October
2004
(Photos
below)
One Thursday evening in October 2004, we had a nasty accident here at Casa de Terrier. Tara had her hip dislocated. I was walking out to the back yard to ask Don a question and the dogs came out with me. Tara was walking near me, and Spike and Lola were chasing each other. Suddenly Lola ran into Tara. Tara fell and her hip was dislocated when she stood up. I don't know if it was the fall or the impact that caused it, but it all happened so quickly. I would have never dreamed that being run into by an 18 lb. fox terrier could cause something like that, but I learned a valuable lesson that day - it doesn't take much to cause a major injury.
We rushed Tara to her vet, Dr. Judy Ford, who kindly stayed after work, even though she had plans, so she could help Tara. And I can't forget Amanda, the wonderful vet tech, who also stayed. There may have been others there, too, but I was pretty focused on Tara, so I don't remember. She took x-rays and indeed, the hip was out of the socket. Unfortunately, Tara's hip socket was not in prime condition. Age and a touch of dysplasia gave her very open socket. Dr. Judy told me there was a 50/50 chance that the socket would hold the leg - the ligaments could be damaged and the leg may not stay. She let me stay with Tara the whole time, and I stayed until she was knocked out, but I didn't want to stay for her trying to pop that leg back in! She tried to re-set the leg, but it wouldn't hold. That meant orthopedic surgery. Dr. Judy gave Tara a morphine patch and gave me a couple of shots to take home so we could keep her comfortable overnight. Don and I loaded her up carefully and brought her home. It was a very long night. We both slept on the floor in the family room with her. It was heart wrenching to see her like that - such a happy healthy dog in so much pain and so confused about what was happening. Taking her outside broke my heart because that leg looked so painful and it just hung there. Don was just sick about the whole thing - he'd dislocated his shoulder at one time, so he knew the kind of pain she was in. We both said if we could dislocate our own hips just to take it away from her, we would have done it! It's just so sad to see your much loved pet in so much pain. The other dogs knew there was something wrong - Tara is their "leader" and they kept watching her and sniffing at her through the cage. I'd like to think they were concerned, but I'll never know for sure.
Friday morning dawned - Tara, Don and I are all exhausted from getting 15 - 20 minute naps in throughout the night. I called the vet and we were both going to start calling surgeons. We felt the pressure because it was Friday - and if we couldn't get it done that day, poor Tara would have to go the weekend in that condition. I was having no luck, but by 9:30, Dr. Judy called and said she had a surgeon lined up to come and do the surgery that afternoon! I could have cried (and maybe did - I don't recall...). The surgeon turned out to be the same surgeon who had operated on Chelsea's gallbladder a few years back. He'd been the head of surgery at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital, but he was now part of a private practice. He was a very nice man, so I was very happy to hear it was him. I know Dr. Judy really pulled some strings and probably even begged the guy to make room for us! She knew we'd drive her crazy all weekend if we had to leave Tara with that dislocation that long! (She'd be giving US morphine shots to shut us up, I'm sure!) We took Tara over right away so they could get her on fluids and pain meds and ready for surgery. Then we came home and collapsed!
Friday afternoon around 4:00, Dr. Judy called and said the surgery went very well. Tara had a bald butt and lots of stitches, but the surgeon was happy with how it went and we should look forward to a full recovery. She offered to take Tara home with her that night to keep her sedated and manage the pain. I jumped at that offer! I was so scared to bring her home with the other dogs here plus her foster-brother Gus, a sweet wire fox terrier we were fostering at the time. But we were very relieved.
Saturday we went to pick her up. I think you could hear both of our hearts break when we saw her - our poor sweet Tara - the dog who, at 12 acted like she 2. The dog who loved to jump up on the most comfortable vantage points she could find to watch for squirrels. The dog who would chase a squirrel and darned near catch it. Now she was a poor, pained little girl who just looked so sad and so confused at what had happened to her. We went through the before and after x-rays, the after care, the physical therapy I needed to do with her, the various medications, and what to expect. And then we loaded her up and took her home.
The other dogs were very interested in her - so much so that we had to keep her in an ex-pen most of the time so they wouldn't accidentally bump her or knock her over. We still had Gus, a nice calm foster dog, at the time and Tara enjoyed going outside with him as her sniffing buddy. Gus was calm and quiet and would just be company for her. He didn't have to chase her or try to get her to play. He was just a wonderful companion. We really loved that dog - and we still miss him. He was a keeper - but he's now living the good life in Milwaukee with an owner who adores him and an extended family (human brother, human grandparents) who think he's just wonderful! But Tara still talks about him....
Click on image to view full sized photo.
| First day home - feeling pretty bad... |
I'd sue that barber....! |
Unfortunately for mom and dad, the bay window
is my favorite spot to sleep - so they get to sit in the kitchen with me for
hours.... |
| I hope that dang squirrel doesn't see my bad
haircut. I'll never hear the end of it! |
Can someone bring me a sandwich? |
Will you tell those fox terriers to keep it
down?? |
| Tara's "prison" - the green pad is a velux
blanket for warmth, the blue pad is her
Canine Cooler pad for when she's
too warm and wants to cool down |
She didn't understand the need to stay in the
ex-pen, but it was for her own safety |
The full-size AreoBed became a permanent
fixture in the family room the first few weeks after the accident. I would
often sleep there at night because Tara wouldn't sleep well in the pen. The fox
terrier on the left is her foster brother, Gus. |
| Tara would watch for the squirrels from her AeroBed... |
Tara supervising her Dad putting up a squirrel
house. She would follow him and then just lay down where she could see him. |
Go to page 2 for Tara's Physical Therapy story...
