The Little Pack

We took the dogs camping this weekend. Well, sort of. We went for the day. We had a blast. Jackson immediately made friends with 2 little boys who threw his ball relentlessly. He was in his element and exuded absolute joy. Cheyenne was so over-excited that she fell asleep in the car before we ever got to our destination. We even let her off-leash for awhile and she did well… until she found a pile of poop to roll in. She wore herself out so much that she is still recovering 3 days later. IO found a cozy spot and just relaxed the whole time. Dixie seemed to love it too. She has been very happy since we came home and very loving. Next time, we will attempt to spend the night.

Dixie’s next check-up is tomorrow night–fingers crossed that stone has moved and there are no new ones!

Dixie’s courage continues to impress me. But I should probably explain. After keeping Dixie at the vet on IV fluids all last week, the stone did not move at all. The worry, of course, is the the stone is either blocking the ureter, causing the kidney to shut down, or the kidney isn’t functioning and sending fluid through the ureter to push it through to the bladder. At the end of the week, we brought her home with the intent to manage her pain and see how it goes. Our vet consulted with several specialists and we brought her back for x-rays tonight. The plan if the stone did not move was to inject her blood with dye to better see what was going on with the kidney. This was the route we were prepared to take. However, the x-ray showed the stone moved about an inch, which was great news. The vet checked her kidney function levels, which were absolutely fine. So she is on an anti-inflammatory which they think may help push the stone through the ureter. She goes back for a follow up in a week and we will continue to monitor the stone’s progress.

After laying around all day Saturday, yesterday afternoon and all day today she has been absolutely wild, clearly feeling better, so I was not surprised to find out that the stone had moved. I am starting to call her my little Timex dog–she takes a licking and keeps on ticking. And as small as she is, her courage knows no bounds and her determination is resolute. I have learned to never count her out. She proves that being tough has absolutely nothing to do with one’s size. And I, for one, am inspired by that.

Tonight finds Dixie at our vet with a stone again. She has been there since yesterday morning and is expected to stay 2 to 3 days longer. We came home from vacation on Sunday night to find her in serious pain. She was lying on the floor, writhing in pain, whimpering. And seriously why does this stuff always happen after hours? I knew it was another stone. So we packed her up and brought her to the emergency vet. Four hours and $400 later, Dixie had been given fluids, a shot of morphine, x-rays taken, and we had determined that she did indeed have another stone. This time the stone is located between her kidney and bladder. We left dejected and exhausted and feeling quite honestly hopeless.

We took her to our regular vet first thing the next morning and found out that the stone itself is actually quite tiny—only 2 to 3 mm—and they completely expect her to pass the stone no problem once it gets to her bladder.  Her kidney function is fine and her electrolyte levels are normal. So they are giving her IV fluids to try and help flush the stone through. The stone has moved a little bit, but it is a slow process and right now, it looks like at least 2 to 3 days longer.

To review, Dixie has had 3 surgeries, and has been catheterized twice since last October—her bladder was flushed just two weeks ago and 8 small stones were removed at that time. She has calcium oxalate stones, which are notoriously hard to treat and often reoccur. Although uncommon in females, it is a known issue in Yorkshire terriers. And, as I understand it, in canines, the stones normally form in the bladder, so it is again unusual that this stone formed in the kidney. Information about these stones is readily available but beyond conflicting.

Trying to determine the correct course of action is worse. I feel as though I am negotiating an emotional landmine and there are no easy answers. Her quality of life is the most important consideration, but nearly impossible to sort out. This isn’t a life-threatening condition, just painful, and the condition can be easily managed through surgery… which is clearly not ideal. Unfortunately, I need to be realistic about the resources we have available and the health and needs of the rest of the pack. I have no idea how this will all turn out, but I do know that unbearable decisions lie ahead in the coming days and weeks.

Mornings are a special time in the Little Pack household, packed full of sweetness and celebration. IO very often greets me with nose nibbles and headrolls. These are clearly joyful acts. Once I start to stir, Jackson and IO will often begin to bark and carry on with celebration while Cheyenne races back and forth next to the bed, wiggling all the while. Archie waits at the bedroom door and purrs the moment he sees me.  Everyone races down the hallway. Baby Titten sits on the arm of the couch and burrupts as I walk by and I pat her on the head. Dixie speeds ahead into the kitchen and leaps and twirls around, woofing. She wants  a morning snack. Archie also gallops into the kitchen, bounds up onto the counter and waits by the sink for me to turn his water on. Meanwhile Jack rejoices that he found his favorite toy and asks me to throw it. Sometimes IO lingers in bed a little longer, catching a few more zzzzs before strolling out to the living room to wait for a few last bites of my breakfast.  All of this takes place while I am on autopilot, still in stupor. I am not a morning person, in fact, I can barely function when I first wake up. It occurs to me just how sweet these waking hours are, and how ironic that it all takes place while I am still too unconscious to fully treasure and savor each moment the way that I would like to.

The pack dynamic is interesting to observe. Jackson hates Cheyenne, and Baby Titten and sometimes even Archie. This has everything to do with his possessiveness and insecurity with me. Except that you will find him occasionally bathing Baby Titten. He loves IO and Dixie and will put up with almost anything from either one of them. Cheyenne lives to provoke, well, anyone, but particularly Jackson and Baby Titten. Her and Dixie are like peas in a pod but they bicker like sisters. More and more Cheyenne is getting the nerve up to challenge IO’s authority. Dixie bosses Jackson and Archie around. She mostly leaves Baby Titten alone, as Baby Titten will chase her down, and I think she is actually slightly afraid of her. Dixie tangled with IO exactly once. Archie and Baby Titten have a complicated relationship. They fight often, and yet they snuggle together often.  During times of tension—if Cheyenne is acting too big for her britches and IO begins to warn her, Jackson and Dixie will quickly begin to stand guard, at the ready to follow IO’s orders. Further, if any single one of them perceives danger, it only takes one to lead the charge, and they all come running. Cheyenne need only make a peep and Jackson is there in a heartbeat, ready to defend her, us, and the rest of the pack if necessary.  As much as they all argue and squabble with each other, at the end of the day, they are a pack and will protect each other at all costs. One time, Jack got into a scuffle with a dog next door that was literally about 3 times his size. That dog pinned him like nothing. Within moments the other 3—IO, Cheyenne and Dixie—were at his side, determined to protect him and willing to take on this horse of the dog. Even more telling, Cheyenne loves this other dog and has played with him on many occasions. But her pack is her pack and she was there for her Jack. It was a normal dog scuffle, nothing more than a tiff really, and the melee was soon broken up. But the incident shows just how deeply pack bonds go and how superficial their spats really are. It really is a bit like watching a big family interact. This living breathing organic web of love we call our little pack.