To the editor:
In the September 26th, 2007 edition of the Aroostook Republican there was an article about Tail’s End Grooming offering training in pet life-saving skills. My husband called them right away to obtain a spot in the class. I want to encourage others, who have pets, to take part in this very needed training. You never know when you might need the knowledge and skills to save that very precious member of your family. We almost had a tragedy in our home on Easter Sunday. Our precious little boy, Howie, a 2-year-old Yorkie-poo, apparently got something (perhaps a piece of raw hide bone) caught in his throat. He dropped to the floor on his way back to the living room and lay there struggling to breathe. There was immediate chaos!
Bob lifted Howie up and saw that our little boy’s tongue had turned as blue as the sky. He called North Country Animal Hospital, left a message, then rushed Howie over there. Doctor Terri had to put a tube down Howie’s throat, which much have dislodged whatever was caught, and administered oxygen. It was very critical and Doctor Terri wasn’t sure whether Howie would be coming back home to his family. He spent Easter Sunday, all of Monday, and part of Tuesday at the hospital, fed by I.V. and then eventually by hand.
We visited our little boy while he stayed in the hospital. When we brought him home on Tuesday evening, Howie was a “vegetable.” We never gave up on him. Love doesn’t give up. For quite a while, all Howie could do was lift his head up. Other than that, he couldn’t sit, stand, walk, run, or bark. We fed him by hand and gave him water through a syringe.
As the weeks went by, we continued to feed Howie by hand, massage his back, his legs, and his paws. My husband carried Howie, gently laying him on his newspapers whenever Howie needed to go. Dogs are very intelligent, and he was able to make us aware of what he needed, by growling a certain way.
As Howie grew stronger, able to sit up, we placed one of our blankets on to the living room floor and worked with him to teach him how to walk again. The blanket softened the tumbles that Howie took. His left side was affected by the oxygen starvation.
It is a miracle; an evidence of answered prayers, God’s healing, and our love for Howie, in addition to the life-saving skills of a caring veterinarian … Howie is 99 percent healed. We overlook his slight disability, just happy to still have our precious boy with us. So when we learned of this training in life-saving skills for pets, there was no thinking it over. Bob immediately called for a place in the class. He and Deanna and I love Howie too much! I urge others with pets to take the course, because man’s best friend is worth every penny invested toward their protection.
Caribou
