August 20 -- Holly came over last night and took a look at Clyde. We needed to make a few adjustments to his cast. She suggested that I have the one dressing changed at the vet. So I took Clyde over to Pittsfield Vet to have his dressings changed. They were a little bit knarly and they were glad I brought him in. They suggested I bring him every couple of days for a while to have them changed. He is manuvering better every day good pees and poops.

August 19 -- Clyde is home and adjusting. He wants to be able to do all the things he could do before and its a bit hard to keep him settled. I was up a lot with him during the night, as you can imagine, but things will iron themselves out. I have someone coming to check his dressings etc, her name is Holly and she was a vet tech down at Angell Memorial Vet Hospital in Boston. I think that will be helpful. So things are falling into place. She will be over tonite to take a look and see what we need. But he is doing fine. I'll keep you posted.

August 18 -- CLYDE IS COMING HOME!!! It is hard to believe, just a week ago he was having surgery and now I am going to be able to bring him home! He is doing so well and I am so excited to get him home. I am gathering all my supplies from everyone exercise pens, blankets, getting the spot ready so I can keep him quiet for the next few weeks. Now that will be a trick. I am so grateful to everyone, all the doctors in Deerfield, all the doctors at the Animal ER, my family; everyone's prayers and help have meant everything. So I am off to pick up my boy. Bonnie is going with me and this ride will be much different than the first one.

August 12, 2009

Heard from the hospital this morning. Dr. McCarthy has left for vacation and his colleague told me that Clyde was doing well. Although he seemed a bit depressed and had not eaten. My brother and I went to visit him this evening and he ate for me again and was happy to see me. The technicians tell me what a wonderful dog he is and how it spite of all he has been through how very sweet he is. Each day seems to be more encouraging than the next. I will continue to go over and visit after work, so that he will eat a little more each day.

August 11, 2009 I spoke with Clyde's surgeon Dr. McCarthy this morning. He evaluated him and they changed all his dressing and bathed him and all the wounds. He feels that he should address the issue with his tail first, and that if he can tolerate that surgery then we can move on the the next. When I spoke with him again in the afternoon he told me that he had done the surgery on his tail and that he tolerated that very well. There were no problems with his heart and because of that they performed the other surgery on his leg and ankle. His ankle was a very complicated one but they were able to repair the damage. Dr. McCarthy did not feel it necessary to surgically repair his pelvis at this time, and feels he may be able to heal without the surgery. Which is such good news.

8/11/09 pm -- My sister-in-law Bonnie and I went to visit Clyde tonite he was still a little groggy from the anesthesia, but was happy to see me. They said he had not eaten today, but when I went into his crate, he did eat some kibble for me, I was so glad. When Bonnie and I left he was resting comfortably. I felt so encouraged and hopeful.

Saturday, August 8, 2009 started like any other day. I took Clyde and Molly for a swim and run and we played. There was going to be a lot of trucks going up and down the road to the gravel bed that day, so we were up and out early. Late in the afternoon when all the traffic was gone I put on their fence collars and let them out into the yard. Clyde somehow saw/heard the truck and took off across the yard and found the weakest part of the fence he had been testing, and went through. I was in the house and heard the screams. I came out and he was lying on the ground and as I went to him, he was trying to crawl towards me. With the help of my neighbor across the street we got him in the car and took him immediately to the Animal ER in Pittsfield. They got him in and started working on him. He was pretty banged up, his back legs were broken, his ankle broken, his tail severed, and his pelvis fractured. They stabilized him and bandaged and cleaned all his wounds. Took xrays and ultrasounds, started iv fluids and antibiotics. The doctor told me it would be a long haul but that his injuries could be fixed. They assured me that he was not suffering, he would be in pain but that could be eased with medication, they would know better in 24 to 36 hours if there were internal injuries that would make his recovery more difficult. It was an emotionally and physically draining day. My baby was hurt so badly and there was no way for me to make it better, all I could do was kiss him and pet his head. I know he knew I was there because he was trying so hard to wag his tail. I checked on him later that evening and went home with a heavy heart, praying that he would be better in the morning. On Sunday, August 9, I went to visit him and he was a bit better he ate some food for me. Dr. Looney reported that his urine showed no signs of blood and this was a good thing, this indicated that there were not internal injuries. Our first glimmer of hope. He did have a bit of a heart arithmia, but she indicated that was normal for such trauma. She was very helpful in giving us recommendations for hospitals that could take him to perform the surgery he would need to recover. I decided on Veterinary Speciality and Emergency Hospital in South Deerfield, MA. It was only a little over an hour from Pittsfield. So on Monday, August 10, we loaded Clyde in the back of my truck and off we traveled to South Deerfield. It was such a stressful ride, we were worried about jostling him with his injuries, we knew in the back of our mind that any type of transport of an animal in this condition is touchy, but this was the only option. We left at 10:00 from Pittsfield and arrived in South Deerfield at about 11:15 am. They put him on a guerny and off he went. I cannot tell you the feeling of seeing my baby wheeled away to some back room and not knowing what was happening to him. About 2 1/2 hours later they came out and told me what they were doing, and would be doing over the next 24 hours. The surgeon was not in, so he would not see Clyde until Tuesday, and I would not talk to him until then. After filling out all the appropriate paperwork, and there was lots of it. I was able to say good bye and we headed home. I left with a heavy heart, but knew he was in the best place possible.