[Maggie's Mommy]

We brought him home tonight at 5:00. He is so sleepy. We didn't want to crate him so we decided to set up an exercise pen with all his soft bedding. He flopped right in there and slept. We did manage to get him to eat some prescription soft dog food before he went back to sleep. Stickers is VERY concerned. She keeps laying at the xpen and whimpering for him to respond and nothing She didn't eat until 8:00 tonight because she keeps staring at him. Poor baby. We are all so tired. This surgery was very traumatic and VERY VERY EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope my boy doesn't eat another rock. I was worried sick over him. I love that dog so deeply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mgbrown66]

You weren't the only one worried! I'm glad he's home. I know he is glad to be home as well. Those two dogs are going to be joined at the hip forever.

Oh those mama's boys. They have a way of tearing at your heart strings.

 

[bassetlvr6422]

ahhh, poor Rusty. I know he is home sleeping soundly, but those pictures just tug at my heart. I am sure that by tomorrow he will be feeling more energetic. I am sure that Stickers is going bonkers, what with her brudder not feeling well.

Get better soon Rusty (Abby "da Toots" says "milk it for all ya got")

Marie, slave to Abby
Newton, KS

 

[Betsy Iole]

He must feel so much better to be home, and you must feel better, too!

 

[faysie]

I'm so glad he's ok. I'm thinking that eating the rock was probably accidental. I know that there are other "rock eaters" out there but Rusty hasn't ever done this before. I wonder if maybe he gobled up something during the walk, which maybe had some rocks and gravel stuck to it or under it? Steve and I were talking about how quickly Belly goes for anything he thinks might be edible during our walks. You know ...something that was thrown out a car window or dropped by a kid. And the occasional bit of cat poop . We have to watch every second of the walk.

I guess you'll just have to watch and see if he seems interested in rocks. I doubt it, though ...I think it was a fluke. I hope it was. Poor little guy. Maybe Stickers can go see her brother when he wakes up. And you'll feel better seeing them together.

I hope you get some sleep tonight.

Take care

Faye

 

[corvuss]

Thank goodness!

I was popping on and off the board all day , glad to hear Rusty is home.

 

[shakerag]

glad he made it!
don

 

[Sandy and Bo]

Patti, please give him a nice gentle kiss on the nose from me. and one for Stickers, too, just because.

Sandy

 

[Rubydoo]

I was sooo worried! Sorry I kept calling but I was so concerned! Am glad that he's home and you can keep an eye on him. It broke my heart that Stickers was talking to him and he wasn't responding.

Be on the lookout for something from Ruby to Rusty (via snail mail).

Janice and little Ruby

 

[clarejon]

the worse is over now Rusty - things can only get better.

i felt so sorry for snoopy after she was spayed and i felt terrible for doing it to her. but after a day or two he'll be back to his normal self i'm sure.

cant wait to see you bouncing about the house soon with your lil sis!

 

[lovingbianca]

Thanks so much for this post--Oh so VERY HEARTWARMING!!!

 

[Maggie's Mommy]

Thank you all for you care & concern. This forum is such a nice place to belong to knowing everyone here can relate to my feelings Rusty did eat some of the special diet EN food we were sent home with. Basically wet smelly dog food! He is to eat 1/4 cup 4 times a day for 4 days then some kibble introduced to his diet. The key is to go slow. He is drinking a little but loving some ice chips. Stickers is sad because he still is showing not much response to her. We have him in the x pen so she can't get to him. When we take them out they both are on leash so she won't "go" for sniffing his incision. She is very nosey and definitely would investigate. He doesn't seem to notice it and I don't want her to call his attention to it. He did wag his tail this morning when we got up I'm glad the breeder is coming on Friday with some of her kids! She is bringing a beautiful tricolor bitch that Stickers gets along with very well. It will give Stickers a playmate. She will stay with us for 2 weeks. At least Stickers won't be bored laying around with no one to play with.

I'll post tomorrow and let everyone know how my boy is doing.

PS: We totally agree with Faysie! I think this was an accidental rock swallowing. He has NEVER shown any interest in eating objects other than food. He doesn't even try to chew his toys! We will keep a close eye from now on!

 

[murraysmom]

It's good to know that he's home again- poor Stickers! I'm sure she knows something is wrong with her buddy and has some anxieties- when Hansel or Gretel (our former brother/sister dachshund pair) were in a similar situation, the dog who was not recovering would plant themselves outside the pen, right next to it, so that they could have body contact. It's so nice to see two animals who have such affection for each other- hope they can be back together soon!

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

Patty,

I was just wondering--how did you know he swallowed it? What were the symptoms?

 

[ra5146]

Glad he is home and recovering. When Menna was spayed I stayed up with her for 2 nights and hand fed her for 8 days with stewed steak the only thing she would eat , part of me thinks she was making the most of it.

 

[Maggie's Mommy]

This how we knew "something" was wrong with Rusty. He sometimes pukes yellow bile in the morning if his belly is empty. We usually give him a biscuit walk him then he has breakfast. My Husband gave him his morning biscuit and within 5 minutes he puked the yellow bile with some grass. Normally he would feel better after this and I would immediately feed him his breakfast and he would be great. Not Monday. He puked 3 more times each time the yellow and we was NOT getting relief. Then he couldn't get comfy. He would walk a few paces and immediately go into a quick sit. He was stretching his neck out and very odd. Sitting in the corner staring into space. I later learned this was pain he was reacting to. We took him into the Vet and she did films. They showed the rock instantly. She has no idea how long it was in there. It can sit dormant in the stomach and cause no symptoms. Once it starts moving they show pain and discomfort. She said it wasn't in the intestines more than a few hours. He was fine Sunday night at bedtime. She said good thing we actly quickly. Another 24 hours he could have lost some intestine. Thankfully he did not. We just knew because more than showig pain he was acting "weird". You just know your own dog. Instinct tells you "something is very wrong" Glad I followed mine!

 

[Baxter Basset]

I am so glad that Rusty is doing ok. I can 100% relate!! And I agree, it's great to have a place to post where people understand how much we love our houndies. Everytime I have a pet spayed or neutured, I have an anxiety attack!! I worry and then pamper them to pieces! Sounds like he's on the road to recovery though.

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

Hope he's doing much better this morning! Sounds like the symptoms would be pretty easy to spot if you know your dog at all. I'd definitely notice that kind of behavior, too. Poor Rusty.

 

[EccentricGirl42]

So glad this turned out okay and you noticed the problem as quickly as you did!

Get Well Soon Rusty! Lots of people care about you!!

 

[Aruuuu]

Yep, I'll never forget Edith's symptoms. We shot to the E-Vet's and had to wait awhile because when we got there E. was stable. But she started to go downhill, the pain was clearly becoming worse, so they took her in, shot the x-rays, started some pain meds and operated awhile later. It was very expensive surgery, but -- we got our girl back and she's fine. I know you feel the same way. Still, it does make you think twice about insurance!

I hope Rusty's recovery is quick and uneventful. I think it took Edith around a week to start perking up, and it was another week or two before she was completely normal again. A rock is an emergency situation, and a huge trauma. And I hope Rusty ate this thing by accident!