Our Difficult Day

I didn't start this blog to describe what goes on in my life on a daily basis, but yesterday was especially difficult for our family. Before I go much further, I admit I will probably lose "man points" for this one.

We have an almost 3 year old dog named Toby. Toby is a Schnoodle (poodle/schnauzer mix). He weighs about 15 lbs.

Yesterday morning, Toby managed to get into each boy's advent calendar and consume 42 pieces of milk chocolate. For those who don't know, chocolate is toxic to dogs in large amounts. Forty-two pieces is a lot of chocolate for a little dog. So, my wife rushed him to the vet and they began to take care of him.

When we went to pick him up at 5 pm, he had started running a fever and was having seizures. The vet was doing everything she could for him, and did manage to get his fever down. Since our vet doesn't have an overnight person, we had to transfer Toby to the emergency vet in town. We had to wait nearly a half hour for the vet to get him ready for transfer. During that time, David (7 year old) was crying quite regularly, while Nicholas (5 year old) drew a picture of Jesus taking Toby to heaven. I guess I should mention that, at this point, there seemed to be at least a 50% chance Toby wouldn't survive.

We got him loaded into our van and we drove him down there. I kept my hand on him the entire ride. He was having tremors the entire time. It was scary and nerve wracking. When we got to the emergency vet, we had to wait again while they looked at Toby and prepared more treatment. At the emergency vet, Nicholas started crying a lot, while David tried to ignore it. Again Nicholas was talking about Jesus, so we said a prayer and I told him that if Toby died, it would be because Jesus wanted a dog. I don't know if that's true, but it's what came into my head when talking to a 5 year old. Amazing how kids try to cope.

After a while, the vet told us they were going to keep him overnight, so we could go. We went and saw Toby, and then left...all of us a bit teary (yes, even me!). Again, still probably at least a 50% chance he would die.

Around 10 pm I called the vet and they said he was doing better. The tremors had stopped and he was hungry. I could hear him barking in the background, and that really lifted my heart. We went to bed feeling a little better. I called the vet again at 7 am and we were told he had a good night and that we could bring him home today.

Toby's home now! But, we're not out of the woods yet. There's still a chance for complications. He doesn't have his energy fully back yet, and we have to give him a special diet for a few days. Mom and the kids went and bought Toby a special toy, which Nicholas appears to like more than Toby. I got a wonderful greeting from Toby when I got home from work, and probably more "kisses" than he's ever given me. It's great to have him home.

I know he's "just a dog", but he's really more than that. Toby is an important member of our family. It's amazing how a small little dog can work his way into your heart. I know one day we'll lose Toby, and that day will be a hard one for all of us. I'm just so thankful that we have him back home, relatively safe and sound. I pray that Toby will be with us for a long time to come.