I know this blog is supposed to discuss beauty and fashion topics, but since it is the Holiday's, I hope you will indulge me in telling you about the best Christmas gift Darryl and I ever received.
MAC had sent us on a whirlwind, moving and promoted every year "Southern US Tour" for years. Miss Patsy ( our Shih Tzu) left us in December of 2002. We had already decided that if we didn't get back to NOLA, we were not going to be happy. And we did like most dog owners after losing a pet, we waffled back and forth about getting another dog. My sister took her dog in to see the vet and noticed a sign about Lhasa Apso puppies for sale. Long story short , she and my Mom went to pick out a puppy for us. I told them to get the first one to run up to them, wagging it's tail. Well, life doesn't always work like we expect it to. 2 puppies ran together up to meet them loving on each other, the breeder said they popped out at the same time and were inseperable. So, we had 2 dogs. Elvis and James Dean (JD). So precious and beautiful. They would fit in your hand and were already members of the family before we got the car started.
We got them out of their little kennel one morning when they were about 12 weeks old and Elvis' back legs kept sliding out from under him. He couldn't walk on them at all - they wouldn't support any weight. So I took them to my vet at the time, Patrick McSweeney ( never was there anyone who loved animals more than Pat and his wife Beverly). Darryl and I had to go do a MAC event in Houston, so we left the boys with the vet, so someone could watch over them, especially Elvis. By the time we got back, Elvis had gotten worse, now was almost completely paralyzed, except for some facial muscles and his diaphragm - so he could at least swallow and breathe. Even his bark was gone - he just made a little rasping sound. He seemed to be getting worse by the minute. So, I put him in the car and took him to the LSU Vet School in Baton Rouge. Patrick had called ahead and they were expecting us.
After several thousand dollars, putting my baby through any and every test they could think to perform (and bill me for), they first decided he had West Nile Virus - ruled out; then he had an Auto-Immune Disorder - ruled out. They finally settled on Coon Hound Paralysis ( also known as Coon Dog Paralysis). After several weeks of us going 3 times a week to see him, the student in charge of Elvis told me, in a matter-of-fact, I don't give a shit voice that "He's not any better, doesn't look like he will get better and we think you need to put him to sleep." I grabbed Elvis from her, resisted the urge to punch her, told her she should not be a vet, because she had no heart (yelled it at her might be a more appropriate description). And I brought Elvis home. Patrick had us on a regimen of pills and physical therapy. We would sit Elvis in our laps and move his legs like he was dancing, but the thing that helped the most was us putting water in the bathtub and putting a towel under Elvis, so he could swim. His legs moved just a little, which gave us some hope. Actually, now that I think about it, the thing that helped him most was his brother JD. JD would get a Budda Bone and bring it to where Elvis was laying so that they could each have an end and play together. He also would bring a mouthful of food to him and put it down so they could share it.
Darryl and I would sit in the floor in front of the food and water bowl with Elvis and hold him in a standing position while we helped him eat. We tried to let him support himself more each day. One night, about 5 days before Christmas, Elvis took a step and then fell over. We knew then that he was going to get better. By the time we took him to my Mother's in Mobile for Christmas, he was walking (admittedly a little shaky) and standing up to eat. His bark came back (careful what you wish for - he hasn't stopped since). This was such an amazing gift, I couldn't think of anything else I needed to make this the perfect Christmas.
Oh yeah, the person ( I hope she is not a vet) from the Vet School said "Even if it does go away, it'll probably come back". 9 years later, I think she was wrong about that, too. Yeah, the boys are 9 1/2 and so happy. Elvis has always had more difficulties than JD - eyes, skin trouble, etc. Also, his back legs are fused at what would be our knee joint. He moves his legs independently of each other when he walks and uses both back legs in a sort of gallop when he runs. He and his brother love to wrestle and play-fight and it is usually Elvis who starts it. He does not know he has a handicap. Darryl taught him to go up the steps by swinging one leg up to the next step, while pushing up with his front legs ( which support about 60% of a dog's weight). Darryl also taught him to go down the stairs on his front 2 legs, only using the back legs to steady himself.
Anyone who knows me and Darryl knows that when we set our minds to something, we aren't just going to give up. Both of us knew Elvis would be ok and refused to buy into the negativity of the people we dealt with at the Vet School. If he had not recovered, it wasn't going to happen without a fight from both of us. Actually, from all 4 of us, JD gave him so much love and attention that it had to make a difference. And my Elvis is a fighter - he pulled himself out of a terrible situation. I guess we all helped pull him out of a terrible situation.
So, that is Elvis' story. He and his brother are beautiful, strong animals who love their 2 daddies. Plus they sleep on pillows and in the bed. But they are not spoiled. Well...
May you get everything your heart desires this Holiday season.
No comments:
Post a Comment