Poor Niki

I have a dog that is a regular in the kennel and her name is Niki. This is a picture of her and she is an Alaskan Malamute. To say she is big is like saying the Pop is a little Catholic...it's a major understatement! When standing on her back legs, shs is close to 6' tall and as of yesterday she weighs 116lbs. Thankfully, she is an absolute sweetheart. She listens very well and is very free with the kisses. She is one of my favorite regulars.

Yesterday I ran to get groceries and asked Ashley to open the doggie doors if the rain stopped while I was gone. She called me while I was driving home and said that Niki wouldn't/couldn't stand up. She said it looked like she was trying to, but her back legs wouldn't work. I called the vet (who thankfully happens to also be our own vet) and they said that as soon as I got home to load Niki up and bring her in.

Have you ever tried to load a wiggling, scared 116lb dog who is fighting your every move? Let's just said it's a workout! I had called Jay to ask that he help get her loaded, and he in turn called his dad. But, how to get her out of the kennel, through the facility and office and UP into the back of my Vue?? hhhmmmm

Jay grabbed a huge rubber backed rug that is laying inside the office door and we worked, tugged, pulled and wiggled her until we got her situated on the rug. Then we had to try to hold her in place while lifting her. We finally got her loaded and Chelsea rode with me so she could stay in the Vue with her while I talked to the vet.

Chelsea already has a job lined up at our vet office starting this Fall so the Vet had Chelsea come to the back and help them get Niki on the table for x-rays. Poor Niki was in a lot of pain so they sedated her while Chelsea comforted her. Then the intern there went over the x-rays with Chelsea explaining everything to her. They decided to keep Niki overnight to see how she'd be this morning.

This morning they called and she was no better, so she needed to see a specialist at ISU vet hospital. Normally the owners transport, and since I'm "surrogate mom" that means I needed to do it. Chelsea went with me again and they got Niki strapped on to the stretcher and loaded for us. Poor Niki was whimpering and whining quite a bit, so Chelsea went back and laid beside her
(she is going to be such a great Vet Tech!). She talked to her, petted her and really helped keep her calmed down during the ride. Once at ISU Vet Hospital, they came out with a rolling stretcher and Niki was put on that. They rushed her right into ICU, while one of the assitants asked me for information.

Through all of this, I had been in contact with the owners daughter who lives in California. The owners are on a cruise and only reachable by email, which they check every morning. The daughter contacted the Vet Hospital to give her consent to xrays and other procedures. Thankfully while I was driving home the owner did call me. She had managed to get a decent connection (which she said is rare on a cruise) so I was able to fill her in on everything. She was going to call the Vet Hospital and tell them to do whatever was necessary for the dog, including surgery, which is what we were told was probably going to be required.

So that has been our last 24hrs of drama. Toss in a night full of thunderstorms, which Ringo never lets us sleep through and I am really ready for a nap! LOL