Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My Labrador Mugsey


It has been over a month since I blogged @ all. I did comment on a few blogs but I've been busy to say the least and decided to give myself a little vacation. The last few days I didn't think I could write on here without breaking down again but I'm alone now and can wade through it. My birthday, my grandsons birthday, and his sisters birthday are all 3 days right in a row. We were celebrating them last Friday night @ my daughters house with lasagna and 3 kinds of birthday cake. My other daughter was here with her new puppy a yorkie/poo. I put Mugsey my golden lab outside when we left to go celebrate, he likes the air conditioning but he likes being outside playing too, I did consider leaving him inside with Dispatch but with the new puppy in the bedroom thought it might be too much, I really wish I'd left him in now. I know you know what's coming and I sound like I'm making an excuse but I've only seen him in the highway once and that was 2 years ago crossing to go see the neighbor dogs, he's never gotten even close since then to my knowledge. The highway is like 100 yards from our house, we have no fences and I've never seen Mugsey anywhere on the farm except @ the two houses and ponds when we go.

We got home Friday night and no Mugsey, he's sometimes down @ my cousins house in THEIR air conditioning or just being spoiled down there so I didn't think much of it. We watched a movie the kids had gotten for their birthday and I went to bed, still no Mugsey, I called and called and walked around the house, found a missing kitty but no dog. I laid down but couldn't sleep so two grandsons and I went driving and walking for awhile till after midnight. My cousins dog was outside so I knew Mugsey wasn't in there. Not much we could do till morning.

I got up before kids who were sleeping on the floor in the family room and my daughter was with me, Mugsey was outside by the car door and she was laughing @ him because we had been SO worried. He sat up but never got up. I have NO idea where he was or how he got to the house but her little dog seemed to have trailed him down the driveway later that day. I think he was in a fairly deep ditch right across from our driveway, we looked further on down the ditch but not in the very bottom of that one. I also think a delivery vehicle hit him in our driveway and drug him over there but I could be wrong, the vet assistant said he had been hit on a gravel road and our driveway is gravel. It makes no difference, he was rolled under a vehicle and the vet said it's a miracle he's in as good as he is and he made it back home in pain which breaks my heart because I didn't find him that night.

I fell apart, I admit it, this is my husbands dog but he's mine too. He's ate more lawn fixtures than you can count and insists the pump is NOT going to stay in the yard pond but he is only 2 years old. I called the vet and then called the emergency number, the vet said bring him over and we have normal office hours today, I'd forgotten and called the emergency number. We got him in the car, he didn't seem to be in any pain, just couldn't walk. We never thought about him biting because he was hurt which seems stupid now but we just got him on a blanket and slid him in the back seat. My grandson went with me, my daughter was going to go but I was able to drive and the two little kids were still there.

We got to the vets and it probably took an hour before they came and got him out of the car, they did come and look @ him and see he was fine, not in shock and not writhing in pain, just tired and not walking. We waited, I tried not to cry, I NEVER go anywhere without a little eye makeup on but I knew it was pointless to even try to put it on till yesterday. The vet assistant finally came out and told us they thought his hip bone had sort of separated, not fully but they thought that was causing him pain and not to walk and we could go home and he would be fine soon. They would do further x-rays and call if they found anything else but he needed to be @ the vets over the weekend.

I know this is long but it's how I tell a story. My husband was fine, called several times though. It really helped having the kids @ the house (the picture above is a wienie roast about a month ago, notice Mugsey right in the middle) but then there was other things happening which just added to the bad things, lets just say it wasn't a good birthday weekend. The vet called later in the day, I didn't think he would call so late and I'd convinced myself he wasn't going to call with bad news. Mugsey had twisted his spine and that's why he couldn't walk, they weren't even sure the hip was separated. NOTHING was broken. His spinal cord is intact, the vertebrae show they slipped around a bit and it was swelling there. Thus he couldn't walk. The vet said prednisone and rest till Monday and we would see. If it continues to swell where his spine was twisted it will eventually paralyze him is my understanding.

Monday the swelling hadn't gone down and had gotten a little worse, his spinal cord is still fine, he has reflexes and wags his tail but just can't use his hind legs. The vet said give him a couple more days, he's doesn't seem to be in pain and it will either get better or worse and we might try acupuncture, surgery is possible but not a good alternative or really an alternative, he would probably still be crippled. So we are waiting for Thursday, the vet was supposed to call the accupuncturist to see if she thought she could help. He is too big a dog for me to carry all the time, he has to be able to walk and run or he won't be happy.

Why did I choose to write this now? I called the veterinary clinic while ago when it started thundering to tell them Mugsey is afraid of storms and they needed to go reassure him and tell him it was a party, he is better if you do that, I was having him chase balls and saying it was party time when it thundered, Victoria Stilwell is right it does get their mind off of the storm and makes it a happy time instead of stressful. BTW while we were in Louisiana the dogs and I were addicted to animal planet. I took Mugsey for walks around the RV park so many times I got the beginning of shin splints.

I have gotten almost all the way through this without crying but a few times. I need to be able to talk about this without breaking down in public which is quite embarrassing and isn't doing the dog any good. I never realized how fond of Mugsey I was, I was always griping about him but I was the one who raised him and took care of him and gave him baths (most of them, my daughter gave him the last one). Dispatch is OK, the other puppy was here and distracted him from missing Mugsey since the puppies favorite pastime was trying to hang off of Dispatches ears by his teeth, kept him distracted. He does seem to be looking for Mugsey when we go outside though and he knows when mama is upset and follows me like velcro.

I have no great moral out of this experience other than to hug your pet, toss a ball for your dog tonight or give it an extra pat on the head. And hope for good news Thursday. This is a picture of him in Louisiana @ the RV park. Sorry it's so blurry but another phone picture. He had FINALLY learned when we stopped on a trip and got out and I said go potty he was supposed to.... well go potty.

13 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

It is so hard, our pets become friends and part of the family. After seeing your message last night I thought about you and Mugsey last night and throughout the day.

I know it took a lot out of you to write this post and I had tears in my eyes reading it. I hope Mugsey recovers quickly and completely. He, and you, will be in my thoughts.

Judy

TC said...

Thanks Judy, I didn't know whether to write or not but Mugsey can't read. I can't go visit him so I write. The vet said I would excite him and he needs to stay as still as possible.

It is like he's a child. When I called the vet this afternoon I felt sort of silly but they didn't know he is afraid of storms.
I'm much better now. Almost ready for prolonged periods of being in public. I told my brother in law about it without breaking down. Mugsey would go with my husband every time he went over there. I really didn't realize what a huge part of my life he was.

TC said...

That should be a huge part of my life he is, he is still with us.

Lillian Robinson said...

I wondered where you had been. My heart goes out to you. Yes, we don't always realize how important an animal may be in our lives until we suffer something like this. I hope & pray he makes a complete recovery. I'm sure the vet's staff understands. You're not the only person there that loves their animals...

Our house is over twice as far off the road, and I've always felt confident about Sadie running around. She never leaves the house and barn area without us. You shouldn't feel bad about it. Things happen and we go forward. Please keep us posted on Mugsey's progress.

TC said...

Thanks MzzLily and thanks for not beating myself up for it. I do feel guily, it's like one of those only if I'd.......because I remember thinking about leaving him in the house.

I did feel silly calling about Mugsey and storms but they told me he would be better off not seeing me and getting excited.

I'm still hopeful but less so with every day. When I first took him in though I was positive they would immediately put him to sleep though so I was wrong before.

laurie said...

oh, man, poor mugsey! and poor you! this is so much to deal with. no wonder you're upset. boscoe is on metacam, which is a very high-powered anti inflammatory/pain killer, it can cause liver damage but we took that risk because he really needed the drug, and it is helping him very much. ask your vet if it would help mugsey.

and all the best. please post updates.

TC said...

Thanks Laurie, I will ask him, he's going the steroid route right now.
I'm much better now. I took a mental health day today, even though I haven't gotten that much done lately felt like I couldn't face even one task other than blogging and planting a bulb or two.

Ziggy Stardust said...

I am glad that you are back. I am so sorry about Mugsey, I will be praying for him to make a full recovery. I know how hard it is. Pets are such an important part of our lives.

Anne and Sasha

Al said...

Hi TC, I was surprised when I saw you commented on my blog. I was thinking about Dispatch and thought where were you...LOL I was thinking of Dispatch and not you.

Im so sorry to hear about Mugsey, my heart felt the pain again as I read your story, you know what happened to my Scott, I always hug him tightly and tell him that I always love him.

BTW thanks for visiting my blog... have you met Prudence my new cat and Oreo he is a labrador retriever, he looks like Scott.

AL

TC said...

Anne I'm glad to be back, not so much under these circumstances. Durn dog, I petted him and rubbed his ears and took him for walks and watched for him to do his goofy jumping thing when I got home but I never knew how attached I was to him. I should have known because I can't watch a movie where an animal even gets hurt or I cry. People can die, let an animal look @ you with those eyes and I'm a goner.
Thanks for your prayers.

TC said...

AL, that is funny you were thinking of Dispatch and not me. I am identified by the marshmallow dog! LOL
Thanks for your wishes, I saw Oreo, he's a doll, I didn't know Prudence was a new cat though.
Thanks also for visiting, I will try to keep up from now on!!

Rae said...

I feel so bad for what you are going through. It is heart wrenching to have a pet suffer. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and pray that your precious pup makes a full recovery.

TC said...

Thanks Rae and thanks for thoughts and prayers, I've come to accept crying as a way of life or @ least tearing up several times a day.
Tomorrow we will know something. I can't think of him laying there wondering why I left him but he has been there before and I have picked him up so maybe he knows this is temporary. This is the worst part not being able to tell them what is going on is for their own good. He is the most lovable dog in the world, he only growls @ Dispatch and Dispatch ignores him.