Pumpkins and enemas: We all handle grief in our own ways
By Gina Spadafori
October 20, 2009
Just before the weekend, I noticed McKenzie was a little quiet. And then she became even more quiet — depressed, in fact. She picked at her breakfast Saturday, ate dinner Saturday night. Sunday, when Dr. Becker was in town, she ate neither breakfast nor dinner.
She wasn’t vomiting, no temp, no enlargement of the lymp nodes, everything was checking out except the appetite and the lethargy. Yesterday she ate a breakfast of canned pumpkin and cottage cheese, and then a normal dinner. She was acting completely normal again, even roughhousing with her daughter Faith, so I decided to wait to until my regular veterinarian, Dr. Bill Porte, came back to work this morning.
McKenzie passed the physical exam with flying colors, and we won’t see the blood tests until tomorrow.
But the X-ray … well … there’s a problem.
Fortunately, it’s not one that flat-coated retrievers are known for, even at the relatively young age of 4, that being deadly cancer. But the problem is certainly is one retrievers in general have a propensity for:
McKenzie has eaten something she shouldn’t.
She will get another x-ray in the morning, at which time we hope to see that what appears to be an impaction has worked its way through, with the help of fiber (canned pumpkin) on the front end and an enema on the back.
Now, here’s the strange thing: McKenzie wasn’t even much of a chewer even as a puppy. So why would she get herself in such a state now?
It could be the puppy, that she’s sharing chewing up things with her daughter. But I wonder: Could it be grief? Could she be missing Heather or reacting to the change of dynamics with Heather gone? (Bossy Ms. Faith already seems destined to become top dog over her easy-going mother.) Or could McKenzie be reacting to my grief, which has been fairly intense?
All of the above? None of the above?
Really, we’ll never know what changed McKenzie’s behavior. Now, I just gotta hope whatever she got into her gets out again without surgery.
We’ll know more tomorrow.
Good luck, Gina and McKenzie. I hope all goes well for you both!
This too shall pass…
Comment by Dr. Tony Johnson — October 20, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
This too shall pass…
Comment by Dr. Tony Johnson — October 20, 2009
I’m counting on it!
:)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 20, 2009 @ 4:04 pm
“This too shall pass…”
So I gotta ask - is intestinal humor anything like intestinal fortitude? G!
Hoping McKutie gets better soon!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — October 20, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
Pat … Puppy Faith was 52.7 pounds at the vet hospital open house yesterday. That would sure make your puppy growth graph go crazy!
And to think it all started at … what? 320 grams for her?
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 20, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
I hope McKenzie passes whatever it is and is okay.
Comment by Lis — October 20, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Uh oh. Hope McKenzie is able to pass whatever it is without incident!
Comment by Smaki — October 21, 2009 @ 4:01 am
Well … we have been working diligently on moving the problem along, but … I am still worried that she may need surgery after all. Less hopeful this morning than last night, in fact, after she picked at breakfast this morning.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 5:59 am
Hope mom is O.K.
I had to laugh, I’m frantically running the Dyson this morning since I have lessons after school. Don’t feel like my students need to be subjected to dog hair dust bunnies the size of a Shitzu. I Move into the room, plug my dyson in and vrrrroooom. I’m sucking up dog hair right and left. Then, all of a sudden my dyson QUITS working. I’m thinking, “WHAT ELSE CAN GO WRONG TODAY.” I turn around and there is DOOLEY sitting with the plug in his mouth. He apparently unplugged the dyson from the wall and sat down to watch me. Cheeky little boy.
Comment by Verde — October 21, 2009 @ 8:36 am
I taught all the puppies to do that before they left. :)
Probably won’t know about McKenzie until noonish PT. She has enough canned pumpkin in her to make a jack-o-lantern from the reformed bits. Although with the lubricant that went in along with, it wouldn’t hold together very well.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 9:49 am
I went through this same thing a couple of weeks ago with a kitten. We were able to forego surgery. (I didn’t know that you could study cat poop that closely!) I hope the same goes for you. Go McKenzie, go………
Kathy
Comment by Kathy B — October 21, 2009 @ 11:50 am
Update: Just got the call from the veterinary hospital. All systems go … or rather, all systems WENT.
The junk is now in the poop shoot and will be appearing shortly.
Crisis over. :)
Of course, I had to make a call on deadline for my weekend trip to Miami.
It’s now next weekend instead of this one. I guess McKenzie wanted me to stay home.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
EXCELLENT news! What a relief, in EVERY sense of the word!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — October 21, 2009 @ 1:02 pm
Yay!
Comment by Lis — October 21, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Yay, Gina! I have a lab mix who eats socks. :-( In the past, she vomited them up in a day or two, but we had to pump her full of fluids this spring to get one out of her. It was uncomfortable for her, scary for me!
Comment by Sherron — October 21, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
Yea!!! Enjoy your weekend!
Comment by Kathy B — October 21, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
My final thoughts on this …
Two sets of abdominal X-rays: $300
Two radiology consults: $70
Four cans of pumpkin: $5
Bringing home a completely healthy dog:
PRICELESS!!!
:)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Well, now that we have this story’s good news, the suspense is killing me. When Nature’s Broom takes its course, please do let us know the outcome. (If you’ll pardon the expression.)
Comment by Nadine L — October 21, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
Um … I’ll have to ask McKenzie if that’s OK. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
Ahhh … something exotic, I surmise.:)
Comment by Nadine L — October 21, 2009 @ 4:04 pm
I don’t yet know what she ate. But she’s claiming her HIPPA rights.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 21, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
LOL! But…isn’t it a little late for that?
Comment by Nadine L — October 21, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
Ha! I’m with Nadine - McKenzie’s HIPPA right were violated when you wrote the first words of your blog post..lol…
So glad it all came out - well, it all came out!
Comment by Ingrid King — October 22, 2009 @ 6:17 am
Ha! I’m with Nadine - McKenzie’s HIPPA right were violated when you wrote the first words of your blog post..lol…
Comment by Ingrid King — October 22, 2009
Well, yes, but … it wasn’t until her attorney called that I was so informed. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 22, 2009 @ 8:37 am
I hope your attorney is a dog-gone good one (gone for what was inside)!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — October 22, 2009 @ 8:41 am
I don’t have one. When McKenzie’s legal beagle called, I just caved.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 22, 2009 @ 8:57 am
Then litter-gation cannot begin, Gina.
Comment by Colorado Transplant — October 22, 2009 @ 1:44 pm