From the beginning

I walked out of my house one day in Febuary of this year, and this thing came zooming by.  My dog, Petey, and I were on our way to a neighbor’s house.

When I realized it was a puppy, I knew that my neighbor got another puppy, this was the second one I knew of.  The first was A black little thing called Lucy, she was there about 2-3 month, just running loose all day, then turned up missing.  This was just before Chrismas, now it’s just the February.

Here is another one, as I walked over to my neighbor this fur ball run pass at a speed I did know a dog could do.  She played and stayed with us all day, no one come looking for her.  And this went on from the end of March to end of June.  My Neighbor, Gayla, got the neighbor to finally give her one shot.

About middle of May,  the temperatures started getting to upper 80 to 90, Nugget was still left outside all day without water.  When June came the temperature went up to upper 90,  and come into the house and stayed all day. Gayla and I housebroke her, and still no one came for her.  Finally the end of June, I asked to take her, with out hesitation she was flung into my arms.

July 4, we had a wedding so Petey and Nugget stayed with Gayla.  On July 6, I received a called from Gayla, Nugget had gotten out of the backyard, she was limping.  But it did not stop her, she climbed over a safety gate.

We got back, took her to the vet,  we were told it was a soft tissue injury to rest her for two weeks.  So we crated her, which she was not crate trained.  At two weeks took her back to the vet.  Then they told us it was broken and dislodge, and sent us to University of Davis, animal hospital.

Specialit’s told  us that the repair surgery was not sure bet,  she was healed and none of the three bones that make up the elbow joint no longer met.  But the muscles and ligament were repairing around it.  So we choose not to do the surgery, hope she would be able to use the leg as it was.

She went in for spaying. And the rest would finish the healing well, she healed from that.  Not Nugget, I put her in a Small room with the safety gate.  She climbed over that,  so Galya has a large dog portable crate.  We put Nugget in it, leaving the top open, think it was to tall for her to get out.  Nope, out and running like fire was chasing her.   And this was on medication. That was suppose to make her sleeping.   So we put back in the crate, zipped up the top, finally Nugget confined.

She had a cone on so she could not get to her stitches.  Once she was confided completely, the next thing we knew the cone was off.   We had her out to put the cone back on and take her out for awhile on her leash,  when I stood up she leap from my arms, and landed on both front legs, the bad one gave out and she Yelp , got up and ran outside.   The next day she rushed out of the crate and slip, I knew it was broken.

Back to UC Davis, her wrist was broken, and the elbow was broken again. They could do reconstruction but she would never be normal and she would be crated for more the 8 weeks. And that was not a sure thing.

We wanted her to have the best full life she could.  So the surgeon suggested amputation, and it would be shorter recovery time, and she would be pretty close to pain free.  So with heavy hearts, guilt and tears my husband and I signed the papers.

Today, August 27, she is recovery at UC Davis.  She is due to come home Monday.