Our dog story..for the dog lovers

[C_Dave45]

Meh...I'm bored, its snowing out, the fireplace is on and another thread reminded me of our tragic experience (but happy ending) with our puppy.

My older son moved out and took our family pitty with him. My little guy couldn't stand to be without a dog, so Last summer, in July, we got a new Black Lab puppy.


In the winter we took her to Salmon Arm to visit friends, who also have a couple of labs. She loved playing with them. It was farm territory so she had a blast running with new friends.
The nearest road gets maybe one car every hour in the winter, other than the odd milk tanker truck for the farms. (you know where this is going).
Early one morning, still dark out, about 7:00 am, my buddy runs in and says "get your son away from the window". Oh no...Sure enough I look outside and our dog has blood just pouring from her mouth. I thought she got bit. I opened the door and she's writhing, gasping, with that "death rattle". She could hardly breathe, I asked my buddy if he had a gun, to put her out of her misery. "Oh I cant do that, Dave". I saw a trail of blood through the bush and then out on the road a huge pool melting into the snow. She must've been knocked unconscious for a bit.
So we load her into the car and race off to the Armstrong Vet hospital. It turns out she had: broken lower jaw almost off, broken upper jaw, one side. Smashed nasal cavity, cracked skull, and many teeth broken and missing. He figures he can fix her. Here she is after she had been stabilized and cleaned up:


After a few days, the vet says he doesn't have the skill to fix her up completely and suggests we transport her back to Calgary. So we load her into the truck, complete with IV bag attached:




We take her to the C.A.R.E. hospital (can't say enough good things about that place...if only us humans could be treated so well) and she spends the next three weeks in there. After a number of operations, and $6500 dollars, she comes home and we have to feed and water her through a tube in her neck. Lemme tell ya, THAT was a squeamish thing to do.


Hospital visit:




Last Christmas...she's getting better, but still has the tube in her neck.





Here she is today:



Only repercussion is she snores like a freight train and I think a diminished sense of smell.

[ClearBluewater]

[XylathaneGTR]

Wow...that's quite the story...thanks for sharing.

I'm glad to hear that she made it.

[borN]

Made my day!

[swak]

Wow.
Inspiring story.. Good to hear she made it.
One may not think it from the posts ive made in the past, but i have a soft spot for animals.

Good on ya man!

[Wraith]

Good on you for spending $6500 rather than buying a new one

[nonlinear]

wow, that was pretty sad.

so what happened, did a truck hit her? glad to see she's pretty much fully recovered, though most people wouldn't spend the $6500 - good on ya!

[JordanLotoski]

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by nonlinear
wow, that was pretty sad.

so what happened, did a truck hit her? glad to see she's pretty much fully recovered, though most people wouldn't spend the $6500 - good on ya!

We never did find out. The only clue was she smelled heavily of diesel fuel. Im thinking one of the tanker trucks might have rolled right over her...maybe hitting her head on the bumper and then missing her with the tires. He might not have even known he hit anything. If she ran out from the bushes, she'd be too close for him to see...plus it was dark out.

As for the $6500...there's no way I could say "nahh, just put her down"....but the "realist" side of me thinks it might have been better all around if she had just been killed quickly (I know that sounds bad to say.) A new puppy...couple weeks and everything's back to new again. Having said that, I love this dog to death. Have to keep wiping her nose like a little kid on some days though. Keep wanting to say "k, now blow" lol. And when I say snore...I mean SNORE!!! Like in-another-room-and-still-wake-you-up snore!!
More pics of her. She's a crazy dog...but the smartest most well behaved dog we've ever had!
Oh...her name is Shadow, btw

[Tik-Tok]

I'm glad it turned out ok. Personally, I would never use C.A.R.E. hospital again, bunch of money scavenging idiots, preying on the owners of mis-fortunate dogs.

Our Sib.Husky was hit by a truck a few years ago, it was after our normal vets hours, and C.A.R.E. had just opened, so we rushed him there. After the vet doped him up, "looked" at him, said he was just bruised, nothing broken, but suggested we kept him there overnight for observation for some obscene amount of money we didn't have at the time.

We declined, since they said he was just "bruised up", and took him home. We tried looking over him when we got home, but he wouldn't let us anywhere near his groin area, and we didn't want to push him, but there was no blood, so we figured he was alright.

The next day, just to be safe, we took him to his regular vet. We helped hold him down as the vet really needed to look all over, and that's when he found a 5" RIP IN HIS SKIN right in his crotch/belly. You could literally see his muscle tissue through it, it was fucking disgusting.

I couldn't believe the CARE "vet" completely missed this, and had the gaul to charge us for her half-assed look at our poor pup.

[inline6turbo]

I've met you and your dog before haven't I! But for some reason I just can't place it.... your dog was very cute and did "snuffle" alot haha

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I'm glad it turned out ok. Personally, I would never use C.A.R.E. hospital again, bunch of money scavenging idiots, preying on the owners of mis-fortunate dogs.

Our Sib.Husky was hit by a truck a few years ago, it was after our normal vets hours, and C.A.R.E. had just opened, so we rushed him there. After the vet doped him up, "looked" at him, said he was just bruised, nothing broken, but suggested we kept him there overnight for observation for some obscene amount of money we didn't have at the time.

We declined, since they said he was just "bruised up", and took him home. We tried looking over him when we got home, but he wouldn't let us anywhere near his groin area, and we didn't want to push him, but there was no blood, so we figured he was alright.

The next day, just to be safe, we took him to his regular vet. We helped hold him down as the vet really needed to look all over, and that's when he found a 5" RIP IN HIS SKIN right in his crotch/belly. You could literally see his muscle tissue through it, it was fucking disgusting.

I couldn't believe the CARE "vet" completely missed this, and had the gaul to charge us out the ass for her half-assed look at our poor pup.

Ouch...thats shitty. Sorry to hear. Probably, like anything else, it all depends on what vet you got. Just like doctors, I've had some brutal hacks and others are great doctors. Yes it's extremely expensive...but no more so than what we're charged (or our insurance co's) with humans and hospital visits/procedures etc. They're a business like anyone else. But thats too bad you got a goofball. I wouldn't judge the whole hospital by that.
With us, we first phoned them from Vernon. They got all the reports from the vet and were waiting for us when we arrived late at night. Helped us bring her in. The vet we got was actually one of the surgeons. Irish guy. Phoned us everyday with on going reports. The nurses were SO helpful and kind. Let us back in the area not normally for the public to visit her. The last surgery, she needed a tooth removed and infection taken out...skin flap etc. It was a $1200 procedure and he did it for $500 because of what we had already gone through.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by inline6turbo
I've met you and your dog before haven't I! But for some reason I just can't place it.... your dog was very cute and did "snuffle" alot haha

LOL...Hi Renee! At Thomas' place/your detail place....my son and I did the tile there! Remember....you wanted me to take you to Vegas with us! lol

[inline6turbo]

There ya go!! The tile guy!

I knew I wasn't crazy.

And I ended up going to Vegas right after you haha.

It's interesting to finally see/read the story on your cute, but funny, puppy.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Ouch...thats shitty. Sorry to hear. Probably, like anything else, it all depends on what vet you got. Just like doctors, I've had some brutal hacks and others are great doctors. Yes it's extremely expensive...but no more so than what we're charged (or our insurance co's) with humans and hospital visits/procedures etc. They're a business like anyone else. But thats too bad you got a goofball. I wouldn't judge the whole hospital by that.

It was the owner/head vet. That's why I'm judging the whole place. Honestly, in my little experience with vets, the immigrants always seem the most caring, and the Candian ones the money grubbers (or maybe it's just that the immigrants know how to put a better show on? lol)

Even at our current vet, (the one attached to PetSmart on Macleod), there's a couple of Russians that we love as our vets, but if they're not in when we go, we always leave with a bad taste in our mouth dealing with any of the other vets.

[A790]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


LOL...Hi Renee! At Thomas' place/your detail place....my son and I did the tile there! Remember....you wanted me to take you to Vegas with us! lol

Didn't you "quit" beyond, or am I thinking of someone else?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by A790

Didn't you "quit" beyond, or am I thinking of someone else?

Nope that was me. I lasted a year and a half. I started getting so many customers finding me through here I figured I might as well come back. Have gotten more since then too. I should buy a banner I guess.

I've been banned...quit...It's almost a whole new generation now, other than the OG's

[swak]

Ive always gone to Dr. Belfour (sp?) his office is in Dalhousie by Memory Express now (used to be in brentwood by pizza hut).

Outstanding vet. if only i could meet a 'human' dr. as amazing as he is with pets.

Doesn't gouge you, tells you practically what the options are.
Not in it for the money. If he honestly thinks its best to put the dog down vs. going through huge procedures that wont help the dog in the long run, he'll tell you.

Awesome guy.

[Ajay]

This story made my day!

I'm happy it all worked out for you and your family!

[anarchy]

Great story, glad she's okay.