Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Project 365 - 01-06-09 (Millie's illness)

So today's picture illustrates the joy of having a sick pug! We have a lovely 8 year old pug named Mildred, unfortunately, pugs tend to have some health issues associated with the breed. These include eye problems (check) , breathing problems (check), and anal gland issues (BIG check).


Yesterday I noticed that Millie's anal gland was swelling. It was already late in the day and I knew the Vet's wouldn't be able to do anything until morning when they do surgeries. So I gave her a shot of penicillin in her butt muscle and watched her. Sure enough, by 10pm the gland had ruptured. We had already made an appointment with All Creatures Vets for 8:15am. I took care of the gland and filled it with Panalog and waited until morning. After the rupture, we had to cover the couches and her favorite napping spots with things that could be washed.


This morning the antibiotics had obviously done their job (her fever was gone and the gland was flattened) but it had upset her stomach. Since they had told us to stop food at 6pm the previous night and stop water at Midnight, her stomach became even more upset and she began throwing up...a lot.

After coming back from the vet - he said what we did was perfect and told us to continue the shots of penicillin for the next 4 days. When she came home she slept for a while and then ate like crazy....apparently too much. So she once again began throwing up, the picture below may just look like a carpet - but it's a carpet on which I've cleaned her regurgitation on at least 10 spots...yes, that's how I spent my evening.


Ahhhh, the joys of pet ownership. But you know what - even with all the medical treatments, a $175 vet bill (luckily we has ASPCA pet insurance), and the endless cleaning of the carpet - I wouldn't trade the joy of my little Millie for anything! Pets are the only things that will ever love you unconditionally and we should try to match that love to the best of our ability!!

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