Holy smokes, this week is flying by and my blog has taken a backseat! Whoops!
We have been suuuuper busy around here and this week has literally been like an emotional roller coaster.
Many of you know me or have read long enough to know that Hank is not just a dog. He is a full-fledged member of our family. He was our "first born" and we are pretty obsessed with this pooch. My boys love him too...he is VERY much my third son! ha! Many people love their dogs... but Hank isn't one of those dogs who wakes up, and we let him out in our back yard and then put out some food and he spends the day out there all day and then sleeps in the laundry room. Hank doesn't get off of his fabulous Orvis bed until I do, and then he follows me around ALL day long and goes out for a quick bathroom break, only to sprint back to my side. He is totally content and happy to rest his head on my leg while I do any and everything.
On Monday morning, Hank walked into Cal's bedroom and threw up in the corner. We spent a lot of time outside over the weekend, so we assumed he ate a stick and was just getting it out-- he has done that a time or ten. However, this throw up smelled AWFUL. Like feces. But worse. So, we automatically assumed that while he was out chewing sticks and pine cones that he got into some doodoo and chowed down. (bllaaaaahhhhhh.....)
Anyway, after cleaning that goodness up, we headed downstairs where he immediately threw up on the hardwoods twice.
Now, I am not a gagger. It takes a lot to make my stomach turn. I did not throw up once during either pregnancy. Eddie on the other hand has a super weak stomach. Well, cleaning up these messes had me in full on dry heaving gag mode. Eddie couldn't even be in the room. It was bad.
We went to the gym, thinking there couldn't be anything left in his tummy and came home to find he had thrown up on the (pottery barn....!) rug.
Mr. Hank then spent a little time on the screened in porch. I took him outside to pee and he ate a ton of grass, which is what dogs do when they are trying to throw up to get something out of their system. He also threw up outside again. He went back on the porch while I went upstairs to clean. When I came downstairs, I noticed three new throw up spots on the porch and Hank was panting (it wasn't hot outside...at all).
I called the vet and told them that my dog had been vomiting all day and she said that was super normal since dogs throw up all the time. I said that I wouldn't think much of it, but he has done it so many times (and the smell is just awful). Apparently me saying the smell was bad raised all kinds of red flags. She told me to take him immediately to the animal hospital because it sounded like an obstruction or a blockage of some kind. It could have been that a pine cone he ate got lodged in his belly the wrong way.
Eddie was still at work so I called him about 84 times while giving the boys the fastest bath they have ever had in their lives. When Eddie got home, I met him in the driveway with both kids in jammies and Hank in my car.
We got to the hospital and they took him back immediately-- he puked in my car on the way there and then laid down in his own vomit so he was smelling FRESH when we got there!
They immediately wanted to do an x-ray. After the x-ray didn't give much info, they wanted to do bloodwork. His bloodwork showed a very elevated level of enzymes in his liver-- normal is between 10 and 100 and Hank's was 835. The levels were also off with his gallbladder. They really wouldn't know much until they could perform an ultrasound in the morning, but they wanted to keep him over night with an IV in to get him re-hydrated since he was sick all day long he became crazy dehydrated.
They told me there was nothing left for me to do there and sent me home.
And I lost it.
I cried like I haven't cried in a looooong time. Big, loud, heaping, can't catch my breath sobs. I kept thinking how in the world we were going to explain this to the two boys who adore this dog so much (as I type this, Hank has his head resting on my foot and i am crying...). How in the world would I be able to handle this-- I love this dog so damn much. I really and truly LOVE this dog. You can say, "he's just a dog... it'll be okay..." but that feels like a slap in the face to me because, honestly, Hank is not just a dog to me and he isn't just a dog to Cal and Andy and Eddie. He is a part of this family. And when he gets in trouble, just like I say "Cal Williamson you better....." I also say, "Hank Williamson you come right now!"
I drove down the road absolutely hysterically crying. I kept saying over and over again, "he has to be okay. He just has to be okay. He HAS to be. I NEED him to be okay."
The waterworks kept up the rest of that night-- and going to bed, I looked over at his little bed right next to my side of the bed and my heart hurt for him. I know he was scared and not feeling well...poor pup.
Tuesday, I took Cal to school and Andy and I ran a few errands. I took some cookies to a friend of mine who is pregnant and terribly ill with all day sickness. As I was pulling out of her driveway, I looked down at my phone and I had a text message, but my phone didn't make any noises...it has done this before and I just had to restart it. I quick restarted it and when it came back on, I had a voicemail (in the 15 seconds it took to restart it!) from the vet saying that the ultrasound was clear and everything was okay with Hank!!!!!
I started crying again--because that's what I do when it comes to him, apparently.... then I called the entire family... because they were slightly concerned about my sanity. I called my poor sister in law CB absolutely HYSTERICAL. I am sure she was ready to have me committed to the loony bin.
They wanted to monitor Hank the rest of the day, but thought he would be go to be picked up at 5 (if he made it through the day without tossing his cookies....which he did!). I showed up right at 5 and the technician had to walk me through everything... the doctor from Monday night filled in a whole form and under "initial diagnosis" he had written, "it appears as though patient has liver disease, but will need ultrasound to confirm." THANK GOD he didn't tell me that the night before! I would have been (even more of) a disaster! And also, thank GOD it wasn't actually liver disease-- that can't be a good thing!
I brought Hank home with the promise of a follow up vet visit in two weeks to monitor his levels and I kissed that dog so many times on the way home. I think he was exhausted and so thankful to be home. Surprisingly, Cal didn't seem too fazed by the whole thing. Hank jumped out of the car and Cal didn't think much of it. Andy, on the other hand, was SCREAMING "ank! ank!!!!!!" and chasing him around laughing and squealing. These boys love this pup too.
This whole experience has made us appreciate Hank even more (I have always been overly obsessed with him, but this has taken it to a whole different level....). Also, I do realize that Hank won't be around forever...and lord help this family when that time comes! haha!
I went over board on the pictures on this post.... I wanted to include all of my favorite of him... and I didn't even get to most of his puppy ones... he was such a cute puppy. Enjoy the rest of these...they are totally out of order...
Hank was there to help Cal stand up for the first time...
Hank was seriously never far from Cal as a baby. Always suuuuper close to him!
Even as a toddler, Hank stayed nearby...
Christmas card attempt...
TCU season opener 2012...
The day we brought Andy home from the hospital... Cal played with his other brother. He thought it was hilarious that Hank got into this pool too...
Hank and Cal around 2 weeks old...
Hank slept next to the crib....
Cal surfing made Hank very nervous....he followed him closely...
Hank slept at the foot of my side of the bed until I was about 8 months pregnant and couldn't fit any more... then he moved the a bed at my side...
We were putting Cal's nursery together and Hank was found in there napping daily...
He loved to rest his head on my pregnant tummy....
Napping with momma...
tummy time helper
We are sooooo lucky Hank was okay and was able to come home after only one night. We love this puppy and are going to appreciate all the time we get to spend with him!
