I am happy to report that dear Cricket is finally past the point where we are not worrying about him dying. If you look at how Cricket was when he arrived and how he is now, you would not believe he was the same dog. Every Vet who saw him originally is amazed at his recovery. No one thought he would be neurologically normal or be able to function, given all the major medical problems he had.
Once Cricket got out of the hospital, I knew his Life could go South any minute. His biggest problem was his inability to urinate. Cricket would posture as if he was urinating, but he was not. He knew he had to go and got in position but couldn't. He had slowly begun to urinate while at CVRC in Charleston, but it was not consistent.
When I brought Cricket to our Rehab Facility, it soon became apparent that Cricket could not be left alone for any period. His urination had to be closely monitored to ensure he was emptying his bladder. We could not go by how many times he postured. We had to see urine coming out each time and ensure he drank enough fluids. I decided that with 38 dogs at our facility, it would be impossible to monitor him that closely.
Cricket came home with me, along with his bag of medications. Initially, I would put a paper towel under him when he postured to ensure he was urinating. Cricket was also dealing with an infection in his bones and bladder that had to be closely monitored. He was stiff when he arrived, and his legs had to be massaged throughout the day. Every day was like walking on eggs. You never knew when the ball would drop, and he would have to be rushed back to the ER.
I just knew this little pup, abandoned with a fractured femur and infection throughout his body, would break my heart if he did not make it. The good news is that he improved each day. By the end of the first month, Cricket's urine stream became more regular. His legs softened, and he started to run all over the place. His bloodwork and urine were becoming more normal each week as time went by. The inflammation he had experienced in the beginning was slowly improving. Cricket was acting like a regular puppy by the second month.
Cricket had many visits to the Vet to ensure we were going in the right direction. On each visit, Cricket delighted everyone with his joyful personality and strong will to live. Our special boy was going to make it. The vets no longer thought he had MS or MD. It was determined that the injury he had in his hip had become infected, causing the infection to spread throughout his body. It took several heavy rounds of antibiotics to get rid of his infections. Once the infections started to go away, so did the inflammation and his inability to urinate.
After months of looking after this adorable pup, Cricket officially became part of my Family. I have five personal dogs who have looked after Cricket since he arrived. They would all leave me if he did not stay in the Pack. Cricket is officially home and doing well.
We still have outstanding bills for this special pup. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.
