This is a photo of our foster dog Sam.
We've had Sam for about a month. He is so gentle and quiet and sweet, and rambunctious when it comes to seeing a leash or "Mom" or "Dad" coming home. He's big, too! 80 pounds! Interested in adopting? He is a foster dog with ReGAP here in southeast Michigan.
Last week Sam bit Quasar, kind of shredding his ear. They were doing that dog dance where they both get worked up over a passing dog, then spin in circles and growl and snap at each other. Sam's snap connected with Quasar's ear. However, I think this was provoked by Mr. Q.
Quasar's ear wouldn't stop bleeding after an hour (ear is filled with veins!) so we took him down the street to the emergency vet. WHOA! The vet wanted $622.00 for Plan A. umm, show me Plan B. That was just under $400. So I said, I'll pay the office visit and the antibiotic -- $150 and twice what our vet would charge. Luckily I had some Tramadol (pain med) left over from Star's illness.
So we returned home and spent hours trying to stop the bleeding and finally got Quasar's ear bandaged and gave him the antibiotic. The next morning we were able to remove the bandage and flush it out with water, hydrogen peroxide, then a final flush with the antiseptic Chlorhexiderm. Then bandaged again. It's been almost a week, and we've done a lot of cleaning, bandaging, giving Tramadol and antibiotic. Mr. Q is recovering, but he still yelps if we touch his ears.
So there went our long weekend away.... We didn't want to bloody up where we'd be staying.
Sam really is a sweetheart.
Sam has a lovely face. Sorry to hear about Quasar's ear! Our Australian Silky had his ears shredded a couple of times when we were introducing our rescue dog into the family. Ears do bleed a lot!! Hope Mr. Q's recovery is swift!
ReplyDeleteOK, Detroit, here are words to bring you a moment of pause for your eight good buddy paws. Get a rural phone book or newspaper from a village around Detroit, and start cruising. Gas prices are stiff, so consider this an initial outlay. now you're in the country when you cannot see buildings anywhere, OK?
ReplyDeleteCity vets have to build mighty hospitals to achieve the positive following they have. Not one stitch better, only shinier and really very very clean. What you are looking for is a vet who loves his patients, probably works out of a converted ranch house, and may even treat horses, cows and pigs. Ours occasionally has a chicken.
The difference is, the country vet cannot afford the huge equipment cost, but, it was never the equipment that helps the dog. Heck, Weasel went to a vet twice, not counting for shots, the first time around ten years old for [snip] ....... and the second time at seventeen and a season because he dropped on the floor with a yelp. Heart attack. He survived one more heart attack, and then went to sleep and never came back.
Max, our Shepherd did about the same thing, only no heart attack. Had to have a shot in the end, but went for a sixteen year run.
Country doctors offer something city doctors don't.
Truly cared for attention.
Money has little effect one way or the other. Our dogs have mostly led long, happy lives and I love to feed them omelets (ham and cheese) if I perceive their winnowing away.
Max, however, happened to like ham and cheese omelets, and somehow he lasted WAY longer than the city vet said he would. By a couple of years.
Give it a try, good luck, but, take one with you to introduce yourself with.
It's the country. The vets love to meet new dogs, always.
d=^))
oops.
ReplyDeleteWas that too long?
Hey Boneman, good comments are never too long. Sounds like Weasel and Max were loving and loved. We are vegetarians, but we cook meat for our dog. :-) And peanut butter sandwiches, and eggs, and....
DeleteDetroit is pretty far, nowadays, from the country (the rural area I used to live in is now a thriving poor suburb). Our vet is very much like the country vet you suggest. I've known him about 30 years. There's a big vet down the street from us -- state of the art but no one knows a greyhound from a poodle. :-/
Thanks for commenting.