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About 10pm on April 8, 2008 I discovered that two of my dogs had broken boards on the privacy fence in order to chase some nocturnal animal. They were out of the fence for about twenty minutes until I found them about a quarter of a mile from the house. Shadow, a boarder collie lab mix, was fine. He came running and jumped in the car for the ride home. Dasher, a sighthound collie mix, was not far behind him but not in good shape. It was obvious that he was seriously injured. He was able to come when called and get into the car under his own power, but he was bleeding from the mouth and nose and limping on his front leg. He would not lie down in the car; he was pacing!
I called home and told my husband to get me their leashes and meet me in the driveway. I informed him that we were off to the emergency vet because Dasher was seriously injured. He took Shadow inside. I gave a dose of Arnica to Dasher prior to going to the emergency vet. My husband called ahead to the vet to tell them we were on our way.
Dasher did not lie down in the Explorer; he stood for the 15 minute ride. Once at the office, I went in to ask for assistance in getting him out of the car. They brought out a stretcher. When we returned to the car he had jumped over the backseat from the cargo area and was in the seat. He would not lie down. We lifted him out of the Explorer and he walked into the vet’s office. They immediately took him to the treatment area.
When they finally came out to tell me what was going on, the news did not seem very hopeful. He had air in his chest cavity due to a collapsed lung; his left shoulder blade was broken, as was his left jaw and several teeth; there were lots of abrasions and minor cuts, and a large hemoatoma on his upper left muzzle area. Since this was a life threatening emergency, I did not argue with their decisions to save his life.
The vet used a large needle and removed the air from his chest cavity so that he could breathe again. They began IV fluids to fight the shock and prevent dehydration. They gave various medications through the IV—antibiotics and pain meds. Dasher remained at the emergency vet hospital over night. Before I left him, the vet asked if I wanted them to attempt to revive him if he went into cardiac failure. I made a difficult decision but said, “No, if this is his time to go, please do not cause more suffering but help prevent him from suffering.” I went to see him in his crate before leaving. He looked at me with such pleading eyes to make him better. I could sense his incredible determination to be okay."
When I arrived home, I immediately emailed my homeopath, Magda Aquila, with all the details. She responded the next morning that I had done right giving Dasher Arnica, and that I should give him another dose when I picked him up from the emergency vet. I sent her copies of all his medical reports as I received them throughout the day.
I picked him up the following morning to take him to our regular vet for further treatment and follow up. My 13-year-old son went with me. He looked pretty rough, but was very happy to see us. His pretty fur was matted with blood and road grit. His jaw was crooked and he limped when he walked. The vet had concerned herself with saving his life, not repairing the broken bones.
My usual vet continued the fluids and read all the x-rays made the previous evening. Their office called to inform me that his broken bones were more serious than they could deal with. They wanted me to take him to a specialty vet practice that had Board Certified Surgeons for further treatment. So, for the third time since his accident, he was placed in the Explorer and moved. Each time I placed him in the car, he got in on his own power but refused to get out at each vet’s office. I would lift him out and then he would walk into the office with me. He would whine and pull whenever he was removed from me.
The specialty vet looked over the x-rays and read the other vet’s report. They gave him a brief exam and told me that he would require several days of intensive care treatment in order to stabilize him enough to do a CT scan on the jaw. The scan would help them determine what surgical procedure would be needed on the jaw. When I inquired about its cost, I was informed that it would approach $5,000. In addition, we would have to have surgery to repair the jaw and remove the broken teeth. When I expressed concern over the high cost of care and our financial situation, the vet recommended we put him down. I informed her that I would need to discuss all of this with family members. I left Dasher there, with instructions to only maintain him until I returned that evening. As they led him back to the treatment area, he pulled on his lead and whined to remain with me. His pleading eyes told me that he wanted to live."
I called Magda. I had kept her fully informed throughout the day. She had been treating Dasher over the past couple of years due to vaccinosis. She told me that I could provide his care at home if I was willing to devote a lot of time to him. She said that she would work with me to return him to health. I spoke with my husband and son and We decided to bring him home.
When I returned to the specialty vet office with our decision, I was asked what I could do for him at home. I informed them that I had taken care of a terminally-ill child for fifteen years and had done most of his medical procedures. Therefore, I could do most anything that was needed for him. They required me to sign a statement that I was removing Dasher against their advice and that I was to release them from all liability and responsibility of the outcome. They refused to provide me with fluids to administer at home. Less than 22 hours after the accident I brought Dasher home.
I administered remedies as recommended by Magda. The following day I purchased a blender, so that Dasher could consume meat. At the same time, I also purchased two muzzles to hold his jaw in position. Dasher spent his time in his crate. I encouraged fluids mixed with blended meat. I burned up two blenders in the first 24 hours! A friend loaned me her meat grinder for as long as I needed it. Nothing smells up a house quicker than grinding fresh green tripe! I was determined to keep him on his usual prey model raw diet during his recovery. My regular vet ordered subQ fluids in order to help keep him hydrated. My homeopath was just an email or phone call away and was with me every step of the way. Press 'continue' for email updates that I sent to my homeopathic list (ClassicalHomeopathyPets) as things progressed. They tell the story of his recovery.
I took Dasher back to see the vet that recommended I put him down after his accident. It has been 4 months since he was hit. Everyone at the vet's just oooohhed and aaaahhed over how good he looked. They asked about his breed--I said it just depended on who you asked--some say Russian wolfhound collie mix, other say saluki collie mix, others just say hound collie mix. They pulled up his record to see what they had put down--just collie mix. I'm sure it also showed that I took him out against medical advice. I said something about him being spoiled--Jason said yeah she hand fed him for weeks. They looked at me funny and I reminded them that he had a broken jaw so I ground his food and hand fed him so he would stay healthy and that I also administered sub Q fluids for about 4 weeks. The vet said he looked really good and asked if he was able to run and play as normal. I told her he was eating as if nothing had ever happened that he was playing with his pack mates and acting perfectly normal in all ways. She simply responded that she was really glad things turned out so good for us.
Just before we were leaving the waiting room, Dasher walked over to a small table and hiked his leg!!! We were not able to get him stopped before he at least marked the table! Someone said "Well we know what he thinks of this place." I took that as my cue to leave.