It took a little while for the staff at the SPCA to gather up all of Runner's meds and records (I was very impressed with the staff I worked with...they were so caring and were sure to do their best to educate me before I committed to him.) We left the SPCA about 5:20pm - it was getting dark and we had to fight some left over rush hour traffic.
I had Runner in a small airline crate; I figured he was safer and warmer in there. I put the crate on the passenger seat so he could see me the whole time. He did a lot of panting (stress), but never whined or barked and thank goodness he doesn't get car sick either!
My dear sweet dog-tolerant husband called to check on us and see if we were on our way and offered to set up a "spot" for Runner. Runner has to be kept separated from all of my other dogs...yes, there are 4 other dogs in my house at this time...but only 3 are mine! LOL!
Anyway, Dave (that's the husband) set up a nice 36" crate in our downstairs den with bedding and blankets, covered the crate for a cozy feel, turned on the portable heater to make sure it is warm and set out a nice, fresh water bowl.
I brought Runner in and took him straight downstairs to his new pad. He seemed to like it ok...until I put him in the crate and left. Within 15 minutes we heard woof-woof woof-woof-woof "I'm NOT happy in here! I'm nearly 10 years old and I don't need no stinkin' metal babysitter!" (at least that's what it sounded like).
I waited for him to stop fussing before I went down, and low and behold, he had peed a spot the size of a half dollar in his crate. So I've learned that Runner doesn't talk unless he has something important to say!
He was not interested in eating, but he did drink a good bit of water.
I was able to get his 1st dose of Doxycyline in him because it was a liquid (he's taking this for the upper respiratory issues), but we had no luck on the Clavamox tablets (he is taking this to prevent infection from his dental surgery).
I put him on the sofa with me and I channel surfed and watched some TV (which is so very unusual for me...but what else is there to do when you're sitting with a sick pup?) Runner slept hard for a couple of hours (with the exception of one of his "episodes" that just about gave ME a heart condition).
Dave decided that Runner should "sleep with us" "we can't abandon him down here, he'll be stressed". Well, I don't know that he would be stressed down there, but I did feel better about keeping and eye/ear on him at this stage.
I don't think it was Runner's first time in a human's bed...he knew exactly how to sleep in a bed...he knew how to turn sideways so that his body takes up the most space possible and he also knows how to sleep RIGHT NEXT to your legs or feet when he moves to the bottom...in such a way that you feel guilty if you turn or get up in the middle of the night. Do dogs take classes for that stuff or what?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment