Week from HELL

 So last Friday Dutch had a final check up for his face lump. It started off very normal. 

Begging for treats like normal. The vet totally in love with his smoochy face like normal.  The lump looks way better. We wanted to do one final antibiotic round just to be sure... and within 30 secs after injection Dutch started what would be a 5 hour spiral. 

So apparently even old men can develop allergic reactions to meds that they have tolerated just fine in the past. 

Dutch had muscle spasms (almost seizure-like), a high fever, and colic-like pain symptoms. He was inconsolable and would not stay up and still even in the stocks.  He flailed around the padded clinic room until I got him out and walking.  We walked for 4 hours while alternating cold hosing, alcohol baths, and many (mostly failed) attempts to get Benedryl/ Banamine/ any usable cocktail of drugs into him. Eventually get got his pulse almost normal the vet gave the ok to try and get him home - 3 miles down the road.  He would not settle at the clinic and kept screaming for friends. So we thought getting him would let him rest better.

Cue melt down and leg lacerations.

The vet was at our farm less than 10 minutes after I called.

Trying to get him sedated, pain free, but standing for sutures was impossible. In the end we had to pin him against a wall and hold him up. We could not keep him on his feet for more than 3 stitches, and a hasty wrap.

This was pretty much the worst night of my life. He was in SO much pain and would not eat or drink unprompted.  So every hour we brought him water and alfalfa. He was up and down every 5 - 10 minutes, he wasn't thrashing when down, but he would not settle.  Eventually, around 2 am he peed, pooped, and ate a small bite.

By morning his neck was very swollen and he had obvious bumps, scrapes, and swelling on all of his not stitched legs. He could barely walk and definitely not move his head and neck.  Since he wasn't eating (more than a handful at a time) but draining buckets of water every few hours, we were worried about putting more drugs into his system so soon after the muscle spasms had finally stopped.

So we iced, polticed, and babied the best we could.

Whenever I made him be outside he hid in his tree of sadness and mopey-ness.

It has been a week of bute, benedryl, ulcerguard, bandaging, walking, magna-wave, and treats.  Yesterday he finally went for a mile(ish) hand walk, and today he trotted out into turn out.  

He is not better, but he is finally acting like himself again, which means I can finally relax for the first time in seven days.

I love him so damn much guys, I am not ready for him to be an infirm old man.  I was pretty certain at a few points that I would not be bringing him back home. I am so glad to be wrong. He makes my heart happy.