After two days in the hospital, Lucy was sent home. We thought it would be best to take her to her own home, as she's never comfortable at ours. Mrs. Wit and I would just take turns spending the night with her.
The vet had wrapped Lucy in a giant bandage around her neck and chest. It looked like a body cast. Lucy moved very little and her breathing was labored and wheezing. Over the next two days, she became more and more lethargic. The doctor had warned that she might become increasingly paralytic, or her organs may begin to fail due to the increased stress of dealing with blood and fluids relating to trauma. Soon, she could not even stand anymore.
We took her back to the vet's on Monday morning and prepared to hear the worst from the doctor. An assistant took Lucy from us, as limp as the day we first brought her in. Mrs. Wit began to tear up, the drama of the whole series of events coming back to her. I cried a little, not for the first time since the beginning of the ordeal. It has long been acknowledged by my sister-in-law and her family that Lucy loves me best. I know this is so because she follows me around the house whenever I am there.
After half an hour of waiting, an assistant called us and ushered us into a private exam room and told us that the vet would be in shortly. We expected that he was going to recommend that Lucy be put down and maybe give us a chance to say goodbye. We waited five minutes. Then ten more. Finally after twenty agonizing minutes, the vet opened the door - and led Lucy in on a leash.
She was walking - better than she had since the attack! She wagged her tail and even tried, unsuccessfully, to jump up on me. The doctor said the bandage was too tight and was exacerbating Lucy's paralysis.
Since then, Lucy has been getting stronger by the day. She can jump up on the couch, go in and out the doggy door and has even been spotted chasing birds in the back yard. She still has a stiff neck and lots of healing wounds, but she's getting better and better.
It's still uncertain whether she'll fully recover, but she's going to live for many more years.
13 comments:
yayayayayayayayay! go lucy! go lucy!
Now you watch the silly mutt milk it for all its worth. every time she wants something (like the best part of the sofa) she will simply give you a very pained look, wimper a bit to remind you of her near death experience and that will be it...you will morally be obliged to comply.
Don't say I didn't warn ya...
JJ: Yeah, she's a clever lass. Yesterday she talked me out of half my big mac and most of my fries. I drew the line at sharing my drink straw, though. I got myself a glass.
that's great. ! sounds very promising.
what a strong little fighter she must be. I think having lots of support from the alpha-dogsd around her (that's you and your family) helps a dog's resiliance.
Yay! I'm so happy Lucy is doing better :)
xx
pinks
i love a happy ending
That is the best news. Yay for Lucy, Yah for you and Mrs. Wit and Yay for your SIL. I'm sure all involved are very relieved. I'm so glad to hear it turned out this way.
I'm glad to hear she will be fine
oh how happy I am to be reading this today, I clicked on you with such trepidation..... gawds sake.....
Now she is gonna use those big puppy dog eyes to get whatever she wants LOL
Im glad for you all that it looks like she is gonna be fine....
Thanks Justine! I'm getting ready to go over and see her now.
Pinks: Thank you, from Lucy.
City: THis one's pretty good so far.
Thanks, Chicky!
Thank you, Eddie. You lost a dog recently, didn't you?
MArmy: She always could talk me into anything. Whenever I showed up at the house, she would bark at me until I took her for a walk.
I just went down and read the whole story. I'm glad that Lucy is doing better.
Thanks, BV! You are okay for a Navy brat! ;-)
(oh thank goodness!)
SMILING!
I just found your blog, via citymouse. I read with horror the tale of this sweet dog's ordeal. I am so happy to hear she will survive, though the photos are simply impossible for me to look at. It scares and infuriates the hell out of me to think someone can own dogs that would do that to another dog. Thank God Lucy survived. Jack Russells are so stinking smart it's almost unnatural.
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