Welcome Home, Abby!

Today when we went to visit Abby at the vet's we got a nice surprise--they let her come home with us!  Hooray!  We are so happy to have our dog back home and she is on the mend and that the other dog owners, who are nice people and very sad this happened, paid the $3,000 bill.  (Gerard doesn't look very happy in this picture because he just watched his Boston Bruins blow the game.) That patch on her back end is to ease her pain--it released pain medication through the day.  The drain tubes and patch will be coming out on Monday.  She still needs to wear the clunky cone for about another week until she gets her stitches out to keep her from licking them unless we are watching her closely.  We were able to take off here blue bracelet tonight.

She is eating like normal now and made some very nice poop on her short trip outside after supper.  She is not allowed to do stairs though so Gerard has to carry her up and down our front steps.  Also, the leash is very flimsy and soft, more like a lead.  She is not allowed to go for any real walks yet, just in our yard to do her business and get outside for a little while.  At least Gerard won't have to get up as early.

We are so glad you're going to be okay, Abby!

She has three different medications that we give her with her meals and we have to keep track of how much she eats, how much more drains out from her and how much poop she makes.  I have a notebook set up.  I have a new admiration for vet technicians who keep track of all the medications their patients need.  I have just one to keep track of and it's not easy.

We appreciate the many people who prayed for us, especially for Abby.  These pictures don't even show all the damage that was done, but thank God, she survived! 

Related Posts:  Our Sweet Dog, Abby, is Fighting For Her Life
On the Road to Recovery by Abby

Visit Pet Pride for more pet posts or link one up of yours. 


Share this:

Our Sweet Dog, Abby, Is Fighting For Her Life

Hi Daddy!  I'm so tired, really need to sleep.

Last night was a nightmare for us!  After a good day at work, Gerard left me the car at the bus stop so I wouldn't have to walk in the rain.  He and Abby welcomed me home at the bus stop and continued on their evening walk while I drove on home.  I had an uneasy feeling and prayed that they would both get home safely.  Well, that didn't happen!

I was upstairs feeding Spunky Doodle when my cell phone rang.and a lady told me my dog and husband were hurt three or four streets from our house.  She said I should come and I'd see all the police cars and flashing lights.  I just threw some food for Spunky on her table and hurried on down to throw some in Manny's bowl, then out the door I went.  I was so scared at what I'd find.

Two Rottweilers came running loose and attacked Abby really bad.  She had bites on her ear, neck, legs, abdomen and groin area and was all bloody but was conscious and could walk when I arrived.  Gerard was by the EMS truck screaming about his dog.  Gerard beat the dogs trying to get them off Abby but it was useless and they bit his left hand too.  He told me later that he felt so helpless, he tried to protect her and couldn't.  He called for help and it seemed like a long time before anyone came.  Some neighbors came and beat the dogs with sticks, one guy shot a gun in the air or at the ground to try to scare them off.  Finally they left her alone and fortunately the cops were able to catch the dogs and track down the owners. 

I walked Abby to our car and called to make sure Bartel's was still open (thank God for cell phones).  I was so relieved when they said one doctor was still there and I could bring her in.  They all know and love Abby too.  A nice policeman lifted Abby into the front seat of our car for me and another one brought Gerard to the hospital shortly after.  Once we got Abby admitted and the papers signed for surgery, we went to the hospital to get Gerard's hand looked at.

Fortunately, no bones were broken, but he had to get a tetanus shot, an x-ray, have his hand bandaged and in a contraption for a couple days.  He said it didn't hurt but I know that's because he was only thinking about Abby.  She was in surgery for a couple hours and the wonderful staff at Bartel's stayed way past their normal hours to help her.  The surgeon said she did well through surgery and was looking good and doing well but the first 72 hours are critical.  Any number of things could still go wrong so we would sure appreciated all the prayers we can get for our wonderful dog.

We stopped in to see her this morning, but were only allowed to stay ten minutes because she was on pain killers and needs her rest.  The doctor kept saying she was doing well and looking good but I sure think she looks very bad, certainly not good.  I don't know what dog he was looking at.

This is Abby looking good!

The animal warden told us the owners were cited for their dogs running loose and declared them dangerous and highly recommended that they be euthanized.  It's sad for them too and they did ask about Gerard and Abby.  The police and dog warden both said they are responsible for all the medical and vet bills that we will get so I do really hope they step up and do the right thing by paying them.  The estimate we got for Abby is around $2,000 but she is so worth it!  We miss her so much and are overcome with sadness but praying God will strengthen her, heal her and that she would be okay but I think it's going to take a long time for her to fully recover.

I know that God's will for us is to give thanks in everything, and I certainly do.  I am thankful Abby wasn't killed on the spot by those two dogs, thankful that Gerard had his cell phone with him and I had mine with our vet's number in the contacts, that we were able to take her to our own vet which is close by and for the wonderful doctors and technicians at Bartels.  I am also thankful that the police have pictures of everything to document the report, that they were able to impound the dogs and that the owners were found and cited, it's only right. 



Share this:

Tis The Season To Be Jolly . . .Can't Believe How Mean People Are!

Two events that occurred this week just sicken me. One was during the Browns game last Sunday when Derek Anderson, the quarterback got hurt. Fans actually cheered! This is just so mean and I hate that our fans would do such a mean thing. I guess I just feel bad for Derek Anderson because he's struggling so much this year and trying, I'm sure to do well and give his best. It's just so sad the fans don't seem to appreciate it. On the TV, I didn't hear such cheering that I recall but read about it the next day in the paper. My guess is it was only one section maybe, that even that is too many! This is an embarrassment to our city and our fans. Don't people realize players have feelings and families too?

The other event that really got me upset was to read about the New York WalMart 24 yr. old employee who was trampled to death by shoppers motivated by greed and selfishness on Black Friday. When WalMart opened the doors, the crowd of people just pushed in all at once and trampled right over an employee. Then, to prove they had no sensitivity whatever, when the store tried to close, they would leave and just kept shopping!

These two incidents involved bad crowd behavior, but there is one more incident of plain meanness that resulted in a teen's suicide. A middle-aged woman played a mean trick on a girl through My Space, making her believe a boy liked her and then was nasty to her. The "boy" was just a fake profile created by this woman! The girl was so upset she took her own life! (I'd say this girl overreacted and wasn't too stable to start with, but that's not the point.) I saw a little about this in the newspaper, but found more on a blog at "What's On My Mind Today"--Cyber Bully Convicted But Is It Enough?

I know people can be cruel and wicked but it still saddens me greatly when I hear about these things. Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" People need the Lord who is the only one who can change people's hearts. I look forward to the day when Jesus reigns on earth for 1,000 years according to Revelation and then eternity in heaven without any more sin.

Loss of A Son--Very Sad

We had a very sad thing happen. The parents of one of the boys in my Sunday School lost their second oldest son in a truck-bicycle accident Friday night. We went to the viewing last night. The hours were from 3-8 p.m. and we got there at 6 p.m. right after I got home from work. The line was out the door and the half the length of the parking lot which resulted in almost a two hour wait. What a long day that must have been for this nice family!

Their son just graduated from high school two years ago and was riding his bike to work when he got hit by a truck. He was taken to the emergency room at the hospital but died later that evening although many people were praying for him. The good thing was that the family was there with him and they are comforted to know they'll see him again in heaven. Still, it's a very hard thing to cope with. Everyone feels so bad for them. Fortunately, this entire family are born-again Christians and have a lot of support from friends from their church. The funeral was held at Parma Heights Baptist Church today, but I didn't take off work to go because I'm taking off four days next week.

When I heard about this, it immediately reminded me of the book my husband and I just finished reading. It was titled "Mistaken Identity" about a family losing their college age daughter in an auto accident, but then not even knowing it until five months later because she was mistakenly identified as someone else and the girl who was in the hospital that they thought was their daughter, really wasn't! They were both Christian families involved in that incident too, and it showed how their faith helped them through it and how many people showed them kindness during that difficult time. It was nonfiction written by both families involved in the mixup.

Death of loved ones is very sad anytime, but I think even more so when it happens so unexpectedly. We need to look at each day we have as a gift from God and really make the most of it by living for Him. No matter if we live to 90 or 7, life is short compared to all eternity and what we do with Jesus now determines how we will spend eternity. Romans 10:13 says, For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.