Monday, March 29, 2010

One leg is not enough to stand on

The day went downhill after that first call from the vet. They were not able to get the leg back into the hip socket. The surgical options were not great either, mostly because Brady only had one good leg. The other rear leg was non-weight bearing because there was a pelvic fracture after all. It didn't require surgery and would heal eventually, but it prevented Brady from bearing weight on his "good" rear leg, which he would need to be able to do to recover from the surgery on the "bad" leg. One of the front legs also had a fracture in the elbow joint, and the chance for a successful repair of that leg was reduced by a deep cut that would have provided an excellent opportunity for a post-op infection causing the surgical repair to fail. With only one sound leg and two requiring surgery, the poor guy didn't have any options. I went to the vet and laid with him for a while and held him for euthanasia.

With Emmylou I felt that I had done everything I could for the dog. With Brady, I could not help but feel that I failed him, and I did. It's our job to protect them and I couldn't do so. I'm damn sick of losing dogs and writing eulogies.

8 comments:

Scott Rothe said...

Oh, Brent. I'm so sorry. I have no concept of what you go through on a daily basis. What are the chances of you and Clay getting out of Dodge for a change of scenery? Maybe take in a play in NYC, or some quiet time overlooking the ocean? You guys need to be good to yourselves and give yourselves a break. It's been a hell of a rotten winter, and it's time to get away.

Anonymous said...

Oh Brent,

I am so sorry. Having lost one all too reacently, is bad enough, but two... Hang in there, you are doing what you can, which is a lot more than some others. If you never do anything, you can never do any good.

Pat

BudsBuddy said...

Oh, so sorry for poor Brady and for you. This must be especially hard coming right after the loss of Emmylou. The only way to keep our canine friends 100% safe is to keep them continuously confined and that is really no kind of life. You did your very best and so did Brady, and he had a year of fun and freedom. Sometimes, that's as good as it gets. Curses on the person who hit him and did not stop.

hubblepie said...

My sincere condolences, Brent. I too had a foster dog who got out of my yard and was hit by a car. It is a terrible event. Please remember, you gave Brady a wonderful year of life, and you have helped so many dogs. Thanks for all you do.

AutoDealershipInsider said...

Brent, I am so sorry to hear about Brady and I am keeping you Clay and your pack in my thoughts. Sorry that so many tough things landed at your door in such a short time.

mythreepups said...

The poor guy. May he rest in peace. I'm so sorry.

Darlene said...

I am really sorry for both of your losses, especially since they occurred so close together. Hang in there.

Anonymous said...

Oh Brent, I'm so sorry about Brady! It's hard to accept people can hit an animal and be so unfeeling as to not stop. Brady was a wonderful, sweet guy. I agree w/ Scott that you and Clay need to take a little break.

Denise