Thursday, April 24, 2008

Sick Puppy


Note to readers: This is one of those posts where you should not eat and read. So put down your lunch.

This is a photo of my dog, Sammy. Yesterday, Sammy went to the vet to have some teeth pulled. Yes, I know I should brush my dog's teeth and yadda yadda yadda. Trust me, I have a pretty hefty guilt trip about it and I have sworn on all things holy to start brushing his teeth ASAP. But it was too late to save a couple of them, so he had to be put under so they could be removed. Just like humans, dogs must have empty tummies before being put under anesthesia. So poor Sammy didn't get to eat that morning.

After I got off work, I picked him up. The combination of anesthesia, pain killers and antibiotics left him looking pretty ill. He was lethargic and wobbly. The vet said that he will be like that for maybe a day, because the anesthesia had to wear off.

I took him home, and waited an hour to feed him, like the vet told me. I fed him half of what I normally fed him, and added water to the food so it would be soft, just like the vet told me. I also gave him one of the painkillers the vet had given me. Since Sammy was sick and I had a headache, we vegged out on the couch together all night. He was really not himself, poor little thing.

This morning, everything seemed to be fine -- Sammy was a littler perkier and seemed more like himself. So I gave him one of his antibiotic capsules before I forgot. Which was stupid of me, because I am Barf Queen, and I should have remembered one of the Laws of Barf:

Empty tummy + antibiotics = barf

So the medicine came back up. Realizing what I had done wrong, I decided to give Sammy some canned dog food and then tried again to give him his medicine.

He was starved, so he pretty much wolfed it down as usual. I followed it up with the antibiotic. Everything was fine for about an hour.

Then I went to go get ready for work. I came out of the bathroom a little later to find....

Tons of barf. It was everywhere. And not just in one spot, either -- it was like Sammy had made a lap around the room, barfing as he went. There was a giant circle of chunky, pinkish-reddish barf in my living room.

And of course, true to my level of luck, it was all on the carpet, rather than the easy-to-clean linoleum. I sighed and looked at my dog.

Sammy had that look on his face that he has when he does something wrong. Aw. My poor baby. He thought he was in trouble! So I reassured him that everything was ok, and began cleaning it up.

"Well, his tummy just needs to calm down still. I will try feeding him tonight when I get home," I thought. Worried, I decided to call the vet anyway. She said that it is just taking him longer to recover than usual, and just to give it time, and don't let him eat any more food for a while.

I went back to getting ready for work.

Sammy barfed again.

And again.

And again.

Seven pools of dog barf later, I was totally out of paper towels and rags. I was now running late for work, and my house smelled like carpet cleaner. Aw, man! I wish Sammy could just barf once and get it all over with, you know?

Hurrying around to get ready and clean up, I suddenly remembered that I had some leftover dog medicine for vomiting, from a while back. So I gave one of the pills to Sammy before I left for work today. CN is going to check on him in a little bit, but hopefully he will be ok now.

Poor little guy. He hasn't eaten in two days. :( And he looks so pathetic!!!



In other news, I went to my Big Brothers Big Sisters orientation. I am so excited about volunteering for them!! But first, I have to have a 2 hour interview, where they will ask me all kinds of stuff, including, but not limited to:

- my use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- whether or not I own firearms/have them in the house
- my living situation (ie, roommates, pets, etc.)
- my sexual orientation (I'm sure they will have questions about CN, since he lives so close to me)
- any abuse/neglect I have experienced in my life
- what my childhood was like and what my relationships with my family members are like
- why I want to volunteer for them

I figured these would be the sort of things they'd ask me about. And it's fine -- I totally understand, and I'm glad they ask the important questions. But I am afraid I'm going to cry during the interview!!! There's no way I can answer these questions without talking about my brother's death, my father's death, all the alcoholism in my family, my own alcoholism and the sexual assault I had in college. (No, I was not raped, but it was an act that I was forced into and I was physically restrained during it. So it's not exactly the highlight of my college experience. It's not a huge deal for me to talk about it, but it's not a picnic, either.)

It is about 4 weeks until my interview. So I have time to mentally prepare myself to talk about pretty much all the crap in my life in one go. Ugh. Anyway, after that, if my references check out and they like who I am and what I say during the interview (ie, I am not a danger to any child), they will start to look for a Little Sister for me. I was disappointed to hear that this process might take about 6 months. :( But it's just that they want to make sure they pair you up with someone who you can hang out with over the long term. So I understand.

They have encouraged us to think about what kind of a Little we are looking for. We have to think about what sorts of issues we are willing to deal with: behavioral, abuse, domestic violence, physical disability, etc. It's kind of a weird feeling, to sit here and think "yes" or "no" about some kid's life experience. A kid who has been having a rough go of things. And here I am, deciding what I can tolerate. But I understand why they want us to do this. Not everyone can handle every type of situation. And sometimes, if you have been in the same situation as the kid, you are a better match for them. So in the long run, I think it's good, the way they do this. You don't want to go through the whole process, only to back out of it 4 months later. These kids have enough problems, without you getting their hopes up.

Another thing they encouraged us to do was to do free or low-cost activities with the kids. Not only do you not want to feel resentment towards the kid about the money you spend, you don't want to spoil the kid or cause a rift between you and the parent. Most of the parents in this program don't have a lot of money, and you don't want to swoop down with your credit card and "save the day". Splitting the cost with the parents and doing something special for the kid's birthday are fine, but you don't want to be a walking wallet. It's just not a good idea. This is fine with me, because as we all know, I am trying to budget, anyway!

So I guess that is all I have for right now. The ball won't really get rolling until I go to my interview and cry when the lady brings up all my personal stuff! :P

10 comments:

Virginia Belle said...

p.s. i am working on the cruise photos, y'all!!! there are some technical difficulties, which I am working on. will get them up ASAP.

kimmykins13 said...

Awww - Poor lil Samster. I hope he feels better soon!

Nothing like cleaning up some puke first thing in the a.m., huh? I have to deal with my cats morning hairballs (mixed in with some biley science diet) on a regular basis - Yum.

You are so sweet to volunteer to do this for an under priveleged child. No worries - If you cry it will just show what a tender hearted and caring person you are and whoever interviews you will see this.

kimmykins13 said...

Oh BTW - Zoe had to have a dental too a couple of months ago. They had to put her to sleep and take one tooth as well. As said above she barfs on a regular basis, so this is nothing new to me but my goodness - the astronomical cost! She's considered geriatric so they had to do blood tests and nearly $400 later plus the cost of antibiotic and painkillers my lethargic and weary cat was home. I bought the dental paste. I think it is worth it to clean her teeth on a regular basis. I don't want to have to deal with that shit again - So like it or not she gets the chix flavored dental paste 3 times a week. She's been pretty good about it thus far and at least by doing this I might not have to sell my first born child again to pay for further probs.

I'll give Sammy a pet on Facebook and hope he gets better soon.

kimmykins13 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meghan (The Declaration of MY Independence) said...

Aww poor little guy! You have reminded me that I need to get cracking on brushing Cayden's teeth. The vet told me to do this, but I still havent gotten around to it. I'm a bad dog mommy.

As for BBBS, I'm sure you will be a perfect match for a kid and they will be so lucky to have you. I really admire you for doing this. Your going to change someone's life, you know.

The K Life said...

poor Sammy! I don't brush my dog's teeth either...that is probably bad!

It's so awesome that you are volunteering! way to go VB!

Scotty said...

Hope Sammy gets better!

Are you really going to do BBBS? I am REALLY thinking about doing it once I am done with school and actually have some time. It'll be cool to read how everything works for you.

Sam said...

OMG you left Sammy and WENT TO WORK?! Did you come home to vomit center again? I would not be brave enough to leave a puking animal/child in my house. I would be too stressed about what it would look like when I got home. *crosses fingers and toes* I hope everything is okay!

Jonathan said...

Hope Sammy is feeling better. He looks so worn out in that second photo.

teahouse said...

Hey, your poor little dog!! I hope he's better soon.

And that's wonderful that you're volunteering. Someone very lucky will get you for a Big Sis, I'm sure.