Jasper's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month*...
The last month has not been a great one for Jasper.
On April 30, he was attacked by another dog at daycare. That dog bit a plug out of Jasper's left side, and he ended up having to have emergency surgery to repair the damage.
Despite the best efforts of the surgeon, and copious quantities of antibiotics, the wound got infected, so the recovery process has taken a long time.
But he was doing great--especially after the "Cone of Shame" came off.
Monday was Jasper's 3rd birthday. We had a great day--he got a bath and haircut and had a nice long walk with Dear Friend. He was feeling quite sassy.
And then yesterday, he started vomiting uncontrollably. I couldn't identify anything he might have gotten into that would make him sick. He had nothing in his stomach to throw up, so he just kept retching.
He is now at NC State University's Small Animal Emergency Service. He has had X-rays to determine that there are no blockages in his stomach or intestines. He has had blood work to determine whether he might have some acute condition and to rule out poisoning of some sort. He spent the night retching, and also had bloody diarrhea.
They are talking about testing him for Addison's Disease today and doing an ultrasound to ensure that there isn't some obstruction that didn't show up on the X-ray. The vet student who just called to give me an update on Jasper says that he is very playful and lovable this morning, but he's still retching. So he's on IV saline and getting antacids to settle his stomach.
Prayers, good thoughts, and all positive energy would be appreciated. Jasper is the most affectionate, loving dog I've ever had. The house feels very empty without him....
*with apologies to Judith Viorst. I love that book--except when I'm living it.
On April 30, he was attacked by another dog at daycare. That dog bit a plug out of Jasper's left side, and he ended up having to have emergency surgery to repair the damage.
Despite the best efforts of the surgeon, and copious quantities of antibiotics, the wound got infected, so the recovery process has taken a long time.
But he was doing great--especially after the "Cone of Shame" came off.
Monday was Jasper's 3rd birthday. We had a great day--he got a bath and haircut and had a nice long walk with Dear Friend. He was feeling quite sassy.
And then yesterday, he started vomiting uncontrollably. I couldn't identify anything he might have gotten into that would make him sick. He had nothing in his stomach to throw up, so he just kept retching.
He is now at NC State University's Small Animal Emergency Service. He has had X-rays to determine that there are no blockages in his stomach or intestines. He has had blood work to determine whether he might have some acute condition and to rule out poisoning of some sort. He spent the night retching, and also had bloody diarrhea.
They are talking about testing him for Addison's Disease today and doing an ultrasound to ensure that there isn't some obstruction that didn't show up on the X-ray. The vet student who just called to give me an update on Jasper says that he is very playful and lovable this morning, but he's still retching. So he's on IV saline and getting antacids to settle his stomach.
Prayers, good thoughts, and all positive energy would be appreciated. Jasper is the most affectionate, loving dog I've ever had. The house feels very empty without him....
*with apologies to Judith Viorst. I love that book--except when I'm living it.