Battered and Bruised

I guess a good way to start this post off is with some poor humor: I now know what it feels like to be punched in the neck.  Oh, this may be long and rambling but I need to just lay this out for my own mental well being.  Alrighty, serious face on now.

This past Saturday Grendal's Siberian Husky, Lucky, had a stroke.  He's turning 10 this year and he is Grendal's buddy. When it happened everyone freaked out; Lucky was thrashing, vomiting, pushing himself in circles on the ground, and could not stand.  We found an emergency Vet Clinic and took him.  The Vet there said all it was, was vertigo.  Dogs Lucky's age get it so it isn't anything abnormal.  We left him at the clinic overnight, much to everyone's dismay(spent more money then we honestly had, but he's family member).  Grendal was pretty heartbroken.  Lucky had only been away once before and that was when he was neutered.  This was also the rare time I say Grendal in tears.  He was fearing for his friend's life and rightfully so.

We brought Lucky home Sunday morning, figuring that being around his family and getting some decent attention would help.  Grendal keeps turning to me for information and suggestions since I just about finished my training as a veterinary technician(had to stop due to lack of money and horrible teachers).  This was out of my realm but I knew enough to keep Lucky comfortable and to make sure he didn't hurt himself.  He's been in the middle of the living room ever since, on a plastic sheet, blankets, and puppy training pads.  Lucky's entire right side is almost useless.  He can twitch his legs but he has no sensation.  Grendal and I have tickled his feet, pinch his legs, and pulled out the fur he would be shedding and there was no facial reaction and no reaction of a skin twitch when we messed with the fur.

Grendal is also the only one strong enough to handle Lucky.  The dog is 85lbs of dead weight right now.  It takes two people to pick him up and move him.  We need one person to hold Lucky still while the other one lifts his rear to remove soiled training pads.  When Lucky decides to flail and try to move we have to calm him before he slams his head into the ground.  Grendal can stop him with one hand, Grendal's father can seem to calm him with his voice and holding him, I have to use both hands to hold his legs and even my lay my entire body across him at times, and Grendal's mother is unable to stop him at all.

In my attempts to keep Lucky calm and from injury, I have to use my entire body(like I said).  Lucky has slammed his head into my chest twice and once in the neck.  I've been kicked and scratched during his flails.  When I was struck in the neck I had Lucky in an odd bear hug and tumbled backwards onto a bowl that had been used to contain food, bruising my left arm terribly.

Its obvious that our sleeping habits have taken a major hit.  Lucky needs someone with him 24/7.  Due to the stress and lack of proper food, Grendal's immune system has taken a hit and so has mine, and he has strained his back.  Our eating habits have taken a nose dive(Grendal thinks I've lost weight) and even our hygiene hasn't been the best.  I've been unable to do laundry since we've been cleaning Lucky's bedding and no one has really left the house.

There has been no recreational moments for anyone in this home.  Grendal and I don't have much of a social life to begin with.  We're home bodies but every Friday and Sunday we get together with our friends to play games and socialize.  Everyone understood when we canceled Sunday; a good chunk of our human companions are parents to furry children.  Now, though, it seems that we won't be able to see any of them for another week.  Grendal and I are going stir-crazy.  We haven't really communicated with people online or even through our video games online.

Grendal has come to terms with the likelihood of having to put Lucky down.  So have I, his father, and even his elder sister.  His mother, though, is standing firm and clinging to every thing as a show of improvement.  Lucky has improved since he's come home.  He can eat solid food(a bland diet), he can drink on his own, he can 'sit' with his good side, and he is lucid.  Sadly there are some unexplainable blood spots appearing, he pushed his head against my foot and almost instantly fell a sleep(twice!), and he has hurt himself trying to stand since he could not move his feet into the proper positions or put weight on them.

Grendal's mother is pushing to keep him at least until Monday, and wants to see what progress he has.  She can't explain what amount and type of progress will make her happy.  Grendal and I are both thinking that she'll take any progress and run with it, claiming he's getting better.  We can't take much more of this.  The three of us who are unemployed can't get jobs with Lucky int his condition.  These things take months before the dog can be back to semblance of normalcy, which I know I can't handle.  Grendal is nearing his breaking point and his father is teetering as well.  Grendal's mother, the one who hasn't dealt with him as much as the others, hasn't seen the bad and hasn't put nearly as much time into this, and it fine.

We have a tough road ahead.   

Grendal and Lucky, '09