Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Abby's All Grown Up! (Well, her teeth are...)
Today, Abby had her ulcers *hopefully* fixed...she went in to get her dental done, recommended by the emergency vet since she had ulcers in her teeny little mouth...I had to stumble out of bed an hour early this morning so that she was awake in time to get to the vet...luckily, my mom was willing to take her to get her teeth done before I had to leave for work, so I handed Abby over to mom and crawled back into bed (I don't really wake up until I've had my coffee anyways)...
I called mom once I was awake, asked how it went on the drop off, and she says all the ladies at the office just "ooh"d and "ahh"d over Abby, commenting on her cuteness, sweetness, and three-legged-ness (smile). She was to be ready at 5pm (mom said she'd do the pick up since I would be at work), but out of surgery by 2pm....so mom called me when she found out that Abby's surgery went okay...
Abby had 16 puppy teeth extracted, and 4 pre-molars removed...She still has all her grown-up teeth that she had before (they could still be coming in, as she's only 8.5 months old), minus the four pre-molars...but apparently the roots of the puppy teeth had wound their way around her grown up teeth in some places so bad that the vet was worried he would have to break the mandible (which I believe is her jaw bone)...And some of the teeth were so badly ruined and ulcerated that they had to be cut in half before being extracted!!! Geesh! Talk about if it weren't for bad luck...
When I got home, she came to the front of her play pen and jumped up, which is normal for her, but she looked a bit sedated (post-anesthesia, I would assume...). She had to have been hungry, as she wasn't allowed to eat after 10PM the night before the surgery...so once I was sitting down, I had a bottle of ham babyfood, and she ate RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE!!! She is on a month of all mushy and liquid food dieting, as the vet is concerned about her poor mouth, which had ulcers on the roof of her mouth and on the back of her throat.
She sat in my lap the rest of the evening, sleeping off and on, surprisingly NOT curious about my hamburger (quite a relief, as she usually eats my food, ripping it out of my hands/mouth, eating more than I usually do if she is in my lap), She's now sleeping quite contentedly in her soft mesh crate, and I am just hoping that the painful puppy teeth were the cause of all her problems - maybe now she can have a healthier digestive system...
It's just amazing that despite everything this little girl has been through, she is still one of the SWEETEST dogs I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I just love her so much. <3
I called mom once I was awake, asked how it went on the drop off, and she says all the ladies at the office just "ooh"d and "ahh"d over Abby, commenting on her cuteness, sweetness, and three-legged-ness (smile). She was to be ready at 5pm (mom said she'd do the pick up since I would be at work), but out of surgery by 2pm....so mom called me when she found out that Abby's surgery went okay...
Abby had 16 puppy teeth extracted, and 4 pre-molars removed...She still has all her grown-up teeth that she had before (they could still be coming in, as she's only 8.5 months old), minus the four pre-molars...but apparently the roots of the puppy teeth had wound their way around her grown up teeth in some places so bad that the vet was worried he would have to break the mandible (which I believe is her jaw bone)...And some of the teeth were so badly ruined and ulcerated that they had to be cut in half before being extracted!!! Geesh! Talk about if it weren't for bad luck...
When I got home, she came to the front of her play pen and jumped up, which is normal for her, but she looked a bit sedated (post-anesthesia, I would assume...). She had to have been hungry, as she wasn't allowed to eat after 10PM the night before the surgery...so once I was sitting down, I had a bottle of ham babyfood, and she ate RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE!!! She is on a month of all mushy and liquid food dieting, as the vet is concerned about her poor mouth, which had ulcers on the roof of her mouth and on the back of her throat.
She sat in my lap the rest of the evening, sleeping off and on, surprisingly NOT curious about my hamburger (quite a relief, as she usually eats my food, ripping it out of my hands/mouth, eating more than I usually do if she is in my lap), She's now sleeping quite contentedly in her soft mesh crate, and I am just hoping that the painful puppy teeth were the cause of all her problems - maybe now she can have a healthier digestive system...
It's just amazing that despite everything this little girl has been through, she is still one of the SWEETEST dogs I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I just love her so much. <3
Monday, February 1, 2010
It's Been a (Mostly) Happy New Year :)
It's been a busy few months, and I am just now getting around to updating Abby's profile...She is doing exceptionally well, except for a mild scare this weekend, but I will get to that soon...
Abby's first Christmas was pleasant and quiet - the Christmas tree was right next to her play pen and so she sat in my lap as we opened and passed out presents...New Year's, she "helped" me play Uno (and I won most of the hands!!)...
(As a side note, as I type this, she is falling ASLEEP sitting up....just grabbed her an extra blankie and tucked her in....she fell asleep promptly [smile])...
This weekend, on Friday nite, I tucked her into bed just fine and normal (although late night), and went to bed like normal...about 3:30 am, I woke up, like I normally wake up mid-night occasionally, and checked on her out of habit. She was sleeping, but not really responding...
At a few minutes to 4:00am, I heard a THUD and sat up to check on Abby. I wearily opened her soft mesh crate and found her on her back, legs limp, and very unresponsive. Her soft crate, which takes up most of my desk, is large enough to have a small comfy dog bed and a puppy pitty pad, and I found Abby on her back, laying in her own waste...
Instantly awake, I scooped her up in a blanket and rushed to show her to my mom, who was fortunately awake at the odd hour. I told her what happened, and we woke my dad, who joined us in a half-awake, very-concerned stupor. Abby couldn't stand on her own, and her head was tilted at a very strange angle. Her eyes were open and she was looking at us, but it didn't look like she was really "seeing" us...His diagnosis was "I think she's dying"...
We discussed our options: take her to Emergency Vet, or wait the four hours until our regular vet opened...we decided that she was most likely dehydrated for whatever reason, and it would be better to take her to get subcutaneous fluids than to wait until the morning (our attempts at getting her to drink was unsuccessful as she spit up some water and goat's milk)...
So, my mom and I put on jackets, shoes, and grabbed our purses and caffeine sources and headed out to the closest emergency vet, calling on our way out the door - "We have a dog who we think needs subcutaneous fluids and we need her to see someone now..."
By the time we arrived at the emergency vet, Abby seemed a little bit more conscious, and she seemed to be actually seeing me...and by the time we were in the room awaiting examination, she was able to stand on her own...
The on-call vet discovered ulcers on Abby's gums from puppy teeth that haven't naturally fallen out...she also determined that Abby was indeed dehydrated, but couldn't determine why - although the assumption is that with ulcers on her gums, she was probably less likely to eat. The vet also suggested that perhaps Abby had a hypoglycemic episode...
They administered subcutaneous fluids and the treatment includes: a stomach protectant administered every 8 hours...this stuff smells like cherry and I've been able to put it in goat's milk, and Abby drinks most of her dosage...she is also on an antibiotic that I crush from pill form, squirt with warm water, and give in a small syringe twice a day...and also, of all things, Pepcid!
Wouldn't you know it, my little foster puppy has to take upset tummy meds like I used to!!!
Abby now stays in an Xpen at adoptions with a "mellow" crew - an FHO pup whose hip just got replaced about 3.5 weeks ago, a sweet young dog who was hit by a car and on 2 weeks' cage rest when we pulled him from the shelter, and our oldest TLC pup...
Abby just had another upset tummy spit up, but after cleaning up her bed and rearranging her bedclothes and tucking her in for the second time tonight, she is resting quite peacefully...
It's always something for this little bundle of love, but she is still a true testament of what rescue can do...every day I fall more and more in love with her - and my other dog, Riley, has accepted her just as much as I have. He shares me quite well :)
I guess it's time I turn in just like my babies have...it's been a (mostly) happy new year so far for little Abby girl!!
Abby's first Christmas was pleasant and quiet - the Christmas tree was right next to her play pen and so she sat in my lap as we opened and passed out presents...New Year's, she "helped" me play Uno (and I won most of the hands!!)...
(As a side note, as I type this, she is falling ASLEEP sitting up....just grabbed her an extra blankie and tucked her in....she fell asleep promptly [smile])...
This weekend, on Friday nite, I tucked her into bed just fine and normal (although late night), and went to bed like normal...about 3:30 am, I woke up, like I normally wake up mid-night occasionally, and checked on her out of habit. She was sleeping, but not really responding...
At a few minutes to 4:00am, I heard a THUD and sat up to check on Abby. I wearily opened her soft mesh crate and found her on her back, legs limp, and very unresponsive. Her soft crate, which takes up most of my desk, is large enough to have a small comfy dog bed and a puppy pitty pad, and I found Abby on her back, laying in her own waste...
Instantly awake, I scooped her up in a blanket and rushed to show her to my mom, who was fortunately awake at the odd hour. I told her what happened, and we woke my dad, who joined us in a half-awake, very-concerned stupor. Abby couldn't stand on her own, and her head was tilted at a very strange angle. Her eyes were open and she was looking at us, but it didn't look like she was really "seeing" us...His diagnosis was "I think she's dying"...
We discussed our options: take her to Emergency Vet, or wait the four hours until our regular vet opened...we decided that she was most likely dehydrated for whatever reason, and it would be better to take her to get subcutaneous fluids than to wait until the morning (our attempts at getting her to drink was unsuccessful as she spit up some water and goat's milk)...
So, my mom and I put on jackets, shoes, and grabbed our purses and caffeine sources and headed out to the closest emergency vet, calling on our way out the door - "We have a dog who we think needs subcutaneous fluids and we need her to see someone now..."
By the time we arrived at the emergency vet, Abby seemed a little bit more conscious, and she seemed to be actually seeing me...and by the time we were in the room awaiting examination, she was able to stand on her own...
The on-call vet discovered ulcers on Abby's gums from puppy teeth that haven't naturally fallen out...she also determined that Abby was indeed dehydrated, but couldn't determine why - although the assumption is that with ulcers on her gums, she was probably less likely to eat. The vet also suggested that perhaps Abby had a hypoglycemic episode...
They administered subcutaneous fluids and the treatment includes: a stomach protectant administered every 8 hours...this stuff smells like cherry and I've been able to put it in goat's milk, and Abby drinks most of her dosage...she is also on an antibiotic that I crush from pill form, squirt with warm water, and give in a small syringe twice a day...and also, of all things, Pepcid!
Wouldn't you know it, my little foster puppy has to take upset tummy meds like I used to!!!
Abby now stays in an Xpen at adoptions with a "mellow" crew - an FHO pup whose hip just got replaced about 3.5 weeks ago, a sweet young dog who was hit by a car and on 2 weeks' cage rest when we pulled him from the shelter, and our oldest TLC pup...
Abby just had another upset tummy spit up, but after cleaning up her bed and rearranging her bedclothes and tucking her in for the second time tonight, she is resting quite peacefully...
It's always something for this little bundle of love, but she is still a true testament of what rescue can do...every day I fall more and more in love with her - and my other dog, Riley, has accepted her just as much as I have. He shares me quite well :)
I guess it's time I turn in just like my babies have...it's been a (mostly) happy new year so far for little Abby girl!!
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