My Christmas? Well, let's say that it didn't go as planned.
Christmas morning, I showed up at my parent's house for presents. Just as we were ripping into our stocking stuffers - Carmella decided to rip into Meadow's head. Literally. They are both alphas; so a tussle now and then isn't usually a big deal.
However...this time, I could see Meadow's skull, and it was time to make an emergency trip to the vet's. Don't worry - my poor little pumpkin is fine. She was heavily sedated, got stitched up and is now the height of canine fashion in her e-collar.
I was amazed (unpleasantly) by the amount of people that poured into the vet's office on Christmas Day. We saw pups that had eaten chocolate; pups that ate poinsettia leaves; a cat that ate tinfoil; a dog that escaped and got stuck on a fence trying to return itself home.
But what broke my heart was a little 7 month old border collie pup. She got hit by a car and had her leg break clear in half. Despite that, the sweet little thing was awake, alert and wagging her tail. What happened next had me really upset. The pup-daddy was the one that came in, got the consult and saw the vet's estimate. I watched (and overheard; it just couldn't be helped) as he called the pup-momma and let her know how much it would be to operate to fix the sweetheart. Pup-momma declared that she didn't a dog that was going to possibly limp all its life and ordered that pup-daddy have the dog put to sleep. I anxiously observed as he fought to get his pup fixed. I kept my eyes open as his wife again declared that he should "say goodbye" to his puppy. And he did it. He freaking did it. He told the veterinarian to put that innocent, sweet, fixable puppy to sleep.
I wish I had the money and the guts to ask that man to give me his dog. That I'd have her fixed. My heart broke a little for that dog. My heart broke a little that I couldn't jump in and help her.
I'll admit it. I cried like a baby for a few minutes.
To keep an eye on a very drugged up Meadow, I had to skip the family dinner. Presents got sent home for me and I have been able to open my gifts from the people that I love and that love me. Santa (aka my mom) was very generous and I got a Kindle!! I can't wait to start playing with it. Seeing as it's supposed to snow between 12-20 inches starting tomorrow, my Kindle should keep me good and entertained between trips outside to shovel.
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I am soooooo sorry about sweet Meadow! Please keep us updated. I can't believe we've both been through something so crazy, but it seems like poor Meadow's is so much worse than EB! Thinking of you and wishing you a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteOh dear! What an ordeal!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!!
Licks and Tail Wags from Olive :)
*SoB* :( how could they have done that? :(
ReplyDeleteI am so glad Meadow is ok, even if Christmas didnt go the way you planned! take care and Merry Christmas.
I'm appalled that the vet did it. I don't care, the vet should have said no and taken the pup. That is disgusting behavior by that woman and the man and the vet. Horrifying. Where was the Christmas spirit then?
ReplyDeleteI am glad Meadow is ok though.
Now I am going to go cry....sometimes I really hate people.
That is so sad about that puppy! We aren't really "animal owner type people" but I don't think I could have done that just because it's leg would never be perfect! That's so sad!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, poor baby! I hated hearing about the woman that chose to end her puppy's life not because she couldn't afford it but because of a limp. I have a shih tzu who lost his eye at a year old...heaven forbid that I had her attitude. I adore him because he reminds me that as humans we are flawed in many ways too but still expect to be loved. I hope she doesn't rest easy each time she thinks about the little guy.
ReplyDeleteHope Meadow is healing fine. I'm sure she's all the fashion rage with her "cone head" look.
Poor puppy =( I am glad yours is fine & you have a new Kindle =D
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I'm sorry to hear about your dog!!!!
ReplyDeletethat makes me sick to my stomach. SICK.
ReplyDeletePoor Meadow! Glad to hear she is doing better! Same thing happened with our Husky & Yorkie a few months back, and now our little one doesn't go near the big one ~ who lives with my mom now!
ReplyDeleteAnd that breaks my heart about the little dog. I have been in the vet's in a similar situation. The worst part is, the vet told me MY yorkie would always have a limp, when her leg got broken at 8 months old. Over a year later & she's perfectly fine, so her surgery was definitely money well spent. So sad... :(
That is horrible, and made me cry a little too. I would have been hysterical if I'd witnessed that. That sort of thing INFURIATES me.
ReplyDeleteBut then, I had a dog get cancer and I paid insane amounts of money (that I didn't have, it went on credit cards) for chemotherapy. I will never regret it. My dogs are my "babies" and I chose to take them into my life, with the understanding that I'd do whatever I could to make their little lives happy and healthy.
I cannot STAND when people say "we had to put...to sleep." No, I disagree, you didn't HAVE to anything. I just don't feel like it's my decision whether any living thing lives or dies. I know people disagree, and say they don't want the animal to suffer or whatever.
Sorry, not my choice. Each time I've been told an animal wouldn't make it, I took him/her home and loved him/her as much as I could for those final hours or days, and my heart knows I did the right thing.
Glad to know Meadow is doing well.
ReplyDeleteSure it was a very sad to know about that puppy.
Happy Holidays!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
I'm sorry about your puppy dog! And sorry that you had to see such a sad thing happen!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard for some people to understand, but not everyone looks at their pet as a part of the family, so putting it down isn't as hard of a choice for them. The poor man here, sounds like he did care for his dog, but there could have been a huge financial burden that his family simply could not bear. You have to understand that the first vet estimate the owner got will only be the first of oh so many as the dog needs rechecks and maybe some sort of physical therapy. Who knows what the woman on the other end was going through- that money could have been all that they had to pay the mortgage?
You can also look at the animal's quality of life. Sure, it probably would have lived on with a limp, but that is probably the best case scenario, and any other treatment plan that maybe the man could have afforded would have yielded a worse quality of life.
And the vet is not at fault either, I don't think. They are providing a service for the public. Sure maybe he could have kept the dog- but that isn't very realistic in most cases. Do you understand how many animals a veterinarian would accumulate? TONS. It's like saying that doctors should just take care of and treat everyone who cannot afford medical treatment.
It's a very sad story, but I just felt like the poor man and vet here needed some defense.
Ohhhh no!! I am so so soooo sorry that is the way you had to spend your Christmas! I hope everything is ok and your doggy is on the mend. I too feel sooo bad for animals that I can't help. It just breaks my heart. Wishing for a better start to your new year xo
ReplyDelete