Zoey was adopted on a very cold winter day in January when she was 8 weeks old. She wa
huddled together with 2 of her brothers in a doghouse on an acreage on outskirts of the city.
I suspect she was from a puppy mill breeder as her mother was not with them. We were told the woman was selling them for a friend.
This beautiful little puppy was so cold and timid, but as soon as I picked her up, she looked into my eyes and laid her head on my chest. She had my heart right then and there.
Daddy's Girl
We've had other dogs over the past 33 years but Zoey is the first one we adopted after my husband retired. He loved the others but Zoey is special because he has been at home with her ever since she was a puppy. He worked and we had young kids when we had the other dogs. He was smitten with her right from the start and she is definitely "Daddy's Girl." She like to cuddle up to him on the sofa when he is watching television.
When Zoey was 2 1/2 years old, my husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He had to have half of his stomach removed and he spend weeks in the hospital. It was a very rough time in both of our lives as we weren't sure what the outcome would be. When he finally came home, he was very weak and the effects of chemo and radiation treatments left him with with little desire to eat. He kept complaining that the food just seemed to stick in his throat so he lost a great deal of weight and had no energy.
Zoey was by his side all the time he was recuperating and he kept saying that she gave him the will to keep going. Dogs love us unconventionally, no matter what we look like or how we are feeling. Since Zoey was there through my husband illness, we feel she deserves to be given a chance to get over this rough patch in her life.
This all started When we took Zoey to the vet for her annual checkup. She had been having a bit of diarreha
but we even the vet didn't think it was too much of a problem. When checking her teeth, he found one back molar was cracked and one piece was loose. We planned to have tooth removed so he did blood tests which is routine before anesthetic is administered. The results came back showing there was something not right with her liver. We agree to an ultra sound which showed a large mass. It was estimated to be about the size of an orange. More blood tests and a decision to be made. Do we have tumor removed or leave it? Vet thinks the odds are in her favor because of her age and the fact that she has always been in good health up to now. There is a good possibility that it is benign because of the large size and she has no symptoms other than the diarreha. If we leave it, it could continue to grow and start crowding out her other organs. We're told surgery will be very expensive. Vet is glad when I say we will go ahead with the surgery. I will have faith that we will be able to get the money somehow. Tell him to book an appointment with the surgeon. Wondering what we can sell to start saving some money. My dining room table is the first thing to go, get $200 for it. Small snow blower goes next, another $100. We've got a long way to go. Guess we'll have to depend on credit card to pay for it.
Dec. 21
Zoey has an appointment with the surgeon who will remove her tumor. He is willing to do it the next day but I ask that we wait another week because of Christmas & he agrees. Tells me the tumor is approximately the size of an orange and it could rupture if not removed. They do an x-ray to see if her lungs are OK. Cost of this visit is $350. Now regretting that we never got pet insurance before this happened.
Xmas Eve
When we got up this morning, Zoey was quieter than usual. She still wanted her morning treat, but didn't bark when her Dad left the house which was unusual for her. She went back to sleep on her chair then had to be coaxed outside to go pee. She's had a few days like this over the years but we kept our eye on her and figured as long as she was eating & drinking she would be OK. Of course, with last minute things to do before Christmas, we were a bit preoccupied. She started perking up later in the afternoon, so we figured she was fine.
Christmas Day
Zoey is looking a lot better today. When I took her outside, I noticed that her pee was darker than usual but just thought that she hadn't been drinking enough water the day before because she wasn't feeling well. I was busy getting things prepared for our family to come over for Christmas dinner so Zoeys Dad took her outside whenever she needed to go. He never mentioned the color of her pee, & being busy, it was something I forgot about. She seemed to be feeling OK, and followed her usual routines. We thought the previous day was just been an off day for her.
Boxing Day
Zoey's looking pretty perky today. It's been very cold & damp; icy here for the past few weeks and since I've been getting over a cold, we hadn't been going for our daily walks. The weather has improved and since I'm feeling better I decided we'd go today.. When she stopped to pee, I notice how really dark the spot was. Worried, we headed home and I phoned the emergency vet clinic. I collected a urine sample and off we went.
Zoey is still looking good at this point and we sit and wait our turn. During this exam the vet says Zoeys heart rate is a bit slow and she is dehydrated. They want to do another blood test to see how the liver is functioning and what her clotting factor is. She also needs to be blood typed in case she needs a transfusion during surgery as there is a serious risk of bleeding. I'm asked to leave her for a couple of hours so they can give her fluids and monitor her. This is not the same vet who will be doing the surgery although they work out of the same building. They can't seem to find Zoeys charts from the other visits.
After a couple of hours I get a call telling me this vet would like Zoey to stay at the clinic where they will give her fluids, antibiotics and monitor her, Possibly for 2 days. Cost, $3000. I start to cry, tell receptionist this is going to be very hard on us financially. Worried about my beautiful little dog, but also wondering how we can afford all this. So far we have paid out over $2500, surgery is upcoming at an estimate of $5000. And of course, as in any surgery, no guarantee of the outcome. I'm asked if I'm coming in to pay for this treatment. How can I turn my back on this faithful friend? We head over to the clinic to make the payment, thank goodness my Visa card has a zero balance. My husband is considering selling one of our vehicles to pay for all this. I go into the clinic, visibly upset. The receptionist asks if I would like to speak to the vet again to go over the cost breakdown. I say I do. Vet brings in Zoey, who is looking pretty perky for a dog they want to keep for 2 days. She goes over the test results and says if I want I can take Zoey home, give her antibiotics and monitor her for the weekend. Thank you God, this has saved me $3000. If I hadn't been so upset, would
they have offered me this option or just hoped that I would pay it?
Zoey is visibly glad to be home. She heads to her water bowl for a long drink of water. I open a can of the dog food the vet has recommended and Zoey happily eats. Anyone looking at her would not think she was sick & yet they wanted to keep her for 2 days. Gave her the dose of antibiotic & pain reliever the vet prescribed and she's settled in for the night in her own bed.
Dec. 27
Worried all night, woke at every little noise, prayed that I did the right thing in bringing her home.
She's a bit quiet today, but vet said pain reliever might do that. She went out to pee a couple of times and the color, although still a bit dark is almost normal so I guess the antibiotics have started working. I'm mixing in some water to the moist dog food so help with the dehydration. Zoey happily laps it up. Tomorrow we're going back to the clinic for her pre-op. I have a knot in my stomach because of all this stress.
Dec 28
Zoey had a good night. She alert and happy. Today we go to the vet for another blood test to make sure everything is OK for tomorrow. I'm still a bundle of raw nerves, tears ready to spill at any time. Have to keep my mind busy so I don't think too much about the upcoming surgery. I am thinking I won't be able to sleep, but I fall asleep right away and my dreams are all about Zoey being at home and well after the surgery.
Dec 29
Well, today is the day. Have to be at the clinic by 8:30 AM. Receptionist takes Zoey to the back but asks us to wait to speak to the vet. After 20 minutes he comes out and tells me, to my astonishment, that the blood tests showed that all her enzyne levels are now normal and the clotting issues they were concerned about are not as worrisome. I'm convinced that the prayers everyone has offered have been the reason for this outcome. Vet says the surgery will be done around noon and should take a couple of hours. He'll call with the outcome.
Husband & I head for home, he is stoic but I know he is very worried. I spend the the next few hours in front of the television, just because I can't concentrate on doing anything else. Think I watched numerous eposides of "Unwrapped". Every time the phone rings after 12 pm, I'm afraid it's bad news. I keep praying. Finally, at 2:30 I get the call. Zoey has come out of the surgery, everything has gone well but the next 24 hours are critical. Tumor was larger than expected and had leaked a bit. That was the reason that her urine looked bloody. We're still not out of the woods yet and I jump every time the phone rings. Continue to absently watch old television programs. I call the vet clinic at 7:30 and am told she's doing well and to check back at 9:30 next morning.
Dec. 30
I'm up at 6:30 am, keep watching the clock until 9:30 rolls around. Call to ask about Zoey and I'm told she"s doing well but vet will call me back in a few minutes. I wait an hour, worried that something might have gone wrong, I call back. Zoey is fine and doing much better than expected and I can take her home today after 4 pm. I am so relieved. Wow, this is more than I expected.
Day drags, but finally time comes to pick her up. I bring along her coat as I know her some of her hair would have had to be shaved and the temperature has dropped to -18C (-4F). She looks better than I expected, still a bit glassy eyed from the medication but walking pretty good for a dog that just had just gone through major surgery 26 hours ago. She looks skinner. Vet tells us tumor was about the size of a cantaloupe. When the ultra sound had been done earlier in the month, they thought it was the size of an orange. I am shocked at this news. She showed no symptoms, had regular check-ups and yet if it hadn't been for the cracked tooth, we never would have guessed until the tumor had started leaking and perhaps bursting. He also managed to remove the broken part of the tooth but as he had no dental equipment and this wasn't his field, the tooth has to remain for awhile. We'll get that taken care of after she has healed completely from this ordeal.
She has to be carried up & down stairs, no running, kept fairly quiet. Needs to be given pain relief and antibiotics every 12 hours. She gets home and has something to eat. Has to check out to make sure everything was just as she had left it. She goes to sleep, we are finally able to breath a sigh of relief. Medication need to be given at 10 pm, makes her quite groggy and she stumbles around a bit then goes back to sleep.
New Years Eve, Dec 31
I slept in the living room last night so I would hear if anything she needed anything. We woke at 6:30. The medication is wearing off and she is doing some slow pacing but eats breakfast and follows her usual routine.
It's even colder now -25C (-13F) with a slight wind. Definitely needs her coat and booties to go outside.
Medication has to wait until 10 am. It's 9:30 and I take her out to pee, but it must pull a bit on her incision when she squats as she's hesitant to go. I have to insist. I give her pills at 10 and she goes to sleep again.
We're giving her lots of hugs.
After I heard that the tumor had leaked, there was that bit of regret that I hadn't agreed to the surgery on Dec 22 like the vet had suggested, but then again, would it have been riskier when her enzyme levels were high and before all the prayers were offered. I'll never know but at least things have gone smoothly so far.
She's got this "Oh, woe is me" look in her eyes. She stands on the sidewalk wearing her coat and booties, not wanting to go to the back to pee. It's too cold, so she stands and looks sorry for herself. My daughter
shows up just then and Zoey gives her just a few pathetic tail wags. Poor baby.
Jan 1, 2010 - Happy New Year.
We start the day on a good note. We can see that Zoey is starting to feel a bit better. She is not walking around with droopy ears today and her eyes don't have that sad look to them. It's the start of a new year and we hope the results on the tumor will be good news. We'll hear from the vet next week.
