It all happened so fast. We came home from a brief trip to the grocery store and found our dog, Miranda in distress. It was Friday at 4:30 before a long holiday week-end. She had just come back from the groomers two ours ago. Fortunately the Vet agreed to see her. An X-ray later and we were on our way to the pet emergency center where we were told she needed major abdominal surgery or she would be euthanized. Of course, we decided on surgery even though she was a large 13 year old dog, old for a dog of her size.
She was operated on that evening and after I spent a sleepless night, I called in the early morning hours to see how she was doing. Her recovery was on track and somehow, we got to day two. They said she was whining. She never does that and I felt that she was missing us. They assured us that her pain was being controlled. No way to explain to a dog what is going on and how lovingly (and anxiously) we are standing by, or how she needed to be where she was for now.
I am not adequately able to describe our emotions which were both tumbling over and on hold so we could function.
When family, friends, or parishioners are in the hospital, I can talk with them. They can usually understand that stabilizing them and their spending as much time under expert care as possible is important. Not so with our dog who could not understand where we were! Before 24 hours were up, she was on her way home with us, wobbly and unable to even get in the car without help. But the Vet dismissed her and like magic, the whining stopped. Our bond is strong,
We normally sleep on the second floor of our home where she also has a dog bed. Not now. Now we were on dog watch and I was sleeping on a mattress on the first floor in the room with her. On the second night home I was wakened by her standing over me and panting. On the theory that she was in pain I gave her pain medication and anxiously called the hospital to see if that seemed right to them. It did.
One son’s family came to see her the next day and I am sure that helped with her healing. The day after that, another son and family came over and with that she was on the road to full recovery and returning to her normal self.
I go into this detail surprised that we are all rallying around a dog. And, my husband and I paid more for her surgery than we would ever have thought possible if we had contemplated the matter under non-emergency conditions. But I would do it again.
In some ways, our care for all of God’s creatures is connected. We as humans have a close connection to animals and to our mutual habitat.
The fact is, we owe our dog, and we were fortunate enough to be able to pay for saving her life and to have had good and expert doctors to do the work of caring for her. Miranda has been through thick and thin with us. She has been faithful, loving, gentle, and kind and amusing. And a good traveler. She has gone almost everywhere we have gone and been a companion and my “familiar.” I have gotten over the extravagant cost of the surgery by now.
People from other countries are often puzzled by our devotion to pets in the US. And so they should be when we over pamper our pets. But, we were not pampering our dog, we were saving her life. It is just too bad that it costs so much to do so. So many people even in the US could not make the choice we did.
It’s like dental care. Who can afford the more complex treatments like root canals and implants. When people go to Veterinary School and Dental school, are they aware that they will never be serving the working poor? Clinics for the poor are wonderful. However, there is a class gap in care. Maybe we should consider universal dental care.
But back to Miranda. Two years later, she is still with us and we are so grateful for every day we have with her. We thank the Vets and nurses who cared for her and we thank Miranda for being so lovingly resilient.