who told me if I had come in with her one hour later she would probably not have been with us anymore.

What is happening? What kind of place is this--- certainly not any heavenly place for dogs.

Zara came in the house (Friday) and looked like she had a bad cold. The next day, Saturday, I put her on antibiotics and a painkiller. After a couple of hours she looked a little better. I decided if she didn't seem well on Monday, I would have to visit the veterinarian.

Sunday I got a vision (from her) of internal bleeding!

Monday morning she looked the same --- low. So I took her to the veterinarian clinic we routinely use. I also had an urine sample from one of the other dogs back home with me, I thought she might have a bladder infection. One of the veterinarians took the sample and thankfully it didn't show anything wrong. Then I told him about Zara's symptoms.

"Does she haves diarrhea?"

"Well today she had. Can I bring her in? She is in the car"
"Blood in the diarrhea, vomitting?"

"Eh no. Should I bring her in?"
"Oh no. She's been eating something. Keep giving her antibiotics."

"Eh... ok?"

Driving home I just felt that it was not right. But going against a veterinarian? Hell, I am not a doctor.

Tuesday morning I go inspect the skeleton (gutted) house that is our neighbor in the parco. I remember Zara had been in there for 3 minutes the previous Thursday. I find two open buckets of Rat Poison, and a dead cat. Later, I saw Trooper come out from the hole in the fence to this skeleton, with some unidentifiable piece of meat in his mouth. I retrieved it from him before he could swallow any of it.

By this time, Zara was now "just" laying; eating but laying; pooping hard, no vomitting, but "just" laying; tail-wagging but "just" laying.

I woke up this past night to hearing Zara "scream", it was 0130. She looked so sick and I just hugged her and told her to "hang in there". Darn it, the other veterinarian clinic wouldn't open up until 09.30.

The morning light hit our bedroom, and Zara was still laying very still; not moving, not eating. Now she couldn't even walk well. Todd had to carry her down the stairs so she could pee pee and poo poo. Luckily, no sign of blood. When he gently tried to nudge her toward the door, by pressing gingerly on her chest/shoulder, she yelped in pain. When we carried her out to the car, she layed still the whole way out.

I carried her into the new veterinarian clinic and the veterinarian looked at her, then felt her body, "she has internal bleeding" he reported. He did his blood work and told me she was really bad, maybe she would need a blood transfusion --- they needed to find a big dog. He reported that she has a chance to recover... but just a chance.

So, right now we are waiting for good news Amore! Please keep Zara in your prayers.