I have written extensively about my Fox Terrier, Agatha Christie. Last summer she broke her neck after falling off of our bed and had to have extensive neurosurgery which cost a little over fifteen thousand dollars. Fortunately for us, we inherited our Aggie and Bella who came with several million dollars some of which goes to their care. Bella is our lab who has developed glaucoma, lost one eye, lost a 20 pound liver cancer tumor though surgery and who now has cancer in her liver and spleen. Sadly, we may not have her for much longer, but then our dogs have a tendency to live a long time even with cancer so we are hopeful.
Aggie's case was a little different. We had no idea if she would live or not and most if not all of her doctors held out little hope she would ever walk again. With the foundation behind us, we said OK to UC Davis and their planned surgery and kept our fingers crossed. It was a wild ride from one day to the next. A two hour drive for us to UC Davis was a journey we took almost every day for two weeks along with another two hour drive back home.
When she was released to us, the neurosurgeon was not hopeful. The surgery went well, but Aggie wasn't sitting or standing much less walking. Aggie's nurse just shook her head and said there was no hope at all as she couldn't control her bodily functions.
We agreed to take her home and they told us that it would be six months before we would see the full extent of her recovery. Dennis and I agreed that we could do anything for six months, even care for a paraplegic dog whom we loved so well.
December makes six months and Aggie is perfectly perfect.
Aggie's case was a little different. We had no idea if she would live or not and most if not all of her doctors held out little hope she would ever walk again. With the foundation behind us, we said OK to UC Davis and their planned surgery and kept our fingers crossed. It was a wild ride from one day to the next. A two hour drive for us to UC Davis was a journey we took almost every day for two weeks along with another two hour drive back home.
When she was released to us, the neurosurgeon was not hopeful. The surgery went well, but Aggie wasn't sitting or standing much less walking. Aggie's nurse just shook her head and said there was no hope at all as she couldn't control her bodily functions.
We agreed to take her home and they told us that it would be six months before we would see the full extent of her recovery. Dennis and I agreed that we could do anything for six months, even care for a paraplegic dog whom we loved so well.
December makes six months and Aggie is perfectly perfect.
I cataloged our journey with Aggie over on my Facebook page. It was long and hard and required a lot of work. We had to choose a room where Aggie could be herself. Where she couldn't get in trouble if she had an accident. We couldn't keep her in the bathroom(s) because it was just too cold and we couldn't keep her in the family room because of the grandkids and guests. So, we chose our bedroom. Aggie required 24 hour care. If she moved one of us had to be with her. If she cried out, both of us would be there and since we had to sleep in between times it was the logical place. Plus it was where the doggie door was located and since we were sure she would walk again and use the doggie door again, the bedroom was perfect.
Our constant care helped I am sure, but Aggie has a heart as big as the outdoors. Within weeks she was sitting up and then scooting and then walking. Her elimination needs took far longer. As soon as she was steady on her feet we cut a pathway in our carpet and lined it with rubber pads and puppy pads. The groove directed her to the doggie door and if she had an accident in between times it was no big deal. And there were lots of accidents. Lots and lots of accidents. TONS of accidents. Our bedroom began to smell and we were losing hope. We shopped for flooring, even going to far as to having a serious discussion about having a rubber floor put in. Aggie and Bella have a hard time walking on laminate or wood flooring because they are both unsteady and carpet was completely out of the question. We eventually settled on a vinyl water proof flooring that was rough so both dogs could walk on it. It was a good solid flooring that everyone assured us was water proof though I mention it twice because I still think that's impossible.
Vinyl isn't pretty, at least the vinyl I remember from childhood. Let me tell you, vinyl has come a long way baby. And then, out of nowhere, two weeks ago, Aggie stopped having accidents. We were babysitting our kid's dogs who are prolific at using the doggie door and I guess the Ags saw them and something clicked in her head. Since then we've had just one accident. However the flooring goes in tomorrow and I'm not changing it so vinyl it is even if she is potty perfect.
I mention all this because veterinary medicine has come a long way. UC Davis is treating cancer with genetic engineering. Dogs that used to be put down because they lose their back legs now can have surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation are the norm. There are herbal treatments for arthritis and Bella is on neurontin for pain. Veterinary medicine is getting expensive and most people cannot afford to pay for it. Because our dogs have a built in insurance plan we don't have to worry. But I do worry about having another dog after these guys go. In fact, we decided not to have any more dogs, but since we've always had a dog I don't take the decision seriously.
Do think about health insurance for your pup. I see people everyday who look upon Agatha as a miracle. When we took her for her last check up at UC Davis the entire neurology department trooped out to greet her. In fact, the head of neurology walked by her twice because they thought the Ags was a much younger dog. You have to keep in mind things like destroyed rugs, 24 hour care, and sky high medical expenses. As much as we love dogs we could never afford to have another one unless we had insurance.
We are so grateful to still have Agatha and Bella in our lives and when the day comes we no longer have them it will be very empty in our house. Very empty indeed.
Our constant care helped I am sure, but Aggie has a heart as big as the outdoors. Within weeks she was sitting up and then scooting and then walking. Her elimination needs took far longer. As soon as she was steady on her feet we cut a pathway in our carpet and lined it with rubber pads and puppy pads. The groove directed her to the doggie door and if she had an accident in between times it was no big deal. And there were lots of accidents. Lots and lots of accidents. TONS of accidents. Our bedroom began to smell and we were losing hope. We shopped for flooring, even going to far as to having a serious discussion about having a rubber floor put in. Aggie and Bella have a hard time walking on laminate or wood flooring because they are both unsteady and carpet was completely out of the question. We eventually settled on a vinyl water proof flooring that was rough so both dogs could walk on it. It was a good solid flooring that everyone assured us was water proof though I mention it twice because I still think that's impossible.
Vinyl isn't pretty, at least the vinyl I remember from childhood. Let me tell you, vinyl has come a long way baby. And then, out of nowhere, two weeks ago, Aggie stopped having accidents. We were babysitting our kid's dogs who are prolific at using the doggie door and I guess the Ags saw them and something clicked in her head. Since then we've had just one accident. However the flooring goes in tomorrow and I'm not changing it so vinyl it is even if she is potty perfect.
I mention all this because veterinary medicine has come a long way. UC Davis is treating cancer with genetic engineering. Dogs that used to be put down because they lose their back legs now can have surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation are the norm. There are herbal treatments for arthritis and Bella is on neurontin for pain. Veterinary medicine is getting expensive and most people cannot afford to pay for it. Because our dogs have a built in insurance plan we don't have to worry. But I do worry about having another dog after these guys go. In fact, we decided not to have any more dogs, but since we've always had a dog I don't take the decision seriously.
Do think about health insurance for your pup. I see people everyday who look upon Agatha as a miracle. When we took her for her last check up at UC Davis the entire neurology department trooped out to greet her. In fact, the head of neurology walked by her twice because they thought the Ags was a much younger dog. You have to keep in mind things like destroyed rugs, 24 hour care, and sky high medical expenses. As much as we love dogs we could never afford to have another one unless we had insurance.
We are so grateful to still have Agatha and Bella in our lives and when the day comes we no longer have them it will be very empty in our house. Very empty indeed.
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