We've been noticing small little "nuggets" for a little less than a week now. It has been confusing us both as to what animal it was coming from. We figured out pretty quickly that it's Shadow. I knew she was incontinent and I was treating that, but I wondered if there was such a thing as fecal incontinence. Well, there is. And she has it. It's really gross, and that's OK. We can hose the sidewalks and patio off. It's not a big deal. She's always been an outdoor dog, so she's happy being outside.
I was confused as to how this could happen but it all became clear today when we took her to the vet. Todd reminded me that she had been in a car wreck like 4 or 5 years ago. A car had hit her, but the wonderfully responsible owners that she had didn't see it happen and thought she was fine because "she seemed fine". Guess what? She was not fine. In fact, it fractured her pelvis, and it healed on her own. It healed badly, and now that she is older, it has caused nerve damage in her tail and hind quarters, so to speak. She can't wag her tail anymore. She can't control her urine or her fecal waste. On the x-ray, I saw how clogged up the poor girl is. She simply can't "go" because she can't control the muscles.
That makes sense now as to why I have to coax her to eat. I'm talking steak, chicken, pork. I put broth on her food, and once she takes a drink of the liquid, it makes her hungry and then she eats. But what goes in, is only coming out in tiny bits here and there. She can't keep that up for long.
As long as she is continuing to smile, be active, and look happy, she'll be with us. Once her back legs give out entirely, and she is no longer active and happy, it's going to be a really, really sad day.
I'm pissed off that this whole damn situation could have been avoided. It could have been prevented if her pelvic fracture had been taken care of when it happened. Can you imagine the pain she must have felt while it healed? It breaks my heart.
She is such a good dog. Really good dog. I am so happy that we've chosen to make her last year the best one she has ever had, and the short term future will be as good as possible. She deserves it.
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| Shadow in her favorite spot during a road trip |
5 comments:
Those rat bastards. Some bags of skin should not be allowed to have pets. She got hit by a car? She's fine, surely nothing could have hurt her then. Assholes.
I am so happy she found you to care and love her, even if it was late in life. She certainly deserves it.
Hugs to all for me.
Oh, that poor girl. I'm so sorry to hear this. Can she get...um...doggy colonics or something to help out with it all?
Karma!
(I hit enter on accident) Karma! It will find the old owners sometime.
Ohh, you poor people and pooches! Tullybird is right. Karma will find those previous owners. And karma will reward you for making her final years with you happy and comfortable. How people treat defenseless animals is a true measure of character. You win.
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