Dog News

Well the past few days have been quiet the roller coaster for Chad & I. After returning from our trip to Austin & Athens our days have revolved completely around our 3 children: Callie, Gunner, & Mudder.
...Here's a little breakdown for ya...
Monday: Returned to El Paso via Southwest Airlines.
Tuesday: Picked Callie up from boarding and dropped her off at PetSmart for a bath and haircut. Rushed Mudder to the vet.
Wednesday: Drove to Abilene to pick Gunner up from training.
Thursday: Dropped Gunner off at PetSmart for a bath and hair cut. Visited Mudder at the vet.
Our plans for today are still unknown. Read below for the good and the bad. ...& please say a prayer for Chad & I as we are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted!

Callie's News...
She missed us so much while we were gone but had a blast (AS ALWAYS) at Adobe. Her hair is shorter after Chad accompanied Callie & I to PetSmart; she LOVES her one bow!


Gunner's News...
Gunner is home from training and I am so happy that he is back with us! Brent and all the others at Southern Hills Kennels did a great job with not only training Gunner but taking care of him as well while he was away from us for a whole 3 months! Gunner can now heel, sit, stay, lie down, retrieve, and hold. He will continue to require daily training with Chad & I but our hopes are high that he will not only be a great family dog for us but a bird dog for Chad! We are super happy with the progress that Gunner made while he was away and look forward to more progress with us at home.
@ Training (last day)

Putting out the quail while Gunner waits patiently in the kennel!

"fetch"

Bringing the quail back to Brent...I AM SO PROUD OF MY GUN GUN "Gunner"!

"down" ready to "heel"

"sit"

"down"

@ Home (second day back with us)

"down"

"stay"

"hold" (as Chad applies pressure per Brent's recommendation)

"holding"!!!!

"heel"

"stay" (as he attempts to get up; he LOVES his momma and he tries to get by with more when he's with me...ha!)


Mudder's News...
Mudder, Chad's #1 hunting buddy for the past 9 years, is not doing well. Approximately 3 weeks ago Mudder went into heat. One night Chad & I came home to find that our neighbor's dog had broken through our wooden gate to get to Mudder. Chad was so upset and fiercely mad since he DOES use Mudder for breeding purposes. We kept her locked up in the back yard the whole time while she was in heat and while we were back in Athens during my Spring Break. One of our friends fed and watered Mudder while we were gone and it wasn't until the day before we returned that she appeared to start feeling bad. When we finally arrive home around midnight on Monday night Mudder could barely walk; she was obviously in severe pain and just looked like a completely different dog. It was so weird how different and painful she looked. We rushed to the emergency vet in El Paso where they told us that they could treat her but it would be well over $1000 (not including any operations that she may need). We left and took their advice to force some pedialyte down her to keep her hydrated and return to our regular vet during normal business hours. We arrived at Adobe Animal Hospital, our vet, as soon as they opened and the vet told us that Mudder had Pyometra. He immediately performed the surgery and called us with the great results that she did make it through the operation. He told us that she would need a few days of recovery in the hospital and would need to stay inside for approximately 10 days once she came home; he was hopeful that she would be home on Thursday. Mudder's operation took place Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday Chad & I had to drive to Abilene to pick up Gunner. After talking to the vet on Wednesday Mudder seemed to be recovering well, however a call from the vet himself Thursday morning was not what we wanted to hear...Mudder had taken a turn for the worse. We drove to El Paso to see Mudder and she appeared to be in less pain but we could tell she was having problems breathing. She was SO HAPPY to see us and it was so great to see her wagging her tail! They allowed her to be off of the IV for approximately 30 minutes before they requested that she return to the back. When they came to get her she immediately started crying and forced all 4's out and would not move; they literally had to force her back. ...That's when I completely lost it! I rushed to the bathroom where I cried like a baby! It was so difficult to see Mudder so happy with us and then so upset that she had to leave us. Chad is the apple of her eye and she loves him dearly, she's also grown to love me since I've come into her life (5 years ago) and loves to lay in my lap so I can give her the loving only a momma can give (lots of rubs and baby talk)! ...I have tears in my eyes as I type this now; Mudder is just such a great dog and I truly hate to see her in pain and the thought of loosing her just breaks our hearts. Her white blood cell count is still extremely high even after the operation and her immune system seems to still have so much infection to fight, she continues to be dehydrated although she is on an IV and drinking water on her own...it's just not nourishing her tissue like it should. The vet said the antibiotics alone will not be able to "pull her through this" so we're hoping that she can fight through it and if not I PRAY that we will all have peace. This really is so hard to even type. We took some pics during our visit; she really did look pretty good...but is obviously having major issues going on inside. After talking with the vet this morning he is still majorly concerned about Mudder's condition and unsure if she will conquer this infection or not. He suggested that he might send her home today to be with us and hopefully that will give her some positive feedback that she so desperately yearns for. He emphasized that from a medical stand point she isn't ready to come home, but that her stay in the hospital could be very lengthy with minimal improvement. At this time I'm unsure of what this afternoon holds, but I will keep you all updated.
@ the Vet

Mudder loves her poppa!

...something about this picture that touches my heart!

Mudder & Me...Sweet, Sweet Girl!

...After visiting Mudder and dropping Gunner off at PetSmart, Chad & I decided to have a picnic at the park. We went to Subway and headed to the closest park and picnic table we could find! It was such a pretty day for all of our sad busy"ness" and the time that we spent outside in the sun was so nice! ...talking, eating, and just hanging out...I LOVE MY MAN SO MUCH! Through all of our hard times we remain hopeful, blessed, and in love.