When the shit hits the fan.

[stealthy1 3,964]

When the shit hits the fan.

Tuesday evening 8.30pm

My lurcher bitch seems a shade off colour, heat maybe.  I'll have to keep an eye on her I thought.
I noticed she'd been sick, so off I went to have a look to see what she had brought up. 
f**k me dog, what you been eating this time, sticks, brittle bones, plastic, you know what they're like, lurchers will eat anything, or at least mine does.
I noticed a bit of blood in what she had brought up, not a big deal with this dog, she's always eating strange crap, so chucking up a bit of stick
or bone an scratching her throat on the way out is nothing new, and has happend quite a lot over the years, just one of her foibles.

Tuesday 9.00pm

I can see my bitch is not a happy bunny chaser, she lacks the snap she normally has, and has just turned her nose up at her dinner, she never turns her nose 
up at food.  Must be the heat I thought, it's a reall warm evening with no breeze at all.  But you know how it is, we know our dogs inside out, and I'd had this
dog for 9 and a half years, and something was nagging me to f**k about this, can't say what it was, but it was nagging away. 

Tuesday 11.00pm

Dogs had a good drink now, so that's a good thing, at least she's still drinking,  so I'm still thinking it's something she's eaten.  here I am off round the garden with the 
torch to have a scan round, don't know what I expected to find, but it made me feel better turning detective, like I'm doing something that makes her feel better.
Found nothing out of the ordenery.  So I'm expecting to find turd at the back door in the morning, and what ever was jipping her would be passed and she would be
back to normal. 

Wednesday 5.30am

Early start at work, want to get the hard work out of the way before it starts to bake.  On arival at the back door, no turd.  So out into the garden with the dogs
for a slash and a dump. Normally the lurcher is out and back in the kitchen in a  flash to pick up the left overs from breakfast, and my GSD who can piss for a gold 
medal, and always has too shits in the morning is alway last to get finished.  Strange, this morning he beats the lurcher hands down in the breakfast scraps rally.
So I walk up the garden, the lurcher is just standing still looking at the top of the garden and only just wags her tail when I walk up to her, what the f**k is up
with you I said to her, like she understands.  She casualy walks off and squatts down for dump, she struggled at first, and then she passed more blood and shit than 
I've ever seen a dog do.  Now I khow why she's off colour, and it's now a vets job, got the card out with the opening times on it, f**k me, not open until 9.00am. 
f**k that, I rang there and then.  Nobody there but the answer machine, which gave me a number to ring, but it too had an answer machine, but no other number to ring.

 

Wednesday 6.00

Rang the vets again.  Nobody there.

Wendesday 7.00

Rang the vets again, answer machine.

Wednesday 8.00am

Hello, I've a problem with my lurcher, she's passing blood out of both ends?  Can you fetch her in for 9 the receptionist said?  yes I said.

Wednesday 8.30am

And I'm at the vets, showed the vet the pix of her bodily functions, looks like she's been poisoned said the vet.  I'm gutted.  But how?

Got back from the vets for about half nine, had a good look round the garden for any signs of poison, but drew a blank.  Next up was poisonous plants maybe, 
but nothing was chewed or eaten, another blank.  So now I'm thinking that maybe someone has thrown something over the fence?  But I get on with my neighbours, so
maybe someone with a greivence.  But then why has the GSD not gone down with her, I'm now thinking about anyone I've had a fall out with lately, but nobody 
comes to mind, so another blank. 

Wednesday 12.00pm

Vet rings, your dogs collapesed, we have her on a drip.  Could you have a look round and see if your can find anything that may have caused this the vet enquired,
I've already turned the place upside down I replied, and found nothing.  I've now got that sinking feeling, and I'm back out in the garden searching for clues.
It was quite by chance that I looked into a 2 gallon water bucket that lives at the back of the shed, it collects rain water that I use for my cold frame.
And there it is, blue green algae.  The lurcher is not a big fan of tap water, and she used this bucket a lot when it's warm, so that's why the GSD was ok,
and the lurcher went down.  I rang the vets with my find in a hope that they can find a cure.  She was still out for the count.

Wenesday 3.00pm

Rang the vets to see if there was any improvement, but no change, still down and out, and still on a drip.  Xrays showed nothing stuck inside her, so the blue green algae
was the prime suspect, at least we know where were at.  No point ringing again today.  It's at times like this that you start to remeniss about the past.

Those that remember when I first got her, and the greif I got from the Mrs for getting another lurcher, do we need another dog she roared.  But I had a plan.
I had a birthday coming up, and my plan was to ask for a lurcher as a birthday present.  She gave in, and we were off to visit a THL member to pick up a bitch 
pup that he had held onto for some messer that just never turned up, £250 was the asking price, I'd read some the the members posts on the sire and dam at work, 
so decided to give the pup a whirl, gave hundred notes in the end.  I remember the dam had mastitis and her milk had dried up, so I picked the pup up at 7 weeks old.
  
She was tiny, my Mrs is around 5ft tall, and has small hands, and the pup fit into the palm of her hand curled up, and that was how we brought her back home
Goes with out saying that the Mrs was smitten with her by the time we got home, and now wont be with out her,  Works every time.
Then I started to think about her first time out in the fields, and that dumb look she had on her face as she tore through the long grass using her nose as a plough, 
and her first chase as a rabbit bolts from the long grass and makes for the safety of a hawthorn hedge, and the stunned look on her face when it shot down a hole
into the safety of it's warren, think she was around 4 or 5 months old, so she at least had good chase instinct, and from that point on she just got better and 
better, I couldn't wait to get her out with the ferrets in the Winter, she was already broken to ferrets at 5 months, so all that was left to do was show her 
some work and see how she did.

And as it happend, the little unknown lurcher turned out good, she's as at home picking up shot pigeons as she is running rabbits, although she is a little 
chewy with pigeons, dont know if its the feathers.  But as an alrounder, she does me proud, what ever I need from her I get, some days she's bit stubborn,
but thats just the way she is, and I can live with that. 

Thursday 8.30am

Rang the vet.  She's eaten a handfull of biscuits, but still passing blood, we're going to put another drip through her and see how it goes.
She wouldn't have eaten the biscuits if she wasn't pulling through I said to my self, light at the end of the tunnel.  I rang later before the vets
shut for the day, vet said still the same.  I'll admit I thought she'd be up by now after eating the biscuits, but still not on her feet.

Friday 8.30am

Hello, I'm just ringing to see if my lurcher is any better, she's up and eaten half a bowl of food.  I welled up and asked when I could fetch her.
Leave it until teatime and see how she goes.

Friday 5.45

I'm in the van and on my way to pick her up, lucky I didn't get a speeding ticket.  She was a bit stiff looking when she walked up to me, but
her tail was wagging and she was grinning like a lotto winner, I was chuffed to bits to get her home.  The stiffness lasted about two weeks.
Think that was the poison that made her stiff, and the blood in her stools looked like stripey toothpaste for a week, but I'll take my 
hat off to the vets, we slag them off when we pay the bills, but I was glad to pay this one, £250 You couldn't buy a good pup for that. 

Glad to say my lurcher is back on form, the stiffness has gone, and no toothpaste stipes in her turds. I don't post much in the dog sections,
but this is a heads up folks, while we have this heat wave, keep your eyes peeled hazards we don't normally experience.

 

First chuck up.

And then the other end,  spag ball anyone.

The water bucket.

  

 

[blackmaggie 3,377]

Glad to hear it ended well buddy and sounds like you have a decent vet 

[mackem 27,750]

That was a bad read,for a moment I didn't think it would end well,glad everything turned out for the better,i can tell by reading the post how much the dog means to you 

[Councilestatekid 1,974]

Hats off to your vet pal and good job you found that bucket glad it's had a happy ending for you hope she fully recovers atb

[Rusky1984 155]

All good in the end mate am pleased you have her back in good health all the best for the coming season 

[stealthy1 3,964]

2 minutes ago, blackmaggie said:

Glad to hear it ended well buddy and sounds like you have a decent vet 

 

Our vet is polish, he's a good lad, runs a tight ship,  and if he likes you your bills reflect that, so I keep in with him.  He knew right away she was poisoned, but couldn't nail the poison, I knew from what he said that it was in the garden, but I just couldn't find it straight away.

[stealthy1 3,964]

2 minutes ago, mackem said:

That was a bad read,for a moment I didn't think it would end well,glad everything turned out for the better,i can tell by reading the post how much the dog means to you 

Cheer Mackem, yes the dog means a lot to me,  had her that long it's strange with out her, she may be 25kg, but her presence in the house is massive, the GSD just sat at the back door until she came back, my next doors Mrs burst out crying because the GSD looked so lost.

[walshie 2,804]

Glad she's ok mate. 

[stealthy1 3,964]

2 minutes ago, walshie said:

Glad she's ok mate. 

Cheers Walshie, close shave.

[Rabid 1,936]

Blimey, that made some reading, must have been hell for you, really pleased she pulled through and hope you have a good season with her and many more to come.

[stealthy1 3,964]

36 minutes ago, Rabid said:

Blimey, that made some reading, must have been hell for you, really pleased she pulled through and hope you have a good season with her and many more to come.

Cheers mate,  yes, you don't know how attached to your dogs you are until one is in the firing line, more so when you walk one dog with out the other, the GSD was lost for those couple of days, first time in 5 and a half years with out her.

[Daniel cain 46,352]

Glad it all ended well for you bothwe get that blue green algae shit in the moat around the castle in my home town every year when it's hot, bad for the fish big time, they put up warning signs saying not to go in or let your dogs swim in it......... Won't be walking my dogs near there anytime soon after reading this. Cheers for the heads up, will be making sure there's no pots or pans full of rain water about the place

[stealthy1 3,964]

12 minutes ago, Daniel cain said:

Glad it all ended well for you bothwe get that blue green algae shit in the moat around the castle in my home town every year when it's hot, bad for the fish big time, they put up warning signs saying not to go in or let your dogs swim in it......... Won't be walking my dogs near there anytime soon after reading this. Cheers for the heads up, will be making sure there's no pots or pans full of rain water about the place

Cheers mate,  I couldn't believe how fast it knocked my bitch down,  she's always been bullet proof apart from the odd ding.

[ChilliMark 9]

Had a similar story when one of my dogs got bit by an adder.In the hospital for three days,not much change,then She pulled round.

I'm sure your girl will be pampered for a while.Glad your story had a happy ending,good luck with her. 

 

 

[Daniel cain 46,352]

Scary shit when there's claret pissing from both endsI've just registered with a new vet who happens to be polish, was very interested in the young lurcher bitch I had in for her jabs,had a good chat to him about working dogs, puppy peddlers and rip off veterinary practices lol, told me he look after mefingers crossed,i don't need his services too often