Thursday, March 21, 2013

What Happened to Hank. The insanely long version...

This morning I got 3 more hours of sleep than usual. I woke up at 7:37am to Hank bitching at me from the dining room, for the 4th time since we went to sleep at 9pm the night before. He knows we don't practice the cry it out method (haha) so if he makes any noise I run our to see if he's ok. Usually he has pooped and needs me to get rid of it. Or he's bored and can't sleep. Or his ears itch. Or the cat's are bothering him. Or he just wants to see me. I am always more than happy to check on him and do what he needs, because I am just so happy he's still here.

On February 9th Hank was acting funny. Zack had surgery on Jan 30th and we had all been stuck in the house 100% of the time since that happened. Hank and I usually go at least one place everyday. Even if it's just to run on base and have lunch with Zack. So, I assumed that Hank was acting funny because he was bored... because I definitely was. So I decided to take him to go for a ride on his favorite street at around 9pm the night before.

I was on the phone with my mom when we walked out to the car, and Hank was so excited to be leaving that I couldn't even get the door to the car all the way open when he tried to jump in the drivers side. As he jumped in he just missed his back feet making the seat and smacked his feet against the side of the car, but pulled them in and didn't even need to make a second go at getting in.

I asked him if he was ok.

He didn't answer.

I got off the phone with my mom and off we went. We drove for about half an hour with the windows down in the dark. He smelled everything. He acted normal.

We got home and he hopped out of the car and walked in the house. Tail wagging.

That night he couldn't sleep. He was next to the bed and he kept waking me up because he was breathing super hard. I didn't think he was in pain, just restless or excited. Eventually I found his tempurpedic pillow and gave it to him, he passed out.

The next morning I noticed he was having a hard time standing up to go potty in the morning. I gave him a rimadyl and just thought that his hip dysplasia was bothering him.

When he came in he hopped up on to the couch and walked in a circle for 5 solid minutes trying to get comfortable enough to lay down. I kept telling Zack something was wrong. It was a Sunday morning and I made a mental note to take him to the vet on Monday to get some new meds for his hips. Clearly he was uncomfortable.

Eventually he gave up on the couch and wanted to be let outside again. I opened the door and watched him walk into the yard. He seemed like he was drunk. He couldn't keep his feet underneath him.

Suddenly, he just fell over in the yard. My heart dropped and I ran outside screaming like he had been shot. Zack freaked when he realized something serious was going on. He crutched out of the bedroom for the first time in 10 days to see how he could help.

After a few seconds in the yard Hank got up on his own and came inside. I pulled the tempurpedic mattress cover off of our bed and brought it in the living room so he could lay down on it without getting on the bed. He walked in circles for 15 minutes while I made him a turkey burger, turkey bacon, green beans, and a HUGE helping of coconut oil. Usually the coconut oil helps his hips within a few hours and at that point I was still convinced that was the issue.

He ate it all standing up on the mattress pad.

Finally he went in to the dining room on the tile and laid down. Zack assumed he was better and he went back to bed. I sat on the couch and started googling the best treatment for him.

Every once in a while I would notice him craning his head around the corner to look at Zack. I thought he was tired and checking on everyone. I'm an idiot.

Eventually Zack noticed he had Hank's attention and started talking to him. Telling him what a good boy he is and calling him a fat dork (his super sweet pet-name for Hank).

This is when I really started to lose my shit.

He wasn't wagging his tail.

At all.

So I told Zack.

Zack got up and we both went in and sat with Hank and in our most seriously high-pitched, Jenna Marble-esque voice, tried to get him to wag his tail... which he usually does without any type of provocation...

Nothing.

Now I'm trying my hardest to keep it together. I'm leaving messages for the vet on his emergency line. That's messages.

I am losing my shit.

Hank is getting scared because I can't get a grip. He's restless and freaking out and drags his back legs, knuckled under, into the living room. At this point, Zack starts to lose it too.

My first thought was that some prehistoric weirdo animal that Georgia grows had bitten him. A snake or something. When he fell in the living room and it was clear his back half was now completely paralyzed within 3 hours of waking up that morning, I was pretty sure he was dying.

We sat sobbing on the floor with him while I told Zack that this was probably it.

When the vet called us back he said that he was about 4 hours from his office and he would meet us there when he could. He said that he thought Hank would be fine for four hours and that if he was bitten by something he wouldn't make the one hour drive we had to the vet anyway. Just to sit with him and keep him called until we heard from him.

I needed Hank to stay calm, so we sat with him and fed him at least 20 expensive bully treats. He was so scared and he was trying so hard to stand up. When I think about it now my heart breaks all over again. It was the most heart breaking thing I had ever seen. He locked his eyes on me and was begging me to make him stand up. He just couldn't. It was awful.

He was breathing incredibly hard at this point, and multiple times he would stop breathing for a second. I gave him a benadryl to help him relax and sat with his head in my lap begging him telepathically to just "go" if he was going to go. To not make it to the vet and be scared and make me make a decision to end his suffering. To just fall asleep in my arms, where he belonged, and not wake up. I begged him.

Makes me sick.

We sat with him saying goodbye for the next 4 hours. I called my parents sobbing. It was dramatic and awful.

When the vet called to say that if we left now for his office we would get there at the same time as him I had an overwhelming feeling of dread. How was I going to get this 100 pound, drugged, paralyzed, scared, dog in the car by myself? Zack couldn't help because he couldn't walk. Our friends that have babysit Hank for us were out of town, and I didn't want him to be scared if a stranger came to help. So, I decided that I was just going to figure it out.

I took apart the travel kennel Hank used when he was a baby and drug half of it into the living room where he was laying. Still sobbing I tried to get behind him and pick him up under his arms and put him in the top of the crate. As I reached underneath him and pulled him up, I realized I was stepping on his tail. Like... full-on... he made no noise. He didn't even know. My heart was crushed. I hurt him and he didn't even know and I couldn't tell which part of that was the saddest.

I eventually got him into the half crate and drug it out to the car, Zack crutching behind me. I stood next to the car, which seemed like it was 1000 feet from the ground, next to my paralyzed best friend, next to my broken and helpless husband, and cried and cried in the driveway.

I was a mess. This was not my proudest moment. Going back I would force myself to pull my shit together and be strong for my boy. There were moments in there when I was strong for him. Not enough. But there were moments.

I finally took a deep breath, wiped my face off, and lifted Hank's 100 pounds of basically dead weight in the car. He cried when I put him in, so I knew he had some feeling, but I also knew that I hurt him again and my head was starting to hurt from sobbing like a 5 year old.

Off we went. One hour to the vet, let's go.
Except we have no gas.
The car said 13 mile to empty. We had around 120 miles round trip.

So I sped to the gas station. I had recently lost my debit card and went inside to write a check. I go to this gas station 3 or 4 times a week. I am there all the time. The ladies who work there know me and they've seen Hank a billion times. However, when I tried to write a check for gas they told me they couldn't accept it because it was an out of state check... so here I am in the gas station trying not to cry and begging this 17 year old moron to let me write her a check for over so that I can get gas and she can keep the extra. Please. PLEASE. PLEASE!

Wasn't happening.

So I went back to the car, ready to steal gas. All my cards were suspended due to the lost wallet. Zack's wallet was temporarily missing post surgery and I was ready to take criminal action, when Zack saved the day and called a friend of ours who met us with a gas can.

Finally. We were on our way. My head was racing thinking that would be the last time Hank was ever in my car. Thinking I was about to be with my boy for the last time. Thinking I was going to accidentally kill all 3 of us if I didn't pay better attention to the road.

When we got to the vet he immediately came outside with a muzzle for Hank. Right, this guy needs a muzzle. Usually I would have protested but everything was happening quickly and I didn't even care. He put it on him and lifted him out of the car and into the building.

They took him back for x-rays and I assumed they would come back and tell me it was time to let him go... but they didn't.

Dr Mike came back in and I can't remember how everything went because my head was throbbing but I do remember the relief when he said there was no break. It wasn't disc disease. Just spinal swelling, and while we had a long road ahead of us he thought there was a 60/40 chance he would recover enough to walk. Afterall, he was only 6 and super healthy and strong otherwise.

He would have to stay at the vet for at least a week.

I don't even remember driving home.

I was exhausted and I passed out the moment we got in the house.

The next week I visited Hank 10 times. I brought the vet and his staff treats.

I didn't sleep.

It was awful.

Then finally, I got to bring him home.

Here he is in the car when we got home =]

When he got home he had deep pain sensation. I could squeeze his nail bed as hard as I could and he would move his back feet a little bit.

That's all we had.

Anyway-- that's the long and boring of it. He has what's called IVDD which is basically spinal swelling. Most dogs recover. They regain sensation from the back to the front, which means full use of his tail will come first. Then he will be able to stand on purpose. Then regain full control of his bladder and bowels. Then He will walk.

It's exhausting to take care of him. It is all I have done since he got hurt. I spend most of my life washing pissy shitty blankets and towels and making sure he has new fresh warm ones to lay on.

I am never upset about it, and here's why... I knew it was coming and this morning he finally showed me that without a doubt, hes going to be okay. Even if he only ever walks in his wheelchair (that the kind people of my life funded--thank you thank you thank you) this morning, my sweet boy, WAGGED HIS TAIL! It was 7:37am, he was bitching, and I could smell poop. I walked into the dining room and he was happy to see me and HIS TAIL WAGGED!

Full on, on purpose, waggage.

It has made my day and inspired me to write the longest post ever.

anyway.

That's what happened. It sucked, but it's getting better! We have tail waggage! Woohoo!!!!

I'll try to keep you all updated on Hank's progress here and quit posting on my facebook quite so much...

xoxox

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Molly! I had a question for you about possibly collaborating on something and was hoping you could email me back to discuss? Thanks so much!

- Emma

emmabanks9 (at) gmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

What age is Hank?

same happen two months ago (May 15th) to my yellow Lab ANIS, but she is 12 years and 11 months, she have a wheelchair that refuse to use, I'm her legs and only eat from my hand, but she eats and move her tail, her vowels, sometime wait to be outside, some times not.

Really don't think that she will recover.

Rodrigo
barsallo@gmail.com

Unknown said...

What age is Hank?

same happen two months ago (May 15th) to my yellow Lab ANIS, but she is 12 years and 11 months, she have a wheelchair that refuse to use, I'm her legs and only eat from my hand, but she eats and move her tail, her vowels, sometime wait to be outside, some times not.

Really don't think that she will recover.

Rodrigo
barsallo@gmail.com

Our Baby Girl Kelsey said...

This has given me some hope... my baby girl had this type of symptoms because she was soooo happy to see us because we have been gone for the weekend...then the same thing u just described above with your dog is exactly how Kelsey's symptoms have occurred. I'm so scared, but she doesn't seem to have pain & I;m not sure if that is good or bad...she does have some sensation for she felt the drs scissors poking her feet..they showed me how to express her bladder...but this morning she woke me up having to pee...I'm praying these are all good signs & praying it wont be 5 months for her recovery but I will take anything to get her walking...My husband wont consent to a doggy wheelchair, because he doesn't feel this is a quality of life but a way to ease our own feelings of not wanting to say good bye....I love my baby girl and any & all prayers for her recovery would be welcomed...b/t/w our girl is only 6 y/o

Anonymous said...

Try hydrotherapy, if you can. It did wonders for my 14 year old lab, who went from barely walking to almost running after squirrels.

Unknown said...

Hi Molly! Went through the same thing with my 6 year old mixed breed. He jumped to catch a bowl and squealed and two days later he was paralyzed. Vets told me that he would never walk again and my husband would not agree to a wheelchair and was saying that I was just prolonging a miserable life for him and we had him put down. To this day when I see stories like yours I wonder if Jasper's paralysis would have been temporary. I pray for Hank that he recovers from his injury and to give hope to other animals and their owners in the same situation. Thank you for sharing your story!

Roe
rmnavas@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Well, this story has me crying at work. I am so glad that Hank is starting to walk now. I understand dog love. I'll have to join when not working. Hug that sweet dog for me.

Maggie said...

I had a big dog like Hank who benefited from Acupuncture, carried him into the specialized Vet's table and after a treatment, the dog jumped off and walked to the car on his own. It took several sessions to restore neurological function but if it is going to work, it will. Acupuncture for lame animals is becoming a popular recourse. Also, if I may recommend that Hank avoid foods with wheat or corn as dogs generally do not digest grains very well and could cause inflammation, disease or a degenerative bone/joint issue. Glad you took such loving care of him.

Mona said...

Hey Miss Molly,
I wrote this long post but it got lost. Ah well.

Try Zoom Groom for his, Hanks, coat. Amazing. Very grateful the salesgirl told me to use it outside. I could not believe the amount of fur. He kept trying to eat it as it came off the 'brush' He, Adonis, cat. They are made of rubber, all rubber, kind of like w/ thick thick cone shaped 'bristles'. About $6 ?
If I lived there I would drive it over, but I am in Oregon. Though I was born in GA.
Shout out to your Man, thanks for serving. Shout out to Hank, keep walkin and rockin big dude..
and many blessings to you, on this wild ride of life,
namaste, Mona

Anonymous said...

Hey Miss Molly,
I wrote this long post but it got lost. Ah well.

Try Zoom Groom for his, Hanks, coat. Amazing. Very grateful the salesgirl told me to use it outside. I could not believe the amount of fur. He kept trying to eat it as it came off the 'brush' He, Adonis, cat. They are made of rubber, all rubber, kind of like w/ thick thick cone shaped 'bristles'. About $6 ?
If I lived there I would drive it over, but I am in Oregon. Though I was born in GA.
Shout out to your Man, thanks for serving. Shout out to Hank, keep walkin and rockin big dude..
and many blessings to you, on this wild ride of life,
namaste, Mona

Mona said...

If I am triple sending sorry.... just really think that Zoom Groom will help the Hank man.
Hey Miss Molly,
I wrote this long post but it got lost. Ah well.

Try Zoom Groom for his, Hanks, coat. Amazing. Very grateful the salesgirl told me to use it outside. I could not believe the amount of fur. He kept trying to eat it as it came off the 'brush' He, Adonis, cat. They are made of rubber, all rubber, kind of like w/ thick thick cone shaped 'bristles'. About $6 ?
If I lived there I would drive it over, but I am in Oregon. Though I was born in GA.
Shout out to your Man, thanks for serving. Shout out to Hank, keep walkin and rockin big dude..
and many blessings to you, on this wild ride of life,
namaste, Mona

Anonymous said...

To anyone with a dog in this condition, PLEASE find a Chiropractor to treat your dog. I have rescued many dogs that were totally parralyzed & ALL had a FULL recovery with just a few Chiropractic adjustments. FYI, there a lot of Chiropractors who treat humans that will treat dogs for free.

Unknown said...

Oh man my tears a just running down my face! My Doggie past away a few weeks and just like you I would have loved to clean up after him... but I can't :-(
So treasure every sec with you little man! And now that he is walking ... everything will be
OK. Bless you, your Babys and your 2 man!!

Greetings from Germany
Carmen

Unknown said...

Oh man my tears a just running down my face! My Doggie past away a few weeks and just like you I would have loved to clean up after him... but I can't :-(
So treasure every sec with you little man! And now that he is walking ... everything will be
OK. Bless you, your Babys and your 2 man!!

Greetings from Germany
Carmen

Unknown said...

Oh man my tears a just running down my face! My Doggie past away a few weeks and just like you I would have loved to clean up after him... but I can't :-(
So treasure every sec with you little man! And now that he is walking ... everything will be
OK. Bless you, your Babys and your 2 man!!

Greetings from Germany
Carmen