The Amazing Return of Sassy
Last Friday night, one of my dogs went missing. My wife and I searched on foot, by car, and questioned neighbors about the disappearance. Animal control was no help, and I didn't see her laying near the road. She had vanished out of thin air.
I usually have a 24-hour rule about such things- if I don't see the dog for 24 hours, I assume its not coming back. Either (sadly) something bad has happened to it or one of the ubiquitous hunters in the area has picked it up to help track deer. Either way, the trail goes cold and one is left with nothing but speculation.
Late Saturday night, my wife and I returned home rather late and heard a curious whine under the house. We instantly knew it was Sassy. She popped out sporting a limp and shaking like a leaf. I scooped her up and carried her inside. It was quite obvious that she had injured her foot severely, so we ran her to the emergency clinic early the next morning. (I would have taken her earlier, but she didn't seem to have any of the symptoms of shock- pale gums, excitability, etc.) Also she had Valium throughout the night to calm her down and help her sleep.
The emergency vet discovered a broken foot and a hip that had been pulled four inches out of its socket. She gave her antibiotics and pain medicine, then splinted the foot.
Today, I dropped her off at the regular vet. I have three choices: (a) have the hip put in surgically and hope it stays in (it usually doesn't) (b) take her to the state university where they can surgically pin it for $1000 I don't have right now, or (c) perform a DFO? procedure, where they shave off the top of the femur so the hip bone fits in the socket better, which costs $350. I'm hoping I can opt for the latter with the possibility to choose the second later, if all else fails.
I say all this only because it is my belief that she got caught in a hunter's trap. Coyotes are plentiful here, it seems, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several in the area. According to my state's statutes, a trapper is supposed to check his traps every 36 hours, in order to treat the animal humanely. My best guess is that there's a "weekend trapper" somewhere who only checks his traps once a week. My dog was gone over a week. I assume she pulled her hip out trying to break free.
As luck would have it, this week was one of the worst weather-wise on record. It rained incredibly hard and reached the low 20s on several occasions. I don't know how she made it; it breaks my heart to think of her sitting out there cold and alone.
Needless to say, she's going to be an inside dog now. And come January, I'm installing an electronic fence to keep my other dogs safe.
I usually have a 24-hour rule about such things- if I don't see the dog for 24 hours, I assume its not coming back. Either (sadly) something bad has happened to it or one of the ubiquitous hunters in the area has picked it up to help track deer. Either way, the trail goes cold and one is left with nothing but speculation.
Late Saturday night, my wife and I returned home rather late and heard a curious whine under the house. We instantly knew it was Sassy. She popped out sporting a limp and shaking like a leaf. I scooped her up and carried her inside. It was quite obvious that she had injured her foot severely, so we ran her to the emergency clinic early the next morning. (I would have taken her earlier, but she didn't seem to have any of the symptoms of shock- pale gums, excitability, etc.) Also she had Valium throughout the night to calm her down and help her sleep.
The emergency vet discovered a broken foot and a hip that had been pulled four inches out of its socket. She gave her antibiotics and pain medicine, then splinted the foot.
Today, I dropped her off at the regular vet. I have three choices: (a) have the hip put in surgically and hope it stays in (it usually doesn't) (b) take her to the state university where they can surgically pin it for $1000 I don't have right now, or (c) perform a DFO? procedure, where they shave off the top of the femur so the hip bone fits in the socket better, which costs $350. I'm hoping I can opt for the latter with the possibility to choose the second later, if all else fails.
I say all this only because it is my belief that she got caught in a hunter's trap. Coyotes are plentiful here, it seems, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several in the area. According to my state's statutes, a trapper is supposed to check his traps every 36 hours, in order to treat the animal humanely. My best guess is that there's a "weekend trapper" somewhere who only checks his traps once a week. My dog was gone over a week. I assume she pulled her hip out trying to break free.
As luck would have it, this week was one of the worst weather-wise on record. It rained incredibly hard and reached the low 20s on several occasions. I don't know how she made it; it breaks my heart to think of her sitting out there cold and alone.
Needless to say, she's going to be an inside dog now. And come January, I'm installing an electronic fence to keep my other dogs safe.
posted by Yorick at 7:27 PM
2 Comments:
Yea to the return of Sassy.
Stacey
Yea to the return of Sassy! Poor girl.
Can you get your wife (I've never seen her name mentioned here, so I won't mention it) to email me so that I can have her email address. I know she must have an email address. Thanks.
Post a Comment
<< Home