Most of you know I use my blog to post some of my freelance devotions/ life stories/ lessons learned etc. But, today I needed to vent.. so I figured I'd use this as my outlet. So, I want to share with you the story of how Vodka, TLC, and Ringers Lactate worked their magic into making my precious dog Maggie comfortable during her last days.Maggie is part red nose pit and part lab... I'd never had a shelter pet before most of our dogs growing up just randomly showed up at our house. But, I'd wanted a full blooded mastiff- but with my recent job lay off I couldn't afford to fork out the cost. I was at a point in my life where I needed to get a dog before life got me. Yep, that is right folks, call it what you want-but I purchased a friend.. Little did I know this would be the best decision of my life.
It was right around Christmas time when I made my first steps into an animal shelter. I walked straight through the cat section right into the canine barking room filled with the aroma of clorox, urine, and an old ceiling heater as I began to look for my new best friend. I went in looking for a long haired, big (would grow big), male pup that I could take home.. I made my way into the kennells and saw a dog named Bailey who put his paw up on the chain length fence and doggy high fived me as he tilted his head, I thought "Maybe he is choosing me.. hmm.. He really is adorable.." I continued walking and right around isle two... third kennell down from the left sitting near a huge coon dog named "Red" a dog named Skittles who was sad and covered with the mange was sitting in a sulk.. I stared at her as I turned around to look at the kennell of frantic rottweilers barking so loudly at me I could barely think. I went back to Bailey who was now playing with a very attractive-kinda my age range -I had a potential I could date him thought- guy. As I suddenly thought "How great would this story be... We meet at a humane society, both wanting the same dog... exchanged numbers.. we lived happily ever after with our cute dog Bailey... etc.. totally didn't happen. But, hey I did look cute this day... So I went up to Baileys kennell and said "your not getting my dog are you?" He laughes and says, "He's adorable, and seems playfull- He'd be great for my kids." ----EEEEEHHHRR buzzer went off -as I tried to not show the dissapointment in my face, I said "yeah, he's cute. I was going to get him, but you probably should take him home." Yep, that guy straight up didn't argue- no if's ands or but's- he took Bailey home.
Thinking, this may not be a great idea after all...I continued to walk around pacing the isles looking for the attention of a canine. There I began to consider two dogs... neither of them were My Maggie. But, when I looked at Skittles,I began to read her story.. She was only 3 months old and had been brought to Shelby Humane Shelter when she was around 1 1/2 months. She was covered in mange and had a terrible case of IBS. She came from a blood line of red nose pits and labs that were bred into fighting dogs use to fight boars. Skittles was the sick one who some how managed to survive a terrible home at which her brothers and sisters were killed. Her owners were being placed under numerous charges for dog fighting. I immediately related to her on many levels. One, I just had been diagnosed with gluten allergies which isn't good on someones stomach until you know what foods to avoid... check. Two, she had mange... Gluten allergies also give me a bad case of exzema...check. Three, I had just gone through a very very hard time in my life that thinking about it brings tears to my eyes, and I too could relate to her depression. So I thought.. "Maybe we can help each other."Sold. I walked right back up there filled out the papers and took my new girl home. I changed her name to Maggie... I didn't know until this week when google'ing her name meaning that Maggie meant Pearl... which a pearl is a beautiful thing produced by the result of an injured life. It is the tear that is the result from an injured oyster. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured we would never produce a pearl. At the time, I didn't realize the meaning fit, but she looked like a Maggie, and so be it.. Her papers changed from Skittles the homeless pup to Maggie Mae Finn.
After bringing her home I went throught two tough weeks of crate training and two days of new environment diarrhea with her (thank you IBS). I bathed her weekly, got her cute clothes, and walked her everyday to ensure that she had healthy weight gain.. Maggie helped me get out of my depression, get out of the house, and get outside and move. On Sunday afternoons, we would go to Mt. Cheaha until she met a frisky doberman pincher on one of the trails. It wasn't soon after that we decided to change a less outdoor scene and just go to the dog park. Within three weeks her coat was growing into a healthy shine, free of mange, and her stomach was not irritable. Every night we had a routine. She'd sit with me on the couch as we watched reality tv, until it was time to go outside. Around 9:00pm she would go get her leash (she was easy to train) bring it to me and we'd go outside for her night time poddy. Then, she'd sit in the bathroom floor as she watched me do my skin care regimen and brush my teeth, & as soon as the bathroom light was off she'd jump in the bed slidding to her puppy pillow and placing her right paw on me she would sleep through the night.
Things continued to worsen over the span of two days. Maggie is a very obedient dog and always turns and comes on command. She now did nothing but stare at my oven for hours-not turning as I called her name. I would physically have to make her sit because she would just stand there. When she walked her hind legs would collapse -even though she was trying with great effort to be strong for me. Her vomit now turned into bile over Monday and on Tuesday we made another vet visit with a new vet in Harpersville. At this point, Mag's hadn't ate in 4 days nor had any urine output.. The doctor said on Tuesday that her labs showed that she was in renal failure and the only chance I had was IV fluid therapy and prayer. After being monitored, Maggie's blood results come back that she's been given a lethal As I sat in the "cat"room with Maggie by my side sitting up right and tense after not being around me for 8 hours and a huge stainless table.. I began to cry... hard. I find out she's been shot in the stomach (could have been prior to Shelter) and given anti freeze. The vet wanted to put her down on Tuesday, but I asked to take Mags home to see what I could do. I knew that if I left Maggie at the vet clinic she would go into failure to thrive because she is super hard headed when I am not around. I took her home heplocked her in the right left and gave her 300ml ringers lactate every 2-4 hourse. Every hour, I'd give her a shot of vodka which is the antidote to antifreeze, if caught soon enough.
The first two days I did nothing but bolus her with IV fluids and she soon started gaining strength and even started back urinating by the very next day. The color was now back in her coat and she was looking so much better. On Thursday, I took Maggie back to the vet to get another set of labs drawn to check her kidney functions to see if they had began to lower. After returning to work on Thursday my mind was elsewhere and worried. Around 10:45am I called the vet since she hadn't called me in the hour like she said she would and asked. Her words were, "we just finished the blood work and unfortunately I hate to tell you but her Creatinine and BUN levels were higher and she recommends the dog be euthanized." I began to cry as she scheduled Maggies death for 1:00 pm the next day. I cried so hard I ended up having to go to my bosses office asking if I could take an hour and half lunch to go home.
I came back home from work, and Maggie was at the door greeting me with a wagging tail even with low energy. I put her out some fresh water, and immediately she goes to it and begins to drink for the first time in 10 days. After two dog bowls of spring water later, Maggie jumps on the couch with me for our nightly tv run down.. We went that afternoon to meet one of my friends who had made Maggie a Care package at the local walking track. By Friday afternoon, My Maggie had ate her first bowl of doggie food and was begging for more.. Words can not express to you the excitement that I had seeing her eat for the first time in almost two weeks.
I took Maggie's hep-lock out yesterday and have not given her any more fluids since Friday. She is still happy, seems to not be in good spirits. She is urinating mass amount of urine every hour and will lay in it all day if I do not make her get up and move. Maggie is now in God's hands and fighting on her own. I've never been more thankful for total strangers who I met and heard about Maggie, and for my facebook friends who became my prayer warriors. Maggie didn't give up on me when I was going through the worst time in my life & I am not giving up on her. I work for hospice. Where doctors tell our patients they are terminal all the time, and we have a 108 year old patient who is out in the garden. When Maggie is ready, she will be ready. Until, then I am watching the most wonderful dog fight death with all her might! She loves life. Loves me. and She doesn't give up. I've learned so many lessons in watching her of the past two weeks than I have learned in a long time. Life isn't about circumstance, its about perception, grabbing the bull by the horn and telling him what you want.
too be continued...
