Life hands us curves in the road. Often they're unexpected.
Early Friday morning, Maddie started running a fever. She was close to her whelping date, so I kept her quiet and hydrated and kept checking her temperature...
By early Saturday I knew I needed professional advice. She was not herself, and her face was pleading for help. They had me bring her right in to Apple Country Veterinary...
An ultrasound revealed no heartbeats... But her body showed signs of late pregnancy. Her white blood cell count was crazy high... so she was fighting an infection someplace...
Well, it turns out that Maddie didn't have a viable pregnancy. She had cancer of the spleen and the doctor removed a spleen three times its normal size... and did a hysterectomy on her as well. While we would have smiled at having one last litter with her, we're thrilled that her prognosis is good... hopefully... and she's now recovering at home with Dave and me.
And Libby-the-Poodle, Maddie's BFF.
I hated to call the folks on Maddie's "interest" list.... I'm a big sap when I talk about it. And I know I talk a "hard-line" when I warn folks that a dog is a temporary relationship.... Most often, we'll outlive several dogs in our lives....
Well guess who cried like a stinkin' baby when Maddie was in trouble?
sigh.....
I'm a sap... But I'll still talk a tough line.
Libby is doing very well, she's round with puppies, happy, and due to deliver in the next week. Once we're set with her litter, we'll spay her and just relax with the girls!
As always, though, we love company... we love seeing and talking to folks with dogs, and our puppy families make us smile!
We love that you keep in touch with us. In this busy crazy world, that means so much.
And God bless those folks at Apple Country Veterinary who stayed late on Saturday to take care of my sick dog... and called several times to give me updates.... and Doctor Snyder who got up at 4:00 AM to check on her and cleaned up where she'd gotten sick....
I've loved working with them for years, ever since I got the idea that breeding Golden Retrievers and Doodles was a smart idea.... Their honesty and straightforward care means a great deal to us! They went above and beyond anything they needed to do on Saturday... They went the distance for us and our beloved Maddie.
We can't thank them enough for their constant good care... humor... great staff.... and the wonderful relationships we've developed with the staff at Apple Country. God sure blessed us when the Sweeney family said I should go and talk to them about my ideas... that Apple Country was my kind of "practice"...
The Sweeneys were right.... We're blessed to work hand in hand with such great folks.
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