Doggy Drama

Spring has sprung and it is a beautiful start to March, a slight breeze, gorgeous sunshine.  Perhaps a wonderful time to prune the flowerbeds, plant flowers, and lay new mulch.  Enjoying the outdoors, a little sweat and hard work, it was going splendidly.  However, our friendly, albeit territorial dog Maggie, decides that the great dane, Lucy, that is being walked on a lease has come a bit too close to her turf and proceeds to run full force and attack her.  As I rapidly untangle myself for the 'magic beanstalk' weed pulling, I swat my dog Maggie into the house and apologize profusely to our neighbor upon whom I do not even know her name.  My anger and humiliation consume me as I finalize the weekend endeavor to transform our lovely front yard into a Good Home and Garden cover shot.  Next it was into a shower, feeding children, transporting children, picking up children and then home to relax during the last bit of weekend.  Where upon I catch a glimpse of our beloved pet and the 4" gash in her right thigh and a 1/2" puncture wound on her side.  Her rapid escape caused her to swing a bit too close to the trimmed sago palm in the front and its residual bark was unforgiving.  Babies are in bed, hunny is at Bible study and I know that Maggie needs some skilled attention.  What do you do at 8:30pm on a Sunday night when you have a pet emergency?  I now know.

After arriving back home after 1:20am, Maggie recieved 12 stitches (slice was to the muscle), many a drugs, a nice shave job, nail clipping and cone of shame.  

Now just to recover, or so we thought.

After two fulls weeks and reassurance that the wound was healing great I was at the vets bright and early to get the stitches out.  "All is well," I futily said.  Then I received a phone call from my hunny that the dog had somehow chewed over half of her scab back open while I was out for the day!  I arrive back at the vet's office and wait till past closing to be worked back in.  Eight staples are put in and another round of antibotics are given.


6 days past and then Maggie is bored and pulls out almost all her stitches.  I ponder the necessity of four legs on a dog.  The vet graciously works us in again.  Well since the wound has been open and exposed for some time we will have to do hydro-therapy.  That term has a nice sound to it.  Unfornately it means that I must shoot a firm steady stream of water directly onto the wound for 30 minutes twice a day.  Apparently the dog is wanting for attention.

Her new cone is now a good 6 inches longer than her face therefore we have to enter the magaphone to pet her head.  After a week of 'intense' therapy it is beginning to close. Also the food and water bowls that have been lowered for access are tipped over almost daily since Maggie's new circumference is incomprehendible.   I think we will have to repaint the entire house if we ever get her totally healed because she has hit every corner and wall in this house with her blades of plastic crown.  I can hardly wait for the dog days of summer to roll around.