Samuel is still looking for his forever home. See our available puppies page for details.

Susan :: Jan.18.2009 :: Dog Blog, News, Puppies :: Comments Off

1/2/09

Well it’s been an interesting new year already. Just got back from the emergency vet clinic where we were told that Murphy is not bloating. That was the good news. But it doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods so first thing in the morning – which now is no longer tomorrow morning but is actually later this morning – I have to call our regular vet so we can develop a plan to determine what the foreign object in his stomach is and decide whether or not it needs to be removed.

But that is not why I’m writing. I am writing to yet again thank Kayce for SATS.

Some of you may remember that Murphy was one of the dogs we used at Cornell this past summer for Kayce’s demonstration. The reason we used Murphy is because he is deathly afraid of needles. Someone dumped him in my yard when he was about 6 months old and I understandably assumed that someone who would dump a dog probably would not immunize him either, so I took him to the vet. I learned quite quickly that he must have had at least one shot in his life. As soon as he saw the syringe – long before anyone tried to touch him with it – he leaped from the table into my arms just like Scooby-Doo.

His fear of needles has persisted for 9 years. But this summer at Cornell, Kayce went through her relaxation and name and explain procedures with him (she has it on video but I don’t think she’s posted it) and ultimately we gave him a quick injection with no problem. For those who were there and for those who have seen the video, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it took about 7-10 minutes from start to finish. He started off being very worried and very rigid. There are even a couple of spots on the video (and I remember them from real life) where it looks like he would really like to leave – through someone if he couldn’t get around them, and perhaps with teeth if need be. If I did not trust him so implicitly (and Kayce trusted my trust in him) I would have been very worried. But Kayce explained everything to him, showed him the needle, demonstrated a poke on his paw where he could see it, named a scruff pull for him, demonstrated a poke in his scruff and then turned it over to the tech who did the actual injection. And he was good as gold for the whole thing.

Well tonight, at the emergency clinic where none of us have ever been, he needed x-rays and then subQ fluids. They wouldn’t let us back there for the x-rays (I bet they would have been better quality if they had) which they did without sedation, but I insisted that we be with him for the subQ fluids. I told the tech he was terrified of needles but we had a procedure that would keep him calm. I don’t think she believed us, but she brought him back to the exam room for the subQ fluids.

They were of course rushed, and didn’t give us a lot of time, but Sarah got him calm and relatively relaxed while still standing. I took the needle from the tech and reminded him about poke. I did a poke on his shoulder, did a scruff pull and did a poke in his scruff. Then I gave the needle back to the tech, told him what she was going to do, and we had the fluids started in less than a minute total. They gave him 500ccs, which took about 10 minutes, and he stood quietly the whole time. I was so proud of him.

So thanks again Kayce!

Susan :: Jan.02.2009 :: Dog Blog, Health :: Comments Off