A Samwise-iful Update

Posted on 22 January 2008 under Pets | 2 Comments

In the comments section of my last post, Robin from Befrazzled asked for an update on Samwise. He visited the Docs at Temperance Animal Hospital yesterday, where they determined something’s wrong with a disc in Sam’s spine. What was surprising to us was to learm that, with toy breeds, there doesn’t need to be an event, injury or incident for this to happen. Apparently, this can happen spontaneously due to the animal’s physiology. They gave him a Cortizone injection and sent us home with an NSAID that works better than what he’d been on. They called a little while ago to cheeck on him. I told them Sam seems to have stabilized for pain, but at the same time, he seems to have plateaued and isn’t really improving since yesterday. He might be headed back there tomorrow or Thursday.

Meanwhile, he sits on my lap here in my office, just looking sad and pathetic. I haven’t heard his little bark since Saturday.

Hopefully soon, he’ll be back at the nursing home in Ohio with the residents, as shown in the above photo. Those folks love having this little therapy dog close-at-hand.

Luna Pier’s ‘First Dog’: Two Pizza Slices, $184

Posted on 20 January 2008 under Pets | 9 Comments

This is Sam, a 9 lb Pomeranian, Luna Pier’s First Dog. (No, the Police officers don’t take him outside to go boom-boom. However, the one officer has been threatened with this as remedial action …) The Pom’s name is actually Samwise Gamgee. I gave him this name because, over at his breeder’s home on Telegraph Rd. his dad’s name was Frodo. (Yeah. Like the hobbits. Because they’re short. Got it? Ok.) We’ve always given Sam pizza and pizza crusts. He normally only gets small chunks of the pizza, especially if it has his favorite ingredient, green bell peppers. I swear, if this feisty little creature could be a vegetarian and only eat chilled veggies, he’d do it.

Sam’s not so feisty this morning though. I can hear him right now from upstairs where he is, giving multiple, short screechy bursts of pain as he tries to move his neck, or if he accidentally moves it the wrong way. Mayor Mary is in bed propped up on four solid foam pillows with Sam on her shoulder, trying to ease the pain, trying to get him comfortable so he can get some much-needed sleep. I got out of the way, but she has the other end of the two-way radio sitting in front of me. As she’ll likely be there with him all day she also has the TV remote next to the radio.

Her morning coffee’s brewing.

There was a simple misunderstanding yesterday. “Can Sam have a piece of pizza? “Sure!” The word “sure” came from the little pieces we’ve always given him, and had been giving him for a little while yesterday.

The questioner actually intended a full piece of pepperoni pizza, uncut, on a plate laid on the floor. Sam quite literally inhaled that piece of pizza, barely chewing whatsoever.

X-rays at the Animal Emergency Hospital north of Flint indicated Sam’s stomach was larger than it’s normal size. (It’s usually only filled to less-than half its size during normal eating.) His stomach contained a congealed mass, most of which was unchewed. The Vet told us the amount of what they were able to get Sam to vomit was probably 1.5 pizza pieces, so he probably ate two pieces altogether (the rest was likely already in the intestinal tract). Through the screeching pain and tight posturing he’d developed into the evening, Sam also developed a huge strain on his sensitive neck (the sensitive neck being inherent to toy breeds).

On the way to the emergency facility, we thought we were losing him.

It’s been a rough night.

Please, pay attention to what others might be feeding your pets, especially when you take them for a visit at someone else’s home. Even the best intentions, even from someone who loves your pet almost as much as you do, may create a situation causing your visit to take one Hell of a nasty turn for your pet.