Day 2.3

August 27, 2006: I'm celebrating my 28th birthday when my cell rings. It's Cari, the breeder...she's got bad news about the dog we selected. She's not well. She vomits after each meal. She told me she planned to separate her from the litter during feeding to determine if vigorous eating/overeating is causing the problem. She said we could reselect. I didn't even know Lulu and I loved her. No way was I reselecting. Two weeks later we took her home with the knowledge that she has a tendency to overfeed when competing with other dogs. Good to know.

Fast forward to this morning; the doctor on duty informs me that Lu had no appetite and had to be force fed.

Yesterday I was happy. I thought, we made a decision to treat her despite the cost. She's in good hands and it's uphill from here. But nothing can prepare you for seeing your loved one, whether it be a parent, kid, friend, dog, or your baby, in pain. I'm sitting next to her now in the office. When I had surgery a few months ago, Bill rigged the LCD TV to act as a computer monitor which is proven to be very helpful now that Lu won't let me walk away from her without making the most pathetic mewing noises. She used to do this when she was a tiny puppy and it forced me to carry her with me everywhere, but that was 22 pounds ago.

Her release from the clinic today was very positive. They said she was doing as expected and it was apparent that she won the heart of the staff. She left with a narcotic pain patch on her back that will remain there for 3 to 5 days. We received more instructions on expressing her bladder since she still cannot urinate on her own. She was sent home with a sling to assist in walking, though it could be two weeks to six months before she does so on her own. She received a complementary ice pack with the clinic's fancy logo printed on the side,a supplementary pain pill that we've already broken into and directions on how to preform physical therapy at home. Most impressively, we left with a whole lot of debt. But it's well worth it. So everything is settled and on track but I wish I could stop worrying about her.