Two Emergencies, One Day

It was a two emergency day. Like one isn't enough.

Tucker, my beloved golden, got a stick stuck...in his mouth.
I noticed he was having trouble because he kept trying to chew on something, and it was clearly making him uncomfortable. He tried to drink, but even that wasn't successful.
i did what came natural to the former dental assistant in me. I opened his mouth, and had a good look.
this is when i saw this:

The stick in the picture is about as thick as a pencil, and about an inch and a half long, and it was lodged across the roof of his mouth, held in by his teeth on either side.
I tried to remove it, but that's not a safe place for a hand.
The vet saw us immediately and removed the offending piece of wood with a good yank and a pair of forceps.
(Note that the photo shows the piece of wood next to the LARGE size of MilkBone, purely for size comparison.)

Emergency two began with a phone call, from an upset client who couldn't find her cat.
I went over to her house, and we searched for over 30 minutes, to no avail. Ghost cat has struck!
Two hours later the client called, relieved to tell me her ghost cat finally came out of hiding!
I KNEW he was there all along, just hiding well in stealth mode.

The Pigs Are Back

The pigs from Brooklyn are back to visit.
And boy did they grow from last year!
Cholula is the larger one,, weighing in at about 100 pounds, and Runtly is a few months older, and weighs in at about 70 pounds. They are between a year and a half and two years old.
And no, the proud pig parents don't eat bacon!

Gone Batty

Look what I found on this morning's walk with Puc (the murderous dog)!
He was by the side of the road, trying to crawl to somewhere safe. Luckily, someone had their recycled paper curbside for pick-up, so I grabbed a shoe box, scooted him up, and left him under a bushy tree. He climbed off the cardboard and grabbed onto a tree branch. Yeah, he was probably dying, but at least this nocturnal creature won't die in the sun.

MURDERER!

So cute, So bad!

While walking Puc the other day, we passed a yard with a rabbit munching on some grass. Puc got all excited, while I just laughed and told him there was NO WAY he was gonna get that bunny.
On we continued, and on the next piece of property there was an overgrown bush bordering the street. Puc darted under the bush, and I heard screaming. It wasn't Puc screaming. He emerged with something furry in his mouth. I got him to let it go. It was a baby bunny. Poor little bunny was laying on his side, his legs kicking wildly, like he was a turtle laying on his back and trying to get upright. Hesitantly, I rolled the bunny over so it could escape, only it didn't. I picked it up to inspect it, fully prepared to take this bunny home and nurse it back to health. It was bleeding. I put it back down, knowing there was no hope at that point. It took it's last breath and died.
I am sorry little bunny.

Not Again

Otis.
A grand old guy, only not too old. About 7 years old, give or take a year. (Isn't it enough I remember all their names?--the ages change every year, and i have well over 100 pets to keep straight).
Otis now has cancer--the same kind Tucker has. A tumor (or tumors) in his leg. Tucker's got them in both front legs. Otis has it in one leg.
Treatment is to amputate, and then do chemo. That extends his life by about a year. Maybe a year and a half. Without it, the tumor(s) grow, the bones become brittle, the life expectancy is cut down to less than half that.

Let's hope that old saying about things coming in three's does not pertain to this. Cancer is a bad, bad thing.

Guilty!

This time it was Browser!

Tucker's Big Adventures

A week ago, Tucker's family took him up north for a weekend in the country. He's too sick to participate with all the hiking and swimming and fun times he would have there in prior years. He is tired, and he can't walk any distances anymore past a few feet at a time.
The family thought it was safe to leave him out in the yard, while they went out for a hike. When they returned, he was gone. He wondered off property, until one of the neighbors took him in.
This past weekend, Tucker was left in the yard while the owner went out for an errand. Again, Tucker wondered off property for yet a second big adventure. This time he ended up in the local pet shelter, and was retrieved later that day.

I think the whole thing mad him feel young again.




Photo is of a painting of Tucker, by my friend, Oscar Maldonada.