I'm back, but it was rough!

This holiday season really took a hold of me.  I love Christmas time, but this year it was a little somber.  My baby, Mu, is a tiny little chihuahua.  I adopted her when she was 6 weeks old and she just turned seven, so we've been together a pretty long time.  My little Mu means the world to me and I spoil her as much as possible.  

One day I was massaging her and I found a very hard lump.  Because Mu only weights 4 1/2 - 5 lbs, getting her to eat everything on her plate is quite the challenge.  She would eat around the herbs and vegetables I was giving her to shrink the lump - she was definitely not a good patient!  After 3 months, the lump was not shrinking and I knew that I would have to go see someone about it.  The doctor told me that we needed to remove it right away (I already knew this would be the case) and she also said it was important to spay her so that she doesn't end up with a uterine infection.  I agreed that this would probably be the best for her.  

On the 23rd morning I took her to the vet.  She was scared to leave me and I cried too.  Unfortunately for the doctor, I'm one of those people that calls every hour to see what's happening.  The first time, she was doing well in surgery.  The second time she was out of surgery and sitting up, looking at the doctor - everything went perfectly.  Then, at around noon I had a feeling of uneasiness.  I called again and the doctor got on the phone and said, "I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's not good".  To my surprise, I said "what do you mean?  I thought everything was fine?".  Well long story short, Mu's blood pressure dropped, her temperature went down to 94 (Supposed to be 101), her pulse was low and she lost her color.  I called my husband - hysterical.  He came to the shop and I asked him to call the doctor because once she told me the bad news, my brain stopped listening.  

The doctor said, she was not getting worse, but she wasn't getting better.  They were giving her warm IV fluids, steroids, had her on a heating pad - doing everything they could to help her.  There was concern she might have Addison's disease.  Of course at this point I'm telling my husband, I shouldn't have done the surgery, she would have been fine for at least a few more years, I could have forced her to take more herbs, I was in full blaming-myself-mode.  

After talking to the doctor, we decided it would be best if I left and went down there to be with her.  Who knows, maybe I had some mystical magic touch that would save her?  Maybe the sound of my voice would help?  Maybe if I begged her not to leave, she would listen?

I arrived first and they took me in the back where she was in her cage (that makes it sound horrible - it's more like a huge cube that happens to be able to close into a cage), hooked up to every machine possible.  Blood pressure, they had her heart beat on a speaker, IV fluids .... everything.  They were keeping a close eye on her.  As I walked up to her, she barely opened her eyes.  I started crying hysterically saying "mu please don't leave me, please, please, please don't leave me".  The technicians eyes were starting to well up as I was begging her not to go.  I was petting her, talking to her, crying, it was very emotional.

When I first arrived, she would barely move.

Next, my husband arrived.  Mu loves him so much, so I'm sure this helped as well.  Since my husband is a paramedic, he was asking all those kinds of questions - much more together than I was...for sure.  The technicians lifted up her cheek to show us her gums, which was a shock - they were grey not a pretty pink.  About 30 minutes later they checked her blood pressure and it had returned to normal-ish, her temperature had started to go up a little, but this was mostly due to the IV and heating pads.  The goal was to get her to do this on her own.  

For the next three hours, we sat with her, petting her, sending her as much love as possible and of course, I continued to beg her not to leave me.  At that time, the doctor recommended we do a test for Addison's.  I asked what it entailed - one blood draw, one IM shot and another blood draw.  Of course, my first instinct was no way, she can't be subject to more pain and stress.  They told me the shot alone was $125, which of course I didn't care about, I just wanted her to come back to me.  After my husband and I finished talking together, we agreed to do the test, just in case.  

The blood draw was easy.  She didn't even mind at all.  But then it came time for the IM shot.  As they gave it to her, she screamed over and over.  Of course I cried some more and thought "I shouldn't have done that either".  I thought I was making all the wrong decisions.  

About an hour later, she started opening her eyes a little more.  So I asked her some questions....are you hungry? do you want a treat? do you want to go out?  do you have to go potty?  Apparently potty is the magic word.  She lifted her head!!!  We took her outside.  She just sat there.  I started making her walk around.  After a few minutes she finally went.  She made a beeline for the door to go back in, which seemed like a good thing to me.

Back into her area she went.  They lifted up her lip and her gums were turning pink! Her temperature was 99!  She was coming back to me.  After another couple hours the doctor decided she could go home around 5-ish, but the catheter in her arm was to stay in and I was instructed to flush it with the two syringes they gave me with heparin and saline solution ever 5 hours. 

Finally she started coming to.

I took my baby home.  It was a rough night.  When she cried I sat up wondering what was wrong.  When she didn't cry, I sat up wondering why she wasn't making noise.  Needless to say, I sat up all night just watching her, flushing that catheter and giving her homeopathic remedies.  

Sort of sleeping - in her bed, on my bed.

She was so silly - all drugged up.  She just kept her tongue out of her mouth the whole night.  

I held her as much as I could.

In the morning she growled at the cat.  I knew she was back!  I took her back to the vet and they took the catheter out and told me to continue to keep an eye on her.  Of course, for the next week and a half I stayed up watching her.  She got homeopathic remedies in every which way possible.  I put them in her water, in her cheeks, her food, wherever I could, I did.  Her appetite is now enormous!  They removed the stitches Friday, and she looks wonderful!

So, needless to say my poor blog has suffered.  I do have a few recipes to post today and I'll do that as soon as I finish this up.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!!!!