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!!