Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Dumb ol dog

Those that "know" me know I have three dogs 2 labs and a chow - all rescued from bad situations- that are my family. I spend a lot time training and playing with them, and they are better behaved than most people's children. We had a nice day yesterday, high 50's and sunshine, so earlier that day I spent a little time working with them on some training and afterwards played some ball. I also took the lot of them with me running errands, so they got a car ride out of the day as well.

Last night my black Lab wouldn't do much of anything other than whimper and lay on his side. When he would get up, it was a slow process with some whining and obvious discomfort and instability. My wife and I recounted the day and we racked our heads trying to think if he could have gotten into anything. You see, his gauge of determining edibility is if it fits into this mouth, he can probably eat it- we've done the "peroxide boogie" more than once (think welding gloves, a full face helmet, motorcycle jacket, a turkey baster, peroxide, and a really irritated 80lb dog that doesn't "want" any more peroxide). We couldn't think of anything, so thinking it wasn't poisoning, we decided to wait it out till morning. The dogs are inside dogs with the rest of us (wife and son + a few cats). We could hear Logan crying and moaning on and off till 2 am. I'd get up and check on him about every 30 minutes, till the (pregnant) wife suggested I go sleep somewhere closer to him (the couch) so I could keep a better "eye" on him (in my sleep?). So I did. 7:00 am rolls around and he ain't moving. My heart gets in my throat as I call him and grab the nape of his neck. He snorts- I sigh and give thanks. But now he isn't even opening his eyes. I call our vet, who is three towns and a county away, at 7 am on Sunday morning, and he tells me to meet him at the clinic in 45 minutes. All I can figure is they didn't have caller ID (before today).

I grab a banana, a coke, and a Tramadol and haul the dog to the truck and we're off. Logan gets to ride in front seat- a rare treat- and he just lays there, head in my lap, half asleep. The fog this morning is so thick I can't see the stripes on the road 50 feet in front of me. 45 minutes is going to be close- it's a 30 minute trip on a good day, and this morning is sucking pretty hard. The only good things so far is the vet answered the phone and the dog is still alive.

We roll into town in 44 minutes and I get the dog out. Well, poo- I forgot a leash. I dug some rope out of the truck and tied up a make shift choker and slipped it on him and called him to come, knowing good and well I'd be carrying his limp body into the exam table.

Hmmm. Seems he suddenly got a whole lot better... hmmmm... Logan is sniffing around, "marking" stuff, and generally looking pretty healthy. He and I had a little chat about the process of taking a dogs temperature and I suggested he look a wee bit more downtrodden by the time we get to the door, or the Doc might not understand; but I was glad to see him on his feet and moving none the less.

After a pretty thorough exam that included a muzzle and $145, the doc seems to think he may have a little hip dysplasia... or he pulled a muscle in his butt. The dog is currently on $1-per-pill meds @ 2 x a day and happy as a clam. I mean, why wouldn't he be- the pills taste like beef and they make him fart. I mean, for Logan if that ain't livin, well...

Try having a cat that gets steroid shots for allergies and his arthritis. That is $25 a shot, once a month, or once every three weeks during the cold, wet weather. We must love them. BTW, the cat, Jake, is 16 1/2 years old, and ornery as ever.

AmyLee

Man ya had me scared there for a minute. Very happy it turned out to be nothing.

Hey Cowtipper, I can appreciate some good beef and fart! I appreciate how them pets become like family. I would do anything to help my pets when they are down.

How far are you from Frisco, TX?

HA, my Husky did it too. My 11 year old Chow has been tormented by my 7 year old Husky for six years. Two weeks ago a one year old male Black Lab jumped into my yard and spent a couple of hours beating on the Husky. I didn't know he was there until the Husky started beating on the door demanding to be let inside and snapping at the Lab when he wanted to follow her in. For the next 24 hours she yelped every time she got up. It was funny watching her get a little of what she's been dishing out for the last six years.


By the way, K-9 aspirin is a lot cheaper.

I always have the fear of torsion with my big dogs when they're lethargic like that so it's off to the vet to make sure they're not in trouble. Always better to be out a few bucks instead of digging a hole. Baby aspirin is a fair substitute when you need a quick pain killer for your larger pooch.

Just hope you don't get a dog like the corgi I used to have. She insisted on getting up at 6:45 on Saturday morning so she could go out and be back in time to watch the Smurfs. She knew which channel they were on and could recognize whatever it was that was on just before so she would carry on in front of the telly until I got it right.