When It Rains, It Pours.....

Man....the past four days have been HELLACIOUS! Our bloodhound, Wyatt, got into an altercation with Fred, our resident A/C sucker. Fred was let out of the house while Wyatt was eating Thursday night and a fight ensued. Fred has about 30 pounds on Wyatt and got the best of him. We still don't know exactly what happened (other than Wyatt got his ass kicked), but we think Fred got a little too close, Wyatt got a little pissed and it was on. Gary took Wyatt to the emergency vet Thursday night and they sent him to the Dallas Surgery Center early Friday morning. At the time, it looked like Wyatt had a fractured hip, broken leg and a punctured abdomen. By Friday afternoon, it was determined that the breaks and fractures were air pockets (dogs form them when injured, similar to how humans bruise) that can cause shadows on x-rays. Dogs' internal organs are also all in one area, surrounded by a sack, so it's hard to determine if the sack has been punctured or one of the organs. Fortunately, the puncture was more like a bruise and did not pierce the abdominal sack and injure any of his organs. His kidneys were injured and a blood clot formed over them. Again, dogs are so different from humans and they can form clots outside of their veins which they process through their bodies in order to get rid of them. You can't give dogs blood thinners to remove these types of clots. It's like Wyatt was in a hell of a car wreck with no airbag. He also has arthritis, so he's in a lot of pain.

Soo....they put him on an IV, gave him antibiotics and pain meds and put in a catheter so he could pee without getting up. The surgeons didn't feel like his injuries required surgery, so they wanted to manage his pain and keep him on antibiotics to help keep away infection. I went to see him Saturday afternoon and he really wasn't interested in me. They told me it was normal since he was on pain medication, but they were concerned about the undigested food in his stomach. So, we went back up there yesterday and didn't get a lot of good news. His proteins were dropping, he was losing muscle mass, he hadn't gone to the bathroom and he wouldn't get up. The vet said we needed to "make a decision"...ugh...you know what that means. The techs brought him in to see us and within minutes he was awake and trying to get up. Gary and the vet techs were able to get him to stand up and walk him around. We took him outside and then he finally used the bathroom! More like dropped a bomb in the middle of the room, but I didn't want to be so graphic. He didn't eat a whole lot, but he was moving around and that's what mattered. We did this for a few hours...walking him, sitting outside with him, letting him eat and drink and just come out of his dope coma. We talked to the vet and all agreed that Wyatt probably wasn't the best hospital patient (ya think?? muzzled, "will bite" stickers all over his file) and that maybe he needed to be in his own environment to feel better. Sooo...we got his drugs, loaded him up and took him home. He was so happy to be at the house and see his girlfriend Molly. He saw Fred and gave him a go to hell look. Booby, Tuck, Eddie and Waylon all barked and greeted him and he wagged his tail, so we felt encouraged. He still won't eat...so Gary is fixing him a special breakfast of eggs, chicken and rice this morning. He slept in the utility room (with a night light, of course) on his John Deere blankets and bed and got up okay this morning. Gary is going to let him hang out on the back porch today and see if being outside is what he needs. I guess you could say that we are cautiously optimistic at this point.

Before anyone gets it in their mind that we don't take our dog's domestic disputes seriously, DON'T! Wyatt is a special needs kind of dog. We adopted him from the Plano Animal Shelter six years ago. He was an owner surrender because of food issues. In the time we've had him, he's spent lots of time with a trainer and he is fed separately from the other dogs. We've been able to establish a routine and an environment for him that keeps him happy. He gets into arguments with Booby (real name: Blue; he's a blue tick coonhound. He's also a dirty agitator, so we call him Booby.) from time to time, but nothing out of control. Fred has never, ever done anything like this. It would easy to blame Wyatt, but Gary and I don't know what exactly happened, aside from Fred being let out by one of our children who shall remain nameless even though it has been a rule in our house since the beginning of time: Do not let the dogs out while Wyatt is eating. I know some people will want to know (and at the same time, not understand) why we didn't put either of our dogs down for being aggressive. I get that, most of the time if a dog is aggressive, he always will be. This isn't one of those situations where they just decided to go after each other...it's centered around food and we've always been able to manage this aspect of his personality. I can't believe Fred just went out there and attacked Wyatt for no reason, either. So, it's not a black and white situation and you just can't make a decision that will end a dog's life when you aren't sure what happened. Most of our dogs are rescues; they either came from the pound or wandered up to the house. As long as Gary and I can give them good homes, that's what we're going to do...warts and all. I just want Wyatt to get better so that he can get back outside with his posse and continue being happy. He's not a perfect dog, but he's a good dog and we love him. As for Fred, I think he feels a little guilty about what happened and he's been somewhat subdued the past few days. Maybe he went nuts since he's been on a diet...who knows. We're keeping our fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers.

On top of the dog crisis, Sister Lucy passed away Friday afternoon. Paige was pretty upset, which I expected, and wants to go to her funeral. We are all so sad and will miss her so much; but, we're also happy that she is not in pain anymore. She was such a wonderful woman and loved all of our kids so much. I know that she will live on in all of our hearts and I'm so fortunate she was a part of Paige's life. Her funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Houston.

I have chili results from Saturday's VFW CCO in Irving...but I left them at home...LOL!! Tom Dozier won chili and beans...and I think these are the people that placed (probably out of order): Babs Johnson, Dan Campbell, Budda Manske, Steph Brockman, Charles Breeden, Beth Moon, Dru Stewart.....Ray Medlin...and that's all I can remember. I went in the first trash can on the right, but I got 2nd place beans! Woo Hoo!!! I had weird chili....funky peppers, weird tomato paste....I dunno. Maybe I shouldn't take off from cooking all summer long - I think I forgot how to cook chili!!! Oh well...we had a great time and it was good to see everyone. The snacks were delicious, too!

I've got a pork roast and veggies that I meant to cook yesterday, but didn't get around to it. I'll be making it this week and I'll be sure and post the recipe. I'm going to experiment with braising it in beer, cider and Dijon mustard with some root vegetables. I also want to thank my hubby for having the house cleaned Saturday while I was out cooking chili and visiting with friends - I love you :)

Have a great day everyone.....spread some joy and kindness...and kiss your dog(s)!!

Kelly