Saturday, May 17, 2014

The story of Pepper, part 2

So, we left off with Pepper bolting out of our house after Wilma (my brother's dog) harrassed her on Christmas Day. We assumed that she made her way back home, as we did not see her again for a couple of days. Then, late one night, the kids and I were coming in from an evening at my parents' house when there she was, waiting for us in the driveway. She was whining and crying and limping. I was sure she had been hit by a car. I hustled the kids inside, because injured dogs make me nervous. I have seen the sweetest animals bite and nip when hurt and I didn't want to risk the kids getting hurt. I gave Olivia the task of putting them to bed (having a teenager rocks, especially when your husband works 5 nights a week) and went outside to check on the dog. She was laying on the front porch and her right front paw had a gaping wound in it. I called Mike and he said he would be home shortly, to just wait until he got home.

Once Mike got home, we brought her inside and he and Olivia cleaned the wound (I'm squemish unless I birthed you). He told me that it was a gunshot wound and she needed a vet. I messaged my friend Monette on fb and asked if she knew of a vet open on Sunday (this was around midnight Saturday night). She checked around and I sent her pics of the wound. I was also worried about the cost, as a big vet bill for a strange dog was not in the budget. She said that the rescue group she volunteered with would be glad to help and a vet could see Pepper on Monday. They had all looked at the pictures of the wound and decided she would be okay until then. Monette did have some antibiotics and pain pills on hand and I got those to tide us over. Pepper slept almost all day Sunday and seemed happy when she was awake. The wound was dressed and she seemed no worse for the wear, but I knew she had to be hurting.

Monday Mike took her to the vet and left her. They cleaned the wound and set her leg. The rescue group said they would take care of the vet bills if we were willing to keep her. We discussed it and decided that since Jesus AND Santa had sent her, we probably should keep her :) She was not microchipped and no one answered the lost dog ads. So, she was sent home with a cast, a tons of meds, and we waited for her to heal.

 She had to wear the "cone of shame" for SO LONG! She was so good about it.

Sadly, this was not to be. They tried cleaning and resetting the wound for three months! The bullet had gone through her leg and shattered the bone and it would not mend. Finally, in late March, the decision was made to amputate the leg. I cried like a baby. She and I have become very close and it just broke my heart for this healthy, sweet, loving dog to have to go through this because some dumb redneck shot her.

I had to keep a sweater over her wound and a sock on her foot to keep her from scratching. Bless her!

Well, she took the amputation like a trooper and hasn't looked back. She can run, jump, play and snuggle like a four legged dog. She and the cat are best friends, she jumps in the lap of anyone who dares sit down in the house and she is just such a joy to have as a pet. She thinks that she's the baby of the house, so anytime one of us is holding the actual baby of the house (who is almost 3), she has to be held too.


No comments:

Post a Comment