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My x-mas sucked (warning - graphic photos) - w/ update


Reverend_Maynard

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Hi Everyone,

As usual, I don't post that much until I have something tragic to report.  I apologize for taking advantage of y'all in such a manner, but the hits keep coming.

Tuesday night, approximately 9pm, typical X-Mas eve.  Hanging out with my SO and our friend, watching TV and whatnot.  We let the dogs out in the front yard, which is fenced in appropriately to keep a couple of <15lb dogs in the yard.  It's cold out, so we let them, close the door.

Suddenly our friend is at the front door, looking out, yelling "there's a dog fight going on out here!" (or something, it's really blurry)... before I could really process that, my SO rushes out the door, and seconds later comes back in with my male dog, Bruschi, cradled in her arms, saying "they were killing him, I had to pull him out of one of their mouths!"  I went to the door to look out and there were 2 fairly large (waste high), black and white, thick coated, curly tailed dogs (some type of northern, sled-dog type breed I would guess, still hanging around in our front yard, the chainlink gate off it's hinges, laying on the walkway.  They looked to be escapees rather than strays.  I opened the door and yelled something at them, but they didn't acknowledge me.   After checking on my SO and Bruschi, when I returned to the door I saw them disappearing down the street.

Seeing that there was some blood, but not sure how bad yet, we get in the car and head to the e-vet, about a 15 min drive.  He had some labored breathing, but still very little blood, so we still thought it was hopefully minor.  They took him in right away, and got us an update within about an hour.  He was chomped really bad, and had several punctures with... "stuff" poking out in his abdominal region... they were really worried about those.  They had to do x-rays and further cleaning/examining to be sure.  Bill for what they had done and the tests they wanted to do: $800.  Ok. Go ahead.

After another hour or two, we got another update... Some of the punctures did go through into his abdomen, and those were intestines trying to get out.  So, he would need a pretty major surgery to go in, clean it all out, put everything back where it belongs and sew him back up...  Several days in the hospital minimum, about a 50/50 chance of recovery, new estimate and deposit required $4500+...   Ok... Let's do the surgery.

We went to see him last night (X-mas day) and got another update...  Basically, while he's still 50/50, and still would have a pretty full recovery if he does make it through, it's getting even more difficult and expensive than they thought... New estimate in the 10-12k range...  Ok... We'll do what we need to do to make that work.. keep going.

So, that was about 12 hours ago, and no new updates yet (which should be good news, I guess), but he is still very touch and go.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

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4 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Any clues yet on the source of the other dogs.  Check with animal control etc.  Somebody should be on the hook for the money you are laying out.

Best wishes for a complete recovery for yours.

No.  We called the police right away and filed a police report, but they hadn't turned up anything last we checked.  Yes, I'm planning to keep working on finding the owners... Hopefully at the least we might see them in their yard, or being walked, while we are out in the neighborhood.  I thought of some posters or something, but it's really hard to describe dogs you only saw for a few seconds with no pics.  We'll keep checking with the local shelters and stuff.

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OMG... The place he's at must be the busiest emergency vet in the state.  It's a lot like a human ER with all the hustle and bustle... new emergencies showing up every few minutes.  If you've been in a human ICU, that's very much like where he is now.  I feel bad for the poor guy, 'cause it's brightly lit and there's action happening all around him. 24/7... but he needs constant monitoring. 

There are lots of specialists, as it's also the place where most major surgeries in the state are performed.  The resident who has been his primary doctor has been really great with keeping us informed and helping us make decisions.

I'm sure some of you saw this coming... All this is going to be very expensive... current estimates up to $12k.  Ofc, we wouldn't have them continue if we didn't intend to pay ourselves, or maybe find the owners of the dogs and try to get some out of them. but, hey, this is 2019 and gofundme is a thing, so we'll use the tools we have.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bruschi039s-bills?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

 

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I just got another update from the vet:

He's doing a bit better again today... more alert.  She said he got upset over something she was doing and really moved his head to tell her to cut it out (bit her? maybe), and he pulled his own urinary catheter out, so it'll need to be replaced and he'll need a cone now. :(

Good news, I guess, if still guarded.

Thanks for everything, everyone :D

 

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Crap, this sucks!  I am glad he is doing better, though, it sounds encouraging!

When my dog got cancer, I stopped counting at 15K, and that was around month 5 after diagnosis, and she lived 3 1/2 years overall.  They are family members, and they would spend it on you if you were sick, at least that is how I see it.

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8 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

Crap, this sucks!  I am glad he is doing better, though, it sounds encouraging!

When my dog got cancer, I stopped counting at 15K, and that was around month 5 after diagnosis, and she lived 3 1/2 years overall.  They are family members, and they would spend it on you if you were sick, at least that is how I see it.

Yeah, we have no kids, so they kind of fill that role for us.

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I'm sorry i've neglected this thread... there are a lot of updates to give, and some are with less enthusiasm than others...

This is going to be a hard update to write...

Bruschi has a had a big setback, I'm afraid. He has suffered a stroke that has affected his vestibular system, such that he can't keep his balance, or hold his head straight. His head now constantly turns his head to the left, and he can't really stand at all. Unfortunately, if he doesn't improve quite a bit, he won't be able to come home and have any kind of quality of life. He'll be monitored overnight and reevaluated in the morning.

Please keep him in your thoughts.

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3 minutes ago, smudge said:

Man oh man! Is he all pink from bruising?? Poor guy. 

I hope he can gain more ground from that stroke. Dang!

It's hard to say how pink he normally is, 'cause he's covered in fur.  but i guess his foreleg would be the normal level of pink.  the rest is probably bruised

 

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