It felt odd to have a “real weekend”: I didn’t set an alarm on Sat or Sun. Sleep quality was fair, with my nights passing in their usual sequence of naps, but it was pleasant enough to to lounge around a bit each morning since there were no pressing needs for me to be “up & at ‘em”… After letting dogs out shortly after 6 AM Sun, I laid back down & drifted off until 8:45 - a very unusual occurrence for moi!
However, Mon AM I was jolted out of an unpleasant dream by my alarm - I had to get moving to get ready to ride in our neighborhood 4th of July parade. My subconscious was replaying Wednesday’s grim appointment - a good client brought in their rescued roughly 5-yr old Shep mix. We’ve been battling with an ugly infection in her RR foot, but now she had gone lame on her LR, with nerve paralysis. Radiographs revealed a horrible state of affairs: Dr. J’s working theory is that she was probably hit by car as a puppy, suffered a crushing pelvic injury and now has terrible degenerative disease of both hips. There is no other option rather than humane euthanasia - even if her resources were unlimited and I could send her to the surgery center for a total hip replacement, I think her pelvis is so damaged it could never work out. Understandably the owner took it rough; I prescribed a week’s worth of pain medication as I await her to do the right thing by this poor animal.
Do you understand why I have not missed these last few months where I have not had normal dream time? I seem to be climbing out of my pit of minor vaccine reaction - I was able to prep my three ponies for the parade yesterday. Jamie came out to ride Baraq, darling Haylea rode Miss Alex, and I rode Scarlett. While it felt great to be aboard my big red mare again, by the end of the ride I could tell she was short-striding on that right front again - obviously her endurance career is over which never ceases to fill me with deep sadness. It was great while it lasted Scarlotta!
Saturday night I also had to perform an errand of mercy for my friend Karen - her elderly gelding was going downhill and we decided to send him off on a fairly good day since she had managed to arrange for a gravedigger. Her household continues to be beset with personal drama as her daughter ricochets around between home and the baby daddy (baby A just turned 1). Sunday night she made a snap decision to go visit him in Missouri where he recently relocated with his family. Of course I’m only hearing these things through Karen but it doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship. I’m going to try to have a talk with her when she comes back; supposedly she’s only gone for the week.
I also struggle with my concern over my Z’s mental health: it doesn’t look good to me for him to be staying up all night, sleeping most the day and living in filth. When I went by yesterday I nagged him into showering and changing his clothes while I changed the poor kitties’ litterboxes and took out some trash. To me his household it’s like a precarious house of cards - he’s keeping everyone fed and cared for but I fear it could fall apart at any moment… I will not tolerate animal neglect.
Love the 2014 photo... who cares if it's old? It's lovely! Hope the parade came off without a hitch, as such things should.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blow to your client's humans from your dream. As a human who loves each animal, it becomes apparent when it's time to let go... if they are "hiding" from their pain, definitely. I had to get that kind of message from my own vet a decade ago, but I kind of knew already that it was time for Diamond to cross the bridge and be free.
Blessings to you and yours!
- Barb
So sad about the dog. I think most of us can relate. When you have one live to a ripe old age you are blessed.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about Scarlotta and your friend's daughter. I'm an optimist but right now the world seems like a very unfriendly place.
I wonder why Z is like this. He obviously loves animals so it's hard to fathom why he would not want them to have a decent place to live. And not showering sounds like depression.