Beware of the Grass Awn

Well, if you follow either Chris or me on Facebook, you know we've been through quite the saga with Havana. I'm happy to say, after 4 surgeries and over $1,000 in vet bills, it's finally over.

[Warning: This is long. If you're only interested in the Cliff Notes version or photos, scroll to the end. Also be prepared ... the second picture is pretty nasty.]

It all started back in August. We noticed she had some swelling on her side, by her back leg. We were a little worried and took her to the vet. He checked it out and thought it was likely some lymphatic fluid buildup. He put her on antibiotics and told us to monitor it. The antibiotics seemed to work, the swelling went away, and we thought it was over.

Then, a week or so after the antibiotics ran out, we noticed that the swelling returned. Some days it seemed to be getting better, and other days it seemed worse. Havana was acting normal and eating and didn't seem to be in any pain, so we figured it wasn't anything serious.

In early October, we flew off to Phoenix for a wedding. My parents were watching Havana. Early Sunday morning, my mom called us and told us that they needed to take her to the emergency vet because she looked like she'd been shot. There was what looked like a puncture wound on her side. Back by her leg. (It was actually an abscess that had burst.)

Surgery #1
When we took her to the vet on Monday morning, they told us what it was - a grass awn. How we've never heard of this before, I have no idea. Apparently, they're very common and found all over the country. And now we know they are also very expensive. Anyway, they opened Havana up, found a "drainage track" which confirmed their suspicions, took out a bunch of small pieces of grass and sewed her back up.

A couple weeks later, we went in and had the sutures taken out. It seemed she was finally healing. Everything looked good until two mornings later. We noticed that she was paying particular attention to the area and to our horror we saw that the incision had opened back up. It was red and swollen again.

Surgery #2
So we took her back into the vet. They told us they had to go back in there. We left her for her second surgery and when we picked her up that night, we started the whole recovery process again. She seemed to be okay. But then we noticed that she was again swelling up at the top end of the incision. The vet had told us there may be a small amount of swelling at the bottoms as stuff drained, but it shouldn't have been at the top.

Back to the vet we went. To make a long story a tiny bit shorter, they had chosen to go the more conservative, less aggressive route with the second surgery because everything had looked so good. But when she got swollen up again, they realized they made the wrong decision and should have been more aggressive with their surgery.

Surgery #3
For the third time, poor Havana went under the knife. This time, the incision they made was twice as long and they took out some of the infected tissue. They sewed her up and we were very cautious with her. We made her wear the Cone of Shame at all times. We limited her activity to going outside to go to the bathroom and going downstairs to sleep. We didn't want to do anything to mess this one up. We were hoping this was it. When we took her in to have her sutures removed, she looked fantastic. The vet was very happy. And so were we.

Ten days later, we couldn't believe our eyes when we saw swelling. Again. We were totally discouraged and at a complete loss because it seemed we were in a never-ending cycle. How long would this go on? If she went under the knife again, how would we know it wouldn't just come back? We took her back to the vet knowing what we he would tell us. Because it was the fourth time and we felt like we were getting nowhere, we decided to get another opinion. (Her side, by the way, was getting worse by the hour, it seemed. The swollen area was getting bigger and it was obviously very painful.)

Surgery #4
The new vet confirmed what the other vet had told us. She needed another surgery. So we had no choice. We left Havana with the small hope that this vet would be able to do what the other one hadn't - find the cause of the swelling. Less than an hour later, the second vet called and (FINALLY) said she had some very good news. She had found the biggest grass awn she had ever seen in her life. And she's been doing veterinary medicine for a long time.

Here's what she pulled out of poor Havana ...

THAT little thing - a piece of grass - is what was responsible for months of stress and worry for us, pain and swelling for Havana, four surgeries and over $1,000 in vet bills.

Because of the amount of infection, they had to leave an open drainage tube from her wound for a few days.
So. There you have it. Our latest dog drama. I have some more thoughts to share, but I'll save those for another time because this is already way too long.

If you're still reading this, thanks for persevering! I'm willing to bet you're probably related to us.

It was supposed to be about Jesus.

So I guess I didn't put enough context in my post yesterday. I actually had intended to go all spiritual on you (as in, the more time I spend with Jesus, the more I will "look" and act like Him.)

However, you apparently thought I was talking about 1. my family 2. Chris or 3. my dog.

So I'll let you decide ...

1.

2.

3.
Is it true?

Punctured: A Snowy Sunday Story

We had our first real snowstorm of the winter today. I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find several inches of accumulation and lots of large, fluffy snowflakes falling.

I got ready for church, bundled up and then took Havana out. She loves the snow and I like to take her out when it is snowing because there's usually no one around and I can let her run around off leash. That's what I did today.

After about 10 minutes, I called her back to me and we headed toward the house. When we got to the entryway, I looked down and noticed red paw prints in the snow. It looked like one of her feet was bleeding a bit.

As soon as she stepped through the door, I saw that it wasn't just bleeding a bit, it was gushing blood. Being a young lab, she ignored my command to "stay" and within a few seconds, there were large puddles of blood everywhere. As she moved around, more blood splattered all around, both from the growing puddles as well as from her still bleeding foot. I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and the masking tape and crafted a crude bandage so I could stop the blood from spurting everywhere. Already, the tile by the front door looked like a gruesome murder scene.

As the roads were snow-packed and icy, I was relieved to find out that the emergency vet was only a couple miles away. I taped a couple more layers of paper towels on her (the blood was soaking through her "bandage" at an alarming rate) and headed out.

Considering how much blood she had lost, she was surprisingly animated when we arrived. As she investigated all the new smells, she tracked bloody footprints all over the lobby and exam room. After a short examination, the vet said she had a deep puncture wound in her paw that had hit an artery (thus the massive amounts of blood.) She would need to be anesthetized and need emergency surgery to fix the wound.

Several hours later, I called the vet and found out that, in the process of fixing her foot, they had discovered a gash several inches long on her chest (the result of an encounter with a barbed wire fence last week) which they also stitched up. They were still having trouble stopping the bleeding, and thinking she might have hemophilia, gave her a blood test, but thankfully it was negative.

I picked her up with strict instructions to keep her off her foot as much as possible, to restrict her activity and to keep the Elizabethan Collar on her for two weeks.

The surprise barbed wire injury.

Here is her paw, which I am supposed to keep dry. With a foot of snow on the ground. Right.

When I put the collar on her, she won't move. She just sits there with a pitiful, forlorn look on her face ...

Poor sweet Havana.

Birthday Party, Doggie-Style

We're a bunch of single people and DINKs.
We have dog birthday parties.
Cause that's how we roll.

Havana, ready to get her party on.


The labs came in every color.


This is Tucker. He and Havana are an item.


Obviously.


This was Belle's first party. Actually, her first anything. She just came home yesterday. What a way to start life.


Toby, rockin' the birthday pose.


Siblings.


Valeen charmed the mob with her doggy birthday treats.


Even Belle got a puppycake.

At least we don't buy them clothes or carry them in our purses.

The Life of Becky

I've had a couple friends mention over the last couple days that although we haven't talked much lately, they keep up on my life through my blog. So I figure I better post some stuff to keep them up to date.

So Karen, Sara, (and whoever else might be interested in my life) ... this is for you. :)

1. My summer housemate Brionna just left early this morning to go back to school in California. I'm excited for her and sad for me. It was great having her around and I'm really going to miss her! Havana provides decent companionship, but she certainly doesn't do her share of the housework.

2. Speaking of Havana, we started CGC class last night. That's Canine Good Citizen class. According to the web site: CGC is a certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. Those of you who have met Havana can understand how something like this might be beneficial.

3. As of a few weeks ago, I've stopped drinking coffee. There were several factors that went into this decision. First of all, it's become a bit of a habit for me and so stopping is an exercise in discipline. I don't like being chemically dependent. Secondly, it's a health thing. I have to drink something in the mornings, so if it's not coffee, it's usually orange juice or water. That's much healthier. And finally, I like expensive coffee so it was costing me quite a bit of money to keep myself supplied. I'm hoping this new plan will save me roughly $30 a month.

4. I'm getting wood floors put on the main level of my house next month. When I first bought my place, I didn't bother replacing the already nasty carpet because I knew I wanted a puppy, but it's just gone from bad to worse. I can't wait! I get grossed out every time I run the vacuum. Or look down.

5. I've begun running! Just two miles. And just one or two times a week. It's still not my favorite thing. Probably never will be. (Spinning will always be #1.) But it's a great way for me to exercise myself and my dog at the same time. The key for me is good tunes. I hate running, but if I have good enough music to listen to, I can stand it. Any suggestions?

So there ya go. My life. Exciting, huh?
Have an excellent weekend, ya'll!

Salu. (My friend Roberto from El Salvador told me that's how they say goodbye there.)

Sisters

Havana and her sister, Tilla.

Section 16

Today we hiked a trail called Section 16. Kind of a weird name. (Sounds more like a place where they hide UFO's.) Sweet hike, but longer than we expected.

Here you can see the back of the Garden of the Gods...


Jamie and the Beckys. Can someone say Olan Mills?


Havana ran around so much she must have done 20 miles to our 6. She was shaking by the time we got back to the car. But she loved it!

Mt. Herman, for reals this time.

Remember a while back when I wrote a post about hiking Mt. Herman?

Well I lied.

We actually didn't hike Mt. Herman, we hiked in Mt. Herman Open Space. (I should have known that seeing as the entire hike was flat.)

Yesterday my friend Jamie and I hiked the real Mt. Herman. It was definitely not flat. In fact, here is a picture of the mountain. The trail goes straight up the back of it.



I, being brilliant, figured that since it was supposed to be 75 degrees I could hike in sandals. I'm dumb.


Here's the view from the top. See the horizon line? That's Kansas.


And here is Pikes Peak, our Fourteener. Beautiful, as always.


Havana, looking regal.

Boulder Crime Alert

Okay now this is just straight up wacked.

First of all, that anyone would do this to their dog is a joke.
And then that there would be a law in place by which to prosecute?!
Finally the fact that they would actually issue the ticket is ridiculous.

I can think of many people who are more deserving of a ticket for pet humiliation ... what about those people who dress their dogs in little fur coats? Or put their dog's hair into a ponytail? Or make them wear t-shirts and booties? Or shave them into artistic creations?

Seriously, Law Enforcement of Boulder, Colorado. It seems to me there might be other things more worthy of your attention. Just a hunch.

Not totally related, but this reminds me of a funny experience my sister had once. I reprint it again, for your reading enjoyment:

I had an unpleasant encounter with a woman at the park today. While I didn’t say anything clever at the time, I spent the rest of the evening thinking of possible retorts. Here is the story written with all potential responses. You choose your favorite, but be assured that I picked the not-wittiest one each time:

I was playing frisbee with Donkey like I do every night when this woman in a pink shirt walked by with two hideous things on the end of two leashes. Donkey, being the friendly lab that she is, went over to say hello. There was a little bit of sniffing from both parties, and perhaps a yip or two, but nothing hostile – nothing more than natural doggie interaction. Pink, however, was getting unnecessarily flustered over the meeting, and her face was rapidly darkening to match her shirt.

“Ma’am,” she said to me, tangled in leashes and beginning to panic. “Could you please get your dog?”

“Oh, they’re fine,” I replied nonchalantly, failing to see the apparent urgency of the situation. “Donkey’s friendly.”

She looked at me, appalled. “Ma’am,” she said again, condescendingly, “my dogs are five pounds.”

I looked at her and responded:
A) Are you jealous?
B) Congratulations.
C) You call those dogs?
D) Ummm . . . okay.

The dogs continued their interaction, and Pink continued her panic, now bordering on rage.

“Alright, Ma’am,” she said. “That’s it. Either you get your dog or I call the police and tell them it’s not on a leash.”

I looked at her, a bit amused, and said:

A) Yeah, well either you stop being a jerk or I tell my mom on you.
B) Teenagers are getting shot in Wal-Mart and you’re going to call the cops on my pet?
C) Hey, maybe while they’re down here they could help you get that thing out of your butt.
D) nothing. I took Donkey’s collar and walked away in silence.

Of course, being the on-my-feet thinker that I am, I chose D each time. But if I had it to do over again, perhaps things would have turned out a little bit differently.

Mt. Herman Trail

Saturday was 72 degrees! Yes, that's right people, seventy-two. Record high.

So we gathered the dogs (5 of them) and gathered the people (5 of them) and off we went ...

We had one lab of each color (black, brown, yellow, tan and white) but it was hard to get them all in one photo.

Havana learned to swim.

Swimmers, take your marks ...

Overall yesterday was a GREAT day. Good time with some friends and fam.
As I write this, there's currently a Blizzard Warning for our area.

Colorado is so weird.

Marx for your Monday

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend:
and inside a dog, it's too dark to read.

-Groucho Marx

My Weekend in Photos

Friday morning very early I went went for a walk. There was a dense fog and visibility was only about a hundred yards. Everything was very muted and still. The only sound I could hear was the quiet squish of my crocs. The world felt very small and it felt like I (and my dog) were the only ones alive.

It looked like this ...
Then I got to work and was greeted by the fragrant smell of Stargazer Lilys (my favorite flower.) My amazing brother (and his amazing wife) got me a beautiful bouquet for Valentine's Day. Thanks, guys. Love you.

They look like this ...

Saturday was beautiful and the perfect day for a hike. The sky was blue the color you only see in Colorado and the sun was shining.

The view at the top looked like this ...
Not a bad weekend, huh? What did you do?

Summertime

Just took Havana for a long walk.
I was wearing a tank top.

Praise the Lord!

Some Stuff I'm Thinking About

I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into any sensible order tonight. I sat down to write a new post and so far it's gone in about 17 different directions. So I'm going to stop trying to organize my thoughts and instead, simply write whatever comes to mind. Here we go...

My dog is sick. Again. All over my house. So instead of spending the evening as I had planned, I spent it steam cleaning the carpet. I'm not sure what's giving her the Big D regularly, but I have a hunch it is the rawhides I got at Walmart. Reason #3,764.

Compassion is restructuring. I found out yesterday that my team is being disbanded and my job is moving to the Web and Interactive team. While this will provide me with lots of opportunity for growth and new challenges it also means being on a team with four men. Which I guess can also be considered an opportunity for growth.

This is the first year in 11 years that I will be home for Thanksgiving. I've spent the last decade giving thanks in Callifornia, Minnesota and Morroco. This year I will be giving the most thanks that we have not yet had a blizzard in Colorado Springs.

That's it for now. I'm going to bed. I'd wish myself sweet dreams, but I never remember them. Ever. It's really weird.

I think my dog's a genius.

Big news ... Havana passed her Basic Training test yesterday. 197 out of 200! So she moves on to Advanced Training now.

(I promise, Suzanne, I'm not making this up.)

Dog Lovers Unite!

I noticed a new link on one of the blogs I regularly visit.

Before April, I'm not sure I would have cared enough to post this link, but then this happened ...


Needless to say, my perspective has changed.

HT: Fay

The Dog Days of Summer

It's freakin HOT these days.