Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Life Lately: My Dollar

The day I brought him home.

Over the weekend Dollar developed a marble size bump below his eye.  At my touch I didn’t notice any pain, but since it appeared from one day to the next and made one of his eyes appear smaller I made an appointment for him yesterday afternoon.  His vet told me that it was a tooth abscess which probably meant that he had a cavity or a broken tooth.  In order to get a clear diagnosis Dollar needed to be sedated and remain at the vet all afternoon.  Now, I am not sure who has worst separation anxiety me or him.  He’s fourteen and I was traumatized when a friend took her senior dog to the vet and the dog became so agitated it had a heart attack at the animal hospital.  Thus, I always try to be with him away from home, but yesterday I had to leave him there and trust that he was in great hands.  An hour later the vet called me and told me that Dollar’s teeth were ok, that it was actually a lesion inside his mouth that got infected.  She drained the abscess and said I could pick him up after a period of two hours of observation.  I was elated that my prayers had been answered and that things were not as serious as the vet had initially thought.  So, I expected to pick him up and be able to go to class.
Our First Halloween! Fairy & her dragon.

However, when I put him in the car he started whimpering, this awful crying sound which didn’t go away for two hours after he was home.  I later learned that the noise was a side-effect of the sedation usually related with the trauma and separation anxiety.  He finally relaxed a bit, but didn’t have complete mobility.  His hind legs were jelly.  I tried feeding him and giving him liquids, but not even his most favorite treats worked.  I was unable to give him the antibiotics or pain medication and I felt like such a failure all night.  Luckily he was able to sleep through some of the night while I laid awake vigilant laying my hands over him in prayer.  He loves it when I pray over him.  Usually, when he’s having a bad dream I just lay my hands on him and the nightmare evaporates into thin air.  This morning, he has full mobility (though he’s still a bit wobbly) and I finally got him to eat, drink, and take his meds! Praise God and Saint Francis our intercessor! 

His first t-shirt after a long walk.
We have been through a lot my Dollar and me, and though our years are getting shorter he’s my baby.  At the moment he’s curled at my feet in his bed, but let’s look back…   
 At the preschool parade, my students loved him!
His first bed.
His first Christmas!
Our first Christmas!
 Before show and tell at the preschool I used to teach at.
 Our first Christmas after my brother passed away.
 His first sweater.
The first picture at our new home.
Forever my pumpkin!
We've both grown and changed so much, but it's been the greatest adventure since day one...

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