Poor Puppies!

We've had an interesting last few weeks with our dogs.  In March we brought Gracie into the vet because she was exhibiting some pain while chewing.  An exam really didn't reveal much.  We went home with the recommendation that she have a full dental cleaning soon {this involves going under general anesthesia}.  It is also not very cheap.  It starts around $150 at most vet clinics.  We scheduled her for mid-April.  We knew Milo needed it too {more so than Gracie} so we scheduled his for early May.  Two weeks after Gracie's appointment she started showing signs of a 'GI' upset.  Her symptoms were very similar to the time she was hospitalized with a severe case {of what they thought} was Colitis right before Audrey was born.  Usually after a few rounds of antibiotics and a bland diet she is okay.

Then enter Milo.  Our rock.  Our stud.  He is never sick and never shows any signs of distress.  He is one of the happiest and mellow dogs I have ever known.  About 24-hours after his dental cleaning he started vomiting and having bad diarrhea.  The diarrhea is normal, but the vomiting is a little concerning after a procedure like this.  We took him into the vet Monday morning and for the next three days we were completely freaked out about him.  He wouldn't eat.  He wouldn't drink.  He laid around all day.  He showed little signs of life.  He lost 2 pounds in just a few days.  We dropped him off at the vet twice in two days.  They ran tests.  Checked his vitals.  Did blood work.  On and on and on.  They had to give him fluids twice under his skin because he was getting dehydrated and two anti-nausea injections to quell his bouts with vomiting.  Once everything checked out okay the vet(s) determined that he just had a severe case of Colitis {much like Gracie's issues, but more severe} and sent us home with the same meds Gracie was on and a prescription for a bland diet.  Within hours of forcing his medicine down his throat he was like a new dog...and now he is back to his jolly old self.

Thank you, God. 

BTW - we later learned, not by the admission of the clinic however, that the dental cleaning itself can be pretty toxic with 1) the stuff they use to clean their teeth / the anesthesia they use to put them under and 2) the stuff that the animal swallows during the procedure - hence the 'GI' upset!

Since mid-March we have dropped nearly $2,000 on our dogs for vet visits, procedures and medications.  Some unexpected, some planned.  Previous to all of this I had been feeling like our dogs were a burden, but once I thought that there could seriously be something wrong with Milo, I cried.  I wasn't ready to have to say good-bye to him.  And my thoughts changed from "ugh, these dogs drive me crazy and they are so expensive" to "thank you, God, for providing a way to care for them even though we are living on one income and we now have Audrey to care for too".  The truth is, even though they are {sometimes} expensive and they can add stress to our already bustling lives, they are two of the biggest little blessings to grace our lives.  They love us unconditionally and have added so much joy to our family these past 5 years{!}

{we could open up our own pet pharmacy it seems}

{pretty sick Milo =( }

{the cushion cover was being laundered due to dog vomit...}