Catch Up

I'm sorry my posts have been randomly scattered as of late. It's not for lack of wanting, lack of inspiration, or even lack of ambition. More so lack of time.... Life has done an excellent job of throwing loops in the path.

You will all remember Rick, the gentleman from upstairs that passed away? Well, after much cleaning by his family, I was approached by the landlord and offered his apartment, on a month to month lease, so that when the time comes for me to pack up and leave for Scotland, I won't have to break a lease. She was very good about it. And though it took my brother and I nearly two full days of cleaning, I am nearly moved in. It is great to see the place take shape....especially on such a very limited budget. Thrift shopping has become interesting....coming home laden with treasures that just make the place what it is. A home of sorts.

Playing 001

I had a terrible scare with my Kodi. He and Sophie, while out on a walk, were playing and running, when Kodiak accidently jammed a stick into his mouth. He let out a scream, and dropped the stick on the ground. I cuddled him, and soothed him, and he seemed alright, so I didn't think much of it. About a week later, I noticed that instead of playing with Sophie, he would run as far away from her as possible, he was lethargic, and when I tried to open his mouth, he snarled at me. He was so unlike himself, that I knew something was very wrong. I brought him to the Vet's, and as I figured, was told that he'd have to undergo anaesthetic, before the vet would even attempt to look inside his mouth. Later that night, as requested, I brought him to the animal hospital, signed my name, and walked Kodi to the back kennels. A few hours later, I received a frantic call from the Vet. Kodi had begun seizing shortly after the anaesthetic, and hadn't stopped. It had been 2 hours. They tried giving him valium to slow it down, but it only made him worse. The vet had found an abcess behind Kodi's back tooth, and the muscles on that side of his mouth were seized up, and his eye bulging. I raced to the animal hospital to see him, and was warned that he was exhibiting a behaviour called paddling.

I walked in and there he was...lying on a padded mat on the floor, his stomach and hind quarters covered in blankets, his front feet continually paddling, as though he were attempting to swim, his tongue protruding from his mouth, and his eyes open but unfocussed. I patted him, reassuring him that he was okay, that he was a good dog...desperately looking for some sign of recognition, hoping my voice would pull him from the seizures. It didnt. I stared at the vet, who was panicked, and terribly upset. I could tell by the look on his face that he was sorry. He pulled me aside, assured me they were doing everything that could be done.... He was sorry.... It was such a strange reaction....I listened vaguely to the words coming from his mouth, stroking my dog, and watching his legs repeat the same motion over and over again. Then he said, I just want to warn you, in case they have to keep him overnight, the bill might be up over a thousand dollars. My heart plummetted....there was no way I could afford a bill over a thousand dollars....and yet what could I do? Here was my dog, who'd been seizing for 4 hours straight, who they couldn't stabilize...who they'd done that to in the first place. I hugged him gently and told him I loved him as I held his one paw out of the way and watched them inject more drugs into his arm, and then we were asked to leave for the night.

I made it three steps out the door before I completely broke down. My brother thankfully was there to hug me close and hold me upright. We slowly made our way home....and spent a tear filled night envisioning a very very terrible morning. We awoke to a call from the vet. Kodi was ok. Ready to go home. Logan and I stared at each other in disbelief. At the hospital we found that the bill was indeed over a thousand dollars. After discussing the issue with current finances, the hospital explained that they had donors to cover such matters.And so I payed what I could, and they covered the rest. I was so grateful to those people, and never so glad as when they walked Kodi out into the waiting room, and he saw me, and his entire body wiggled from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.

At home, he is doing better. Two antibiotics, and pain medication several times daily...and I am so very watchful on that side of his face....watching for signs of swelling, or difficulty opening his mouth. We are not in the clear yet.....and I am scared because I'm not at all sure what the options would be, should they need to go back into his mouth.