July 6, 2014, has brought a couple very long days along with many tears from the people here as well as the clouds above.
Yesterday began a wonderful day, stiff breezes ushered in clouds along with the Wheatons from Pennsylvania. Magoo and I were upbeat as she played by the shore and I pumped out and cleaned boats. Around 10:00 a.m. I looked up from the boat and no Magoo! What’s up with that? I called and no Magoo! I called again and no Magoo! My mind started thinking the unthinkable, something must have happened to Magoo? For those of you who know me little or much, you know my dogs are held very, very close to my heart!
Magoo came out of the brush towards the dock, and as she stepped on the dock, I saw blood dripping on each step. As she neared me I noticed she had been gashed on one leg and cut on the other. I jumped out of the boat and got her into the Jeep! We sped down the trail to Happy Camp beeping the horn as I drove in the yard. Jamie came yelling, “Be Quiet! ” I yelled, “Magoo’s hurt, bleeding help me!” I picked up Magoo and brought her in the porch. Blood streamed down her legs as we frantically tried to stop the bleeding. Magoo had been cut on her lower leg and finally, after much pushing, holding and wrapping, the bleeding stopped. Blood filled towels littered the porch! Magoo was still and I lifted her into her crate. She laid quietly as I watched her in her crate. I got on the phone with our local vet and they instructed us what to do and as long as the bleeding stopped, she was ok for now. Magoo was resting quietly but this soon changed.
Our new guests, the Wheatons pulled into the yard about 10:45 a.m. and greetings took place. They came into the lodge, were showed their quarters and started unpacking. I went back into the lodge porch to check on Magoo. I noticed blood dripping on her wrapping. I yelled to Jamie, “Come help Magoo is bleeding!” I quickly lifted Magoo from the crate and Jamie took the bandage off.
Oh my God, the blood was pouring out of the wound, with no way of stopping it! My Magoo was going to bleed to death right in my arms! As we frantically tried to stop the bleeding nothing seemed to work. The Wheatons jumped right in and Todd Wheaton helped Magoo as I tried to call 911 as there is no vet for 5-6 hours. 911 did not work, now what?
As the Wheatons helped me lift Magoo into the Jeep, I held pressure on her leg trying like crazy to stop the bleeding! Magoo squirmed slightly, and we took off down the road to Manitouwadge for the hospital. Flying down the gravel, bumpy, dusty road, I laid in the back of the Jeep holding onto dear life with Magoo while trying to stop the bleeding! Towel after towel filled with blood as it ran down my hands. I was able from time to time to get it to stop. A Moose now jumped in front of the Jeep, and Jamie veered around it with success!
As we turned onto Wowan Road, the washboard gravel turned the Jeep sideways, but is was quickly corrected! I felt the sense of vomit rush up from my stomach as we continued to the hospital! This rush subsided as Magoo lifted her head and gently licked my face, telling me, “It’s going to be all right, buddy!”
Jamie whipped the Jeep into the Emergency entrance, rushed in and a young nurse, Nick, came out with a wheel chair. He did not understand that Magoo is our dog, not a human! Nick stepped back and initially said, “I can do nothing!!” We begged, pled and yelled into his heart. Nick said the doctor could not help as he is not trained on animals, but Nick himself returned with gauze, cleaner, a helper and tape. Nick looked at the wound, says “OH MY GOD” but worked with us on cleaning it and while we held Magoo, he wrapped the wound. The bleeding was stopped but this had to be fixed, but by whom? Nick could not, the doctor would not and the closest vet was still another four hours away!
In the emergency area, the staff there helped me find phone numbers and call Thunder Bay Vet Hospital. It was nearing 1:30 p.m., and they were only open until 5. I begged with them and they agreed to be open when we got there. I quickly got directions, jumped into the Jeep and held Magoo while Jamie sped down the highway. We arrived at the outskirts of Thunder Bay around 5:50 p.m. because of rainstorms and multiple construction work on bridges.
We pulled into the vet clinic around 6:10 p.m. and were greeted by a vet tech. We got Magoo into the room and set her on the table. A few moments later the vet came in and discussed Magoo with us. She would sedate Magoo and then open the wrapping to see how severe it was as she did not want to have a “Blood Bath” on her hands! Terror ran through our minds as we might lose our Magoo!
A few moments passed, and the vet came back out with her thoughts! Magoo had severed four tendons in her lower leg and they needed to be repaired. If she was able to find the other ends, she could hopefully re-attach them, but she would have to do surgery. We put our faith in her and she said come back in about 45 minutes!
45 minutes passed slowly while waiting and the vet came out! She reported that she was able to stop the bleeding as the artery was not severed. She also re-attached all of the tendons, made a cast along with dressing and Magoo is out of the woods for now! A brief sigh of relief came over us! The vet did some more preparatory work in hopes to have Magoo come back to Happy Camp that night! Many instructions were given, and fingers are crossed that no infection will set in. Numerous follow up appointments will take place, and in 6-9 weeks she may gain full use of her leg again!
About 9:15 p.m. I lift Magoo back into the Jeep, laid her down and pet her soft head! She was very groggy and fell fast asleep quickly.
About 12:45 a.m. Magoo whimpered in the back. We stopped in Terrace Bay and I lifted her out of the Jeep in hopes to have her pee. No such luck, but back in the Jeep we go and about 3:00 a.m. we rolled into Happy Camp. As the Jeep slowed to a stop, Magoo jumped up, looked around as to say, “I’m back, let’s party!!” I opened the back and Magoo lunged to jump out, but I caught her and set her on the ground.
Magoo whimpered through the night as I tried to catch some sleep on the couch near her. Around 6:30 I woke, and she was up in her crate. I carried her outside and set her on the ground. She looked at her funny cast, then started hobbling and fell down. I began to cry as it broke my heart to watch my little girl, who just yesterday was jumping, running, and playing like insanity, now a hobbling, falling little girl.
Magoo picked herself up and came quickly to me. I knelt down and gave her a hug. She buried her face in mine with eternal licks and that tail, oh my that hard wonderful tail was swaying back and forth! Tears of joy streamed down my face as she looked at me and her face told me, “Hi Buddy, it’s me Magoo.” She hopped on 3’s and took care of business like she never had the other leg!
Ray Wheaton came by in about 15 minutes and asked, “How is Magoo?” I said look at her as Magoo rested on the floor. That hammer tail banged on the floor with excitement. Again tears streamed down my face.
Thanks to so many people in our time of need: Thanks to Ray, Todd, Jacob and David Wheaton for your help with us, complete strangers working together like we have known each other for years! Thanks to Mike Rhyno, Hillsport native for answering your phone and helping communicate during the day! Thanks to Nick at the human hospital in Manitouwadge, without your help Magoo probably would not be here today! Thanks to the Thunder Bay Vet Hospital for their professional, outgoing help with Magoo! Lastly but certainly not least, Thanks to Shadow, Magoo’s big Brother who is looking down on Magoo from above, with your guidance, faith and goodness watching over all of us we were able to figure it out, work together and make a terrible situation much better. And to Magoo, thanks girl for trusting us and allowing us into your life. You are truly one special girl!
So folks, that is just today’s bit about the Tears that have come to Happy Camp in the past two days. Late tonight when I go to sleep, there will be no finer sound than listening to Magoo’s deep breaths as she rests comfortably and hopefully with each breath she is closer to a full recovery! So as the rain stops, whatcha waiting for, Come On and Catch the Good Life with us at Happy Camp Ontario!!