We Just Couldn’t Give Up.
January 6, 2010
For the last 12-18 months, Ruffy has been gradually losing her hair, falling up and down the stairs, and generally morose. Lethargic. Depressed, even.
We started calling her Eeyore or Super Emo Teen Force Dog. She was SO woe is me, I hate life, and if my nails weren’t already black, I would totally paint them black and start cutting myself.
To get her into the car, I have to get her front paws on the back hatch of my wagon and lift her entire 80 pound dog-ass into the car carefully. Every time she stumbles on the stairs, I’m terrified she is going to break a leg or a hip. My girl has had diarrhea on and off for a year. She is sick often. I would cook her chicken and rice for a week every time her tummy troubles hit. Sometimes that would help her, sometimes it lasted longer. It wore her out. It wore us out.
A few times, the vet put her on meds to help get her back to normal. Ever since we’ve moved into this house, Ruffy has slept nights in the basement, in her bed, and thank goodness our basement is unfinished, because she has pooped liquid on that concrete floor non-freaking-stop.
Yeah, it’s gross, but guess what? Life is gross, but she is family. We have scraped up her liqui-crap, and steam-mopped that floor SO many times. It was frustrating and time consuming and oh so heartbreaking. There were times I was afraid to go to her bed in the morning and find her dead.
I just wanted her to get better. She is the only daughter I’ll ever have and I love her. She’s my buddy. She is my protector and stayed by my side through my pregnancy with Thomas.
Obviously, we have been very worried about her. She went through a clinical pet food trial that somewhat helped her joint pain, she tried several drugs, both homeopathic and prescribed. Nothing was working.
For the last 4 weeks, she has been on these tiny purple pills that we hide in peanut butter twice a day and she laps it up like, well, like a dog would lap up peanut butter.
Every time we pull the peanut butter out for the kids, she’s right there, wagging her tail and looking up at us with this dorky look on her face and her tongue hanging sideways out of her mouth.
Her energy levels are puppy-like. Her hair is returning. She no longer stumbles up the stairs. She no longer sleeps in the basement because her tummy troubles are over. She comes to me, sets her head on my leg and pushes her snout along my arm until I pet her. She licks my face to wake me up as soon as she hears my alarm. She no longer barely lifts her head at the sound of her name – she comes running. She’s made friends at the dog park, gallops along with them and laugh at me if you want, but my girl smiles. She smiles you guys. I’m typing this through tears, I’m so happy. I know she’s just a dog. But she’s not, she’s my girl.
The dog that couldn’t get in my car, much less on the couch in the last year? I found her sleeping on our leather loveseat this morning, which is higher than the back hatch of my car. And while Daren wasn’t happy that she could have poked a hole in that leather, I was ecstatic that she got up there all by herself some time last night.
January 6th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
YAY!!!!!
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Aw, what a sweetie! So glad she’s feeling better.
.-= Busymom´s last blog ..A Very Surgical New Year =-.
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Aww I am glad she is doing better! Thats awesome.
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
I am glad she is doing better.
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
That’s so WONDERFUL!!!
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I am so NOT a dog person, but my best friend recently had to say goodbye to her dog-daughter of 12.5 years, due to a sudden medical event (they think stroke). I cried when she told me. I’ve never cried over anyone’s dog before, but I felt the pain.
I’m really happy for you and your family (2 legged and 4!) May you be shoo-ing her off the couch for years to come
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
You KNOW that kind of stuff makes me get all teary! Yay for a new lease on life.
.-= Suebob´s last blog ..All the lovely ladies… =-.
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
that’s so awesome. I hope she just does better and better and BETTER
.-= bluepaintred´s last blog ..Stepping Out =-.
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
thank you so much for having a happy ending to this story! yay for your girl!
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January 6th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Yay! That’s great news. Glad your girl is on the up-and-up.
.-= *Pixie* @ ArtistMotherTeacher.com´s last blog ..I Suppose This Means I Have to Give Up My Office =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:02 am
Aww.
*reaches for Kleenex*
Hip hip hooray!
Beautiful post!
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Amazing! You had me teary-eyed by the 3rd paragraph, and filling my heart with YAY at the end !
I hope she continues her improvement !
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Thanks and things…. =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Oh thank God! So what did they say was the problem? GOSH that is really scary!!
.-= Nanna´s last blog ..For My Husband – Who Makes It All Possible =-.
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Karen Sugarpants Reply:
January 7th, 2010 at 12:11 am
@Nanna, Thyroid. She goes for follow-up testing in a few weeks. They gotta make sure they are medicating enough, but not too much?
I love this new vet – they don’t order hundreds of dollars worth of tests and they LISTEN. The old vet was in and out before I could say everything that was going on and they kept throwing clinical trials at me instead of treating her properly. Also, they wanted to put her under for xrays on her hips – which the new vet said wasn’t necessary. OY.
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:34 am
That’s awesome! I loved your 2nd paragraph, by the way….
.-= Robin´s last blog ..Diamond =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:40 am
What a blessing! We had a couple cats that slowly deteriorated to the same point as your dog, yet nothing really brought them back. I’m glad your story has a happy ending and will keep this in mind next time we have an elderly cat heading down that path.
.-= Pop and Ice´s last blog ..Do the Fondue! =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 1:00 am
Aw *sniff*. I’m so glad she almost poked holes in the leather!
.-= Sassy´s last blog ..Funny. My kids get older and I get younger. =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 2:02 am
Yay! I’m so glad that she’s better!
.-= Rachael´s last blog ..The 2nd Time Around =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 2:40 am
what are these magical purple pills you speak of? i see you mentioned a thyroid condition above: is this common for all elderly dogs or just in some specific breeds? my baby puppy is getting on to 8 years old.. she’s outlived her breed’s age range and she’s slowed down. not to the point Ruffy was at (Super Emo Teen Force Dog. i SO love that), but having trouble getting up the stairs, super sensitive tummy, lethargic.
.-= Stone Fox´s last blog ..Childhood friends =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 2:47 am
This hit me RIGHT HERE. *sniffle*
And, I believe your baby smiles.
I just want to kiss her face and ears, reminds me of my babies. We have a 2.5 yr old German Shepherd Duke and my parents have a 6.5 year old Rex and 9 month old Jack who at ten mos old weighs 85#
Rex is going to be 7 and I can tell he’s slowing down, it hurts. So bad, he’s my boy and I hate having to say goodbye.
So glad you guys didn’t have to. Xoxoxo
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January 7th, 2010 at 3:15 am
They are like our babies aren’t they.
We don’t have any animals any more (Boo is terrified of anything that is unpredicatible) but I remember when my beautiful horse died of old age. It broke me in two watching him stumble around blind.
So glad Ruffy is feeling better – but you should totally keep the Super Emo Teen Force name.
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January 7th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Awww, I am so happy that she is feeling better. As you know, I think our pets are like our little babies. Um, gee, you sure can’t tell with Jinkies…not at all.
.-= Hilly´s last blog ..Snackie Thursday: Won’t You Take Me Out Tonight? =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Glad to hear it. Don’t you love how pets become a part of the family and not just a pet?
.-= Hockeymandad´s last blog ..Yoda was a Genius =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 10:28 am
OMG! You have my dog’s twin, or I have your dog’s twin! My Chowder looks almost identical to your girl! I am glad she is feeling better. I just had to comment about the likeness. What breed is she?
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January 7th, 2010 at 11:39 am
I’m so happy your pooch is feeling better… yay!
.-= Grumble Girl´s last blog ..Last Random Act of Kindness for 2009 =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 11:50 am
As a woman who spent thousands of dollars fixing the knees of her rescued baby and then thousands more years later so he wouldn’t die alone in the hospital on Thanksgiving (he got another good eight months of life after that), I so get this.
Glad you’re girl is feeling better. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing children suffer (even if they are the four-legged kind).
.-= Finn´s last blog ..Diptych One: Red =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
awww. i am so glad she is getting better. so sad. so hard to watch an animal suffer.
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January 7th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Yay, doggie!!!
.-= Zoeyjane´s last blog ..On division =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Having recently lost a pet after about a month of abnormal behavior and suffering I have nothing but joy in my heart that Ruffy has returned to her former glory.
.-= James´s last blog ..Princess and the Frog Review =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
This is THE BEST story!! And she is SO adorable. I am so happy for you all. :->
.-= Suzy Voices´s last blog ..Resolution Disillusion =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
I’m so glad they finally figured out what was wrong and how to treat it.
We had a really bad year in 2005 when we had to put down Catzilla (FLV) and Lio (lung tumor) and Tigger tore through a screen and got hit by a car. It was a nightmare.
Our six often annoying, always wonderful, occasionally pain in the ass, frequently funny cat people are absolutely family to us. Even Rosey, Queen Bitch. I’m happy they are all healthy and still young (Rosey is the oldest at 6 years old.)
There are people who have pets and then there are people whose pets have them. I’m the latter and I think you are too.
PS: People are morons who make everything all about them.
.-= Donna´s last blog ..Electron lady on line 2 =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
YAY! That’s so great to hear.
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January 7th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I’m so glad that they have found meds routine that works for your girl! She’s a pretty gal too!
.-= Christy´s last blog ..365/365: Done. Done. Done. =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
The dog where I work just had a cancer situation that has now been semi-resolved…but when she got her energy back, she got away with near murder! It is certainly something to celebrate!!
.-= CJ´s last blog ..Things Work Out =-.
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January 7th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Yay! That’s awesome.
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January 7th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
I thought this was going somewhere else. Now I am looking at the spot on the couch next to me thinking I would totally invite her up!
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Fearing the Jinx =-.
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January 8th, 2010 at 1:07 am
I’m so glad that she’s doing better, and you found something that’s working. I hope that her good health continues for a long, long time to come.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Figuring Out What You Want =-.
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January 8th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Little purple pills? Did viagra cure your dog? That’s Awesome! (My old boy is getting older too… not sure how old as he was a rescue but I see some heartbreak ahead). I’m glad yours is turning the corner.
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January 8th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
She is so, so beautiful. <3
.-= Poppy´s last blog ..No longer =-.
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January 8th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Thats great news, glad your girl is better!
.-= J from Ireland´s last blog ..Is it a good thing or a bad thing???? =-.
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January 9th, 2010 at 12:11 am
Awww, so sweet! I’m so glad she’s doing well! It’s amazing that a little pill can make such a difference – but I know it’s true, for dogs AND for people! Yay!
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January 9th, 2010 at 1:31 am
i am so happy your sidekick is feeling better.
<3 <3
.-= mew´s last blog ..James Cameron’s Pocahontas =-.
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January 9th, 2010 at 3:30 am
I am so glad to hear this. Every pet I have had has been an important member of the family, so I know what you must have gone through.
Excellent news about your girl!
.-= Selma´s last blog ..People Can Make A Difference =-.
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March 9th, 2010 at 10:44 am
That’s wonderful…I’m so happy for all of you. She has such a sweet face.
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