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- #11
I'm glad Sammy got well. This is a difficult journey for both the dog and the owner. I'm also asleep and my nerves are gone. We also have accidents on weekends when all places are closed. It's good to know about asperin. I will add to the end of my post how our day is. It's happy.Aspirin is safe for dogs and it helps with pain fever and inflammation. For his size I would give a baby aspirin. It is a stop gap measure until you can get to the vet. Whatever the problem, good nursing can do wonders.
I will tell you about my little dog Sammy. You may, or may not, find it helpful even though what was wrong with Sammy is not what is wrong with your dog. One evening he was sitting on my lap and he began crying. I thought maybe his ear hurt. That wasn't it. Next I checked his harness to see if it was too tight. About then he had a sort of seizure and lost consciousness. When he came to a few seconds later he was paralyzed from the neck down. He had control of his head and that was about it. This was a Friday night. The vet clinic was closed and would not open until Monday morning. Getting him to a vet before then was not an option and I didn't know what they could do for him anyway. The nearest emergency clinic was over an hour away, it was dark, and I cannot drive at night.
Sammy sleeps with me. I had some waterproof pads and I put one on my bed and put a folded towel on top. I put Sammy on the towel and we both went to sleep. when I woke up Sammy was alert but he still could not move. I removed the wet towel and replaced it with a clean dry one. I had some baby food so I put some on my finger and put it in his mouth. He would not take food on his own but when I put the baby food in his mouth he would swallow. The rest of the day went like this. So did the next. Every few hours I would feed him. I changed the towels as they got wet and turned him from side to side. Giving him water was a problem. I started putting water in his mouth with a syringe but he was not a fan.
Finally Monday came around. By this time he could raise his head and he would lick food off my finger. I bundled him up and took him to the vet. Once there he was examined and X rayed. During the exam he would periodically cry, not so much from pain but because he could not get up and that scared him. The xrays showed he had fluid around the heart and there seemed to be some inflammation in his back. I was given a bottle of IV fluids, a fistfull of syringes loaded with a combination of steroids and antibiotics, and a pile of needles. Twice a day I was to run 100 cc's of fluids under his skin and give him a shot of the steroid/ antibiotics. I am afraid poor Sammy felt like a pincushion.
Every day he made some improvement. I had some really high quality canned food on hand and he got so he would eat on his own. By the time he went back to the vet, although he was very weak and wobbly he could stand with help so I could carry him out so he could piddle. This visit the xrays showed the fluid around his heart was gone. I was given some oral antibiotics and some pills for his heart. Since he had limited control of his bladder I found some male wraps to catch the pee. They go around the middle of the dog and are secured with velcro. I found some washable ones. A sanitary napkin fits inside. I also found some disposable ones. They are made of the same material as baby diapers. They both worked well but I had to remember to take them off when I put him outside.
It took many weeks but Sammy recovered. He still has a little residual weakness in his hind legs so he can no longer jump on the bed by himself. Other than that you would never know there had been anything wrong with him. He can now control his bladder so he no longer needs the wraps and he must take the heart medicine for the rest of his life. As near as we can figure, he had a stroke.
Getting sick just before a long weekend or a holiday is about par for the course in my experience. I don't think I have ever had any animal of any species get seriously injured or ill during office hours. The point of this long tale is to simply tell you not to give up. Keep the dog warm and dry, and in this case it might be a good idea to limit movement as much as possible. I would give baby aspirin for pain and inflammation, and do whatever is necessary to get it to eat.
I had vitamin powder for chickens at home, already yesterday I gave it ( vitamin water) to a dog with a straw. In the morning I looked for pharmacies to see if I could bring painkillers today. Everything is closed today. So, went for a few hours and the dog got up. He is a sun dog, he likes to sleep on the window in the sun. Somehow he went to the window, he was there for half an hour. After that he jumped out the window table, went to eat and drink! I'll put a photo here when he yawns. He licks himself and his head moves everywhere. It's all incredible, but I know- healing takes weeks.
Have a wonderful and happy Easter! 
