Yorkie Story

[JimD]

When my wife and I married in 2013, she came with two daughters and two Yorkies. Fermi, the male, was 14 years old. He was going blind and didn't hear well but was a nice dog. Tessi, the female was 3. Fermi continued to age and a fall led to the discovery that his spinal column was being pinched which, when aggrevated by the fall, led to paralysis of his back legs. We didn't know if he would make it. He had a heart murmur so surgery was out so we put him on steroids and prayed. He made it through that but continued to get worse and worse. His back legs barely worked and he was loosing strength in his front legs. He fell over a lot and had to lay down to eat. He barked or wimpered about all the time he was awake. Petting comforted him but it wasn't much of a life. So we took him to the vet and got the expected answer, there was nothing they could do other than possibly make him more comfortable. We didn't think that was fair to Fermi so he is no longer with us.

What we did not expect in the episode was Tessi's reaction. They had been together the whole time my wife had Tessi which was all but 8 months of her life. So for 4+years she and Fermi were together. But they weren't really buddies and Fermi's near constant barking upset Tessi. We didn't realize it but her trachea was collapsing sometimes when she got excited. The coughing that caused lasted only a few seconds and wasn't significant. But when Fermi was not here, she had a very bad reaction. Fermi's passing was a week ago on Friday. Tessi wasn't bad until we went to work Monday. Monday night she still wasn't bad but was worse Tuesday night. We thought she had something caught in her throat and would clear it. We'd also started her on a different dogfood to get her weight down and it had big pieces. We went to work Wednesday agreeing she had to go to the vet if she wasn't OK Wednesday night. My wife came home early to check her and she was in distress. She spent Wednesday night in the doggie emergency room. She had to have oxygen and a tranquilizer. But she came home Thursday and we were able to arrange to work half days from home, alternating so one of us would be here. I had her settled down Friday morning but my wife was late leaving work and I had a call I had to be in for and she was on her own for less than an hour Friday. She relapsed pretty bad. So we were back at the vets Saturday morning after a sleepless night. We finally got them to give us some tranquilizers and Tessi got a shot. She settled down completely and breathes normally now unless she gets excited. We are going to stay with her at least a few more days but we're hoping she's turned the corner.

Long post and nothing woodworking about it but maybe somebody with a dog will like it. We found it interesting that the first thing the vets did was to tranquilize her but the were reluctant to let us have that ability. I think they think we will give it to her improperly and kill her. But lack of that ability was killing her. The other thing we didn't appreciate was the doggie emergency room. There is only one in the area and they have the ability to put a stent into doggies with Tessi's condition. But it is a difficult operation, about 25% of the dogs die as a direct result, and it only buys them 2-3 years. And it helps but does not eliminate the condition. But the emergency room wanted us to sign up for the surgery right away. All the on-line things and our vet say drugs first. The emergency room was reluctant to release her and wanted to assume responsibility for her care. We are going to avoid them as much as possible in the future. We are concerned they care more about their bottom line than our dog.

But we are very happy Tessi is better. Hopefully she will be better for years but we know it is highly unlikely she will live as long as Fermi. But for now she is recovering and we are optimistic we can get her over the transition of Fermis's death. We haven't given her any tranquilizer but are happy to have it in case she has another episode of uncontrollable coughing.

[leehljp]

We have a "mix" called a "Teddy Bear" from what pure bred proponents call "puppy mill". Missy is a cross between poodle, bichon frise (sp?) and shitsu. She has the same breathing symptoms when she gets excited. I asked her vet about it and he said if she gets over it rather quickly (within a minute or two) after an activity, then she should be OK. But he did say that some breeds and individual dogs have far more difficulty than Missy was having.

I know how much I was concerned over these (what I know now as basically minor) symptoms for Missy and she is just over 1 year old. I know that it is a concern. I did NOT want a dog at LOML's and my age (65+) because we do like to travel often. But this little mutt has captured our hearts and everyone she meets.

[atgcpaul]

It took my wife and I longer than expected to have kids. I had a dog growing up--got him in 2nd grade and he died 19 years later the year I got married--so I knew what a commitment it could be. My wife wanted a dog really bad and I finally relented. She picked a rescue beagle mix (Crick) online and we met him at the foster home. While there the foster parent said, "Well, this dog would really do better with a companion." It felt like a scam, but she was right. Anyway, we signed the paperwork to adopt and THAT night, my wife tells me she's pregnant. Now I'm feeling like I really got scammed.

I mostly tolerate them and the older dog (Watson) mostly tolerates Crick. Crick had definitely been abused by men and it took him nearly a month before he warmed up to me. It's like he didn't know how to be a dog and looked to cues from Watson. They're both neutered males and Crick mostly still squats like a girl when he pees and only half-heartedly scratches the ground after he goes whereas Watson goes at it like he's raking in a new lawn. Apparently Watson used to be medicated by his previous owner for separation anxiety. He at least has Crick to hang out with during the day. I have a younger sibling and although these dogs aren't blood brothers, there's definitely that older/younger sibling interaction.

We estimate Watson is 8/9 now and Crick is 6/7. Both have/had back issues and now Watson has developed a heart murmur and has some allergy that's making him itchy and lose patches of fur. My wife babies them and I continue to tolerate them despite all of my furniture they've chewed and shoes they've destroyed because they are her kids. I was skeptical about pet insurance when she first got it, but I think it's paying off now.

Regarding administering the shot yourself, it's likely a DEA schedule drug and by law that one may only be administered by someone with a DEA license.

[cwsmith]

I appreciated reading your story, so thanks for posting. It brought back many memories.

I haven't had a dog since I was in my early 20's, almost 50 years ago now. 'Corky' was a Beagle, which I got when I was 14. He was the greatest pet a boy could have and I really loved him. We grew up together and he was the greatest companion.

My neighbor had a couple of Beagles, and 'Corky' was born to a litter of four, two male and two females. Corky was the chubby, lazy little pup which displayed little activity. My neighbor sort of wrote him off I think and that is how I got him. He sold the two females and was keeping the other male (Rover) to train as a hunter. To him, the sleepy little porker, that would eventually be mine, didn't seem to be of much use. So, a couple of days after he was weened, the neighbor called to tell me I needed to come down and get him, if I still wanted him. I ran all the way to his house.

A few weeks after I got him, I came home from school to find that he was gone. I was furious, as I thought he was just one more dog that disappeared. My folks didn't much care for animals, and for the last three dogs that we had, they just seemed to be 'lost'. I know that one had been hit by a car (we lived in the country, on an old state route, but traffic on our road wasn't that bad... and I had kept Corky in the house as he was just a pup. I was very upset and I think I went several days not talking to my mother, who had allegedly let him out because he was whining too much.

With great surprise a couple of months later, I was working in the front yard and I heard a dog yelping. Across from our yard was a large field and there, came my Corky, walking backwards, dragging a rabbit that wasn't much smaller than he was. Gone was my pup, now a young and pretty spry young Beagle. Why he had left, where he had been, how he survived, or found his way home I could only imagine. But home he was and he stayed with me until I was 23.

He'd followed me around my five-mile paper route, and he'd always be chasing rabbits. Once he actually chased and cornered one into the road, where I bagged him with my emptied paper bag. That dog was so good that I'd been offered to sell three times... once for $100. In 1960, that was still a lot of money, especially for a teenager. But I would never sell him.

Corky would go camping with me, and every neighbor, except one, had a dog dish for him. That one, constantly called my mother complaining that Corky was digging up her flowers. (But I asked him about it, and he said he wasn't interested in flowers ). I never kept him chained, except during deer season. He didn't like that and neither did I. When I was sixteen, Corky started riding the school bus. Our road started about a half mile down the hill where the school bus turned off the highway. The bus would stop there to let off a bunch of kids, and from there it would slowly come up the hill, stopping a few times to let off other students. Corky was a smart dog and started meeting the bus at the bottom of the hill, and after a couple of times, the bus driver welcomed him aboard for the ride to the top where we lived. I graduated in 1963 and for years afterwards, Corky would still meet the bus and ride it up to our house.

I bought my first new car in 1965 (a VW) and he loved riding in the front seat. I used to take him everywhere, except when I was picking up my girl. I don't think she would quite understand if I asked her to sit in the back seat because Corky wouldn't sit back there.... maybe she would, but I never wanted to put it to the test, so I'd just leave him home.

Over the years he was hit by cars twice but survived. But by late 1966 he was in poor shape and ailing quite a bit. My Dad told me that I had to "put him down", and I didn't want to do that. I took him to the local Vet and was told that he was suffering and not much could be done but make him comfortable. In early 1967, I could see that he wanted to run outside, but he just couldn't. The Vet said it was time and with a broken heart I give the okay. I can still rember him whining as they took him into the other room. I still can't reconcile myself with that and it saddens me greatly to this day. I've never been able to bring myself to getting another dog.

CWS

[JimD]

The tranquilizer we have is a pill. She hasn't needed any so she hasn't gotten any. Still doing well. Hopefully it lasts. The test will be when we have to go to work. That freaked her out before. Monday and Tuesday we will work half days from home and alternate so she has somebody here. But then my wife leaves town Wednesday. I will skip choir and come home as early as I can. If she is back to honking non-stop, I will give her a tranquilizer and I will take vacation Thursday. We have Friday off. And we will probably try getting another dog. But if she is OK, then great. We can be happy with one dog. Potentially with no dog. But we want Tessi to have a longer life if at all possible.