My awesome dogs had another altercation. One's overnight at the vet, and the other ... never thought we'd get to this point

Day 5 of 2020:

          Around 1130ish, the dogs are outside and the tone of bark is of concern, so, in my ‘jammies’ and robe, I go right out. Neighbor’s puppy has been barking, so maybe it’s a dog outside the fence.

          It’s a possum or raccoon or whatever just sitting there, and Vander and Coop are very worked up about it. I had a squirt bottle for them to get them away and back toward the house, but they were hyped.

 

From Jan. 1, eyeing a toy.

         Just like that, as I’m squirting the critter, they run into each other and get tangled up and are into a severe altercation. *Snap*

          Which happened on Day 21 of 2018. After which I said I couldn’t go through that again, and if it happened ...

  
        I did what I could to slow them down, whatever, to no good. Again, two dogs that don’t even growl at each other were in it, intensely. Tried to hook up the hose – unhooked it weeks ago with low temps – and it took too long – cold, shaking hands, and in the dark – and tried to hose them down. Nothing.

          To my breaking heart, I grabbed a dead branch and hit Coop a few times. Nothing. They slowed, started toward the house, I got Coop in and kept Vander out until I locked the crate with Coop, and got Vander in the house, and triage began.

          This was worse than two years ago, but he was inside, and, well, we’ll not go back to two years ago at this point in time.

          Cleaned him up some – though he kept easing away when I tried to clean a little bit a bleeding ear - put Coop in his room, dried him off, went back and forth in a haze.

          Got Vander into his chair, he started decompressing, ate a treat or two, and had just this face that I saw two years ago. “I can’t believe I feel like this in my home. Again.”

          Checked on Coop again – he didn’t seem to have anything wrong, no bleeding or anything – and put him under some blankets.

          Vander was able to go in and out of sleep, I laid on the couch, and we both ended up sleeping some. A surprise, but once it appeared Vander had relaxed, I guess I did, too.

Day 6 of 2020:

Took Vander to the Houston Veterinary Clinic around 9:30 a.m., where they will clean him up in the ears and nose and snout areas, do their best to keep wagging the tail that was wagging while I – and a vet tech – talked while the doctor did a quick exam and laid out the plan, which meant keeping him overnight.

          Just about started losing it two steps into the lobby from the exam room.

          Came home to a tentative Coop, in his room with the door shut. He comes out and starts looking for Vander, kinda of like he did last night when I’d go in the room with him. His ears would perk up and he was waiting to hear or see Vander peeking around the corner.

          Got some warm water in dog mitts and sort of cleaned him up a little bit, dried him off, and we sat on the couch, and I lost it while hugging the dog who is going to have to live somewhere else soon.

          We dozed off some. I went to change into relaxing clothes, and we laid on the bed and dozed off again for a bit.

          Maybe it’s me, often is, but Coop had an expression a few times. Maybe wondering where Vander was, maybe knowing that last night was big. Almost felt like he knew something was up. Still got some licks and all, but ...

          I think he’s more sore than anything, but we’ll make a vet trip in the morning to be safe.

          The 5 p.m. call to the vet was not one of joy.

          The wounds were more serious than they first thought, more in the ear. There was some blood in the ear canal, almost nullifying the cleaning and medicine of Dec. 23, which made Vander almost puppylike again, feeling so good with no ear infections or anything.

          So some level of that will be repeated.

          Two hours of surgery. Holy shit.

          More lacerations in the ears than thought. Such wounds that are the worst for increasing the possibility of infection. A solid cut on the nose. Had to add a drain around some swelling.

          Amid the exploration, they see he has severe arthritis in his elbows. Nothing from the altercation, but in need of meds. And he probably has solid arthritis in general, at age 11-12.

          Three batches of meds are next for the next 10 days, plus a return later this week to cut the drain off. Then back in 10-11 days for stitches, and determine if the ear cleaning/meds must be repeated.

          And Doc noted that he hadn’t awakened yet, at 5 p.m., which was a bit of a concern, since most dogs are awake by then. Between age, pain meds, and anesthesia, he was still out.

          Shit, again.

          I worried from the start, because age – for hounds or humans – is an issue with any anesthesia and stuff, so him slow to rise added to it. The Doc’s phrase “He’s in a world of hurt” was another gut punch, but if the meds help him rest and not aggravate anything and all, fine. Just so long as he stirs and is in no or little pain.

          The rest of this night is with Coop, because it’ll be the last time he’ll sleep in the bed – just saying that is such the kick in the head – because they’ll be separated until, well, until we can find Coop the right home.

          That this was so much the right fucking home for all three of us and can’t be that home anymore is just crushing.

          Two five-minute incidents compared to 30 laughs a day and snuggling on the couch and one licking the other’s face and them in the dining room with these faces of anticipation when the freezer door open for a home-made treat to standing at the fence scolding the egrets in the creek, their tails going back and forth like metronomes, or just two weeks ago, them sitting on a little tarp outside next to each other when it hit 70, and the happy sigh from the Roomie.

          Yeah, they’re dogs, but don’t dare “just dogs” me. Dogs will do things like they did, yes, and it’s absolutely crushing because of the unbelievable happiness they’ve brought.

          Can’t even begin to explain. I look at pictures or videos and just giggle, and then go watch the live show and giggle again. Not much brings you absolute happy no matter what, and drowns out what you don’t have or what makes you unhappy.

          And these two together? Jesus.

          Vander has been through too much, and has had so many people behind him from the early days when he was dumped as a bait dog and found by Tracy, from Regenia and Co. at Critical Care for Animal Angels, to fosters Dana – forever thanks for the introduction – and Brian, for me to make sure he has plenty of time left and it’s as good as all the time except for this situation.

          He deserves it. And Coop deserves a phenomenal home, whether he’s the lone dog or not. Two awesome hounds, but I just can’t trust them together that one time, can’t handle going through this a third time, and everybody deserves to not have to be played with or hugged on or whatever on a schedule while one sits in a crate and watches.

          First things first, and that’s Vander getting the OK, and then Coop’s Tuesday AM vet visit to be OK. Then, Jesus. Will put off thinking about ‘Then’ until it arrives. But that process has started.

          Luuuuuv mah dawgs.

          Fuck.