Toki
My pitbull came extremely close to death this weekend. She developed a Pyometra. That is, a uterine infection. I noticed some lethargy and increased thirst on Saturday, but nothing that screamed "emergency". I planned on taking her to the vet Monday morning as a precautionary measure. Sunday, she stopped eating. Attributing it to what I initially thought was pain caused by a rough play session with Marley, I didn't worry about it too much. When I came home Sunday night, her condition had worsened noticeably. I let her in the house and she laid down in front of the couch and started licking her vulva. When she stood up, I noted a very dark, clotty, thick bloody discharge on the floor. I watched her for a little while to see what direction she would take. She hopped up into bed just fine and laid down to go to sleep. I curled up around her and started to drift off to sleep. After about a half hour, she spontaneously vomited. No warning at all. I decided enough was enough, got dressed, and took her to the Emergency vet. I explained the sequence of events and they started basic diagnostics. When the doctor came back with her CBCs, he was not very optimistic. The white blood cell count had fallen to critical levels, amongst other numbers. In his own words, "She shouldn't be conscious right now." He didn't give her a very good chance of survival. All this before he presented the cost estimate to me.
Me: "Let's do it."
Him: "Are you sure? There's no guarantee, and she's pretty close to death"
Me: "She's a fighter. Let's do it."
All told, I'm in the hole now for $1948 for the emergency hospitalization and ovariohysterectomy, and I still have to pay my regular vet for the followup care. However, I'm please to say that the same dog that was listless, lethargic, and unable to stand at 12:30 AM was wheeled out to my truck on a gurney at 8:00 AM and she walked off the gurney into the back of the truck. According to the doctor, she would not have made it if I had waited 10 more minutes.
She's not completely out of danger yet, but she's very likely to recover completely. She's with my regular vet right now for observation and followup care and is expected to be discharged this afternoon for home care.
Toki is a very strong dog. She has a will to survive like you wouldn't believe. I'm lucky to have her back. I'm lucky to have saved her from death twice (once when I got her back via a third party from my ex, and now with the pyometra). She is an inspiration, and I'm thankful for her. Many people don't understand why I would spend so much money on my dogs when I live so poorly, but those people aren't dog owners. They don't understand the bond between humans and canines. They don't know what true love is. They don't know what it means to be completely accepted and not judged.
Me: "Let's do it."
Him: "Are you sure? There's no guarantee, and she's pretty close to death"
Me: "She's a fighter. Let's do it."
All told, I'm in the hole now for $1948 for the emergency hospitalization and ovariohysterectomy, and I still have to pay my regular vet for the followup care. However, I'm please to say that the same dog that was listless, lethargic, and unable to stand at 12:30 AM was wheeled out to my truck on a gurney at 8:00 AM and she walked off the gurney into the back of the truck. According to the doctor, she would not have made it if I had waited 10 more minutes.
She's not completely out of danger yet, but she's very likely to recover completely. She's with my regular vet right now for observation and followup care and is expected to be discharged this afternoon for home care.
Toki is a very strong dog. She has a will to survive like you wouldn't believe. I'm lucky to have her back. I'm lucky to have saved her from death twice (once when I got her back via a third party from my ex, and now with the pyometra). She is an inspiration, and I'm thankful for her. Many people don't understand why I would spend so much money on my dogs when I live so poorly, but those people aren't dog owners. They don't understand the bond between humans and canines. They don't know what true love is. They don't know what it means to be completely accepted and not judged.