An update on Summer. If life would tame down a little, I'd set up a separate blog for my Springers, but evidently, now is not the right time... so Project Rewire it is! Part of the prob is I'm pondering (as usual) directions, what an appropriate name for such a blog should be? The set up part would be easy easy! Any suggestions, please pass them my way via comments or via my blog email addy.
Anyway...
Summer began her first in a series of heartworm treatments yesterday for stage three heartworms at the All Animals Vet Hospital in Sanford, NC. I received two phone calls from "her" vet tech, Candie, yesterday advising me that her chest and lung scan looked good and they were going to proceed with the first of two HW treatment injections (for this go round). Well, all went well with the injection. They'd followed the HW injection with a pain medication, so Summer was resting. Candie advised they'd also be keeping her on Doxycycline for the time being. Bless Candie's heart, she called me twice yesterday.
Summer had her second treatment this morning. Candie called me again to let me know she was doing fine and described her as being downright drunk. As long as she's feeling no pain, I'm happy!
Summer truly is a trooper. From the photos I snapped yesterday a.m. at about 6:00 a.m. you can see she knew something was up. Neither she nor I had much sleep the night before. She was very restless. Me, too! In fact, she'd crawled up into an old chair in my bedroom... a chair my mother bought back when I was ten, actually. It's a spot where Sydney plops herself at times when she needs a bit of comforting, too. Summer played dish rag dog and wouldn't stand up for anything, so her Poppy had to scoop her up to carry her downstairs.
You can also see from the shots I snapped in the car that she had one of her favorite toys with her. A hand me down hedgehog from Chance. She was calm, but it was obvious she wasn't content. There was no tail wagging nor smiles. I believe she knew she was headed to the vets. A couple of these shots are fuzzy. Climbing around in a moving car is not necessarily the easiest setting for photo taking. ;) When we arrived, Summer was afraid. She walked in on her leash, but climbed into my lap almost immediately. When the vet assistant came out to get her, she locked down. I decided it best that she not become a Springer "Swiffer" and picked her up, then carried her to her kennel. She wouldn't go into in on her own, so I actually had to pick her back up, then put her inside of it. I left her hedgehog with her, so she'd know she belonged and we'd be returning.
Summer truly is the most calm and peaceful dog I've ever had as a part of my life and I've opened my heart and home to many dogs. She's amazingly humble.
Even though, she's only been with us since June 21st, her transformation has been remarkable.
When we first brought her home she literally rattled when she barked and during growling moments in mothering Miss Sydney, or cough. She'd also get a bit winded just walking around in my backyard. The rattling is better now. Her energy level had improved, too, prior to yesterday. Although she spends much time sleeping, she is happy and totally content. I'm sure when we retrieve her tomorrow (which won't come fast enough) no doubt she'll be tired, but overjoyed to see us. The same will be true of her Poppy and I.
During the past week or so she did begin to spend a little time chewing on a safe "doggy" bone and started discovering and placing lots of toys on our sofa and bed. One day my sofa looked like the closet in the movie "ET" she had so many toys piled upon it. Except for her trip up the road yesterday, she rarely stops smiling.
It's been such a blessing to have her become a part of our family and Springer pack. Sydney and Chance have both totally accepted her now. My husband (her Poppy) is constantly telling Summer, myself and everyone he's shared about her how precious she is. He's even begun to show her off on his Facebook! :)
Once we get Summer through her heartworm treatment, spaying and repairing her "cherry" eye, as many already know we'll become her "forever home". The rewards she's given us are many. She's a complete and utter lapdog. And is never far from my feet or side. Where ever I am, she wants to be. She's totally housebroken and we can leave her loose in the house with Chance when we're out. However, our wild child, Sydney, still must be crated when we're out. The girl needs the nap time. She plays and enjoys her days. Swims every single chance we'll allow her to -- she's now leaping into the air as she dives in!
To my readers...
If you've never considered fostering nor adopting a Special Needs Springer, give it some quality thought. All have amazing stories. All are sweethearts. Survivors! We've three dogs here in NC whose medical expenses are way up there. There's another in Cleveland, Ohio by the name of Riddle. He has quite a story and just went through surgery earlier today to have his leg amputated. Thankfully, his surgery went well and he's in recovery. He now has a chance for a full life, thanks to the efforts of ESRA. All of our Springers are fully vetted, rehabbed and ready for new homes once they placed on our "available" lists. The rewards you'll reap are endless. And, if you can't foster nor adopt, considering sponsoring. There's a huge need within ESRA right now across the country. More dogs are coming into rescue daily who need help. More than ever due to the economy!
Little slideshow of Miss Summer yesterday...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment