11/22/2024
Saving Miss Daisy….
Yesterday, was a very emotional day at the clinic. But, in this season, of Thanksgiving, a happy ending of sorts…..
At 12 noon, Daisy, seen here with her Dad, was rescued from a burning home here in Sonoma. The firefighters felt she had died and carried her in. She still had a pulse, and we went into “ER mode”, and I felt if we acted fast, we could possibly save her. Her best signal to keep going was the loud thumping of her tail on the table. She heard us. She would fight to live….Daisy, is a 15 year old chunk of love PitBull, and we knew she had life left in her. She was semi comatose, and breathing short shallow breaths, and completely covered in ash and soot, including her mouth and eyes. We worked hard to get her breathing stable.
Her owners, a young traumatized couple, came, and as expected, were completely devastated. They had not only lost their home, but their 6 and 8 year old kids’ 2 kitties. Dad was very shaken and in shock, and quite upset. He felt Daisy had “suffered enough”, and he wanted her put down immediately, so there was no more suffering. I bit my lip, and pulled him aside, and as best I could, told him to give us and Daisy a chance. He was pretty adamant, and of course, money was a concern, and his kids mental well being. We pleaded with the owner to give us a couple hours to see if she would response to treatment . He finally through tears and torment, relented, and let us try to save Daisy.
He came back 2 hours later, and Daisy, had begun to breathe better, and recognized Dad, and that tail was a’ thumping! He was a “changed” Dad…..He couldn’t believe she was pulling through. He oked continued care and I had him come at the end of the day, to decide, if she could go home or go to the 24 hour care to be monitored.
Daisy bounced back like the tough pit bull she is. She coughed up nasty stuff, and that tail kept thumping. She ate a small meal, and I was more and more encouraged.
Dr. Rosner's staff had reached out to several organizations for assistance in covering Daisy's medical expenses.
And to their surprise, one of the their clients stepped up and offered to help. Thanks to the generosity of this kind stranger, Daisy was able to received the best medical care without putting of financial strain on her family
When Dad came in, I told him about the options of taking Daisy to a continued care facility, and he was obviously still distraught of loosing everything and choose to take her home for the weekend. I told him how she was doing, and what to watch out for. The change came, when I told him about the samaritan who anonymously donated the funds, and he literally lost it. He was speechless. I couldn’t stop tearing, as I was pretty blown away, too.
The best was yet to come. Once, he regained his composure, it was time to reunite with Daisy. Daisy bulldozed her way into the room, and head butted and licked her dad’s face like no end. She truly was a big chunk of love. Watching her lick his face, and seeing the tears of joy, after his horrific day, was something I will never forget. It is the REASON, I do what I do…..and seeing a 15 year old dog, bounce back, and provide some emergency love and care to her traumatized family, is the best medicine in the world!
Everyone involved deserves endless accolades. My staff, were rockstars! The firefighter heroes were rockstars….The anonymous donor was a rockstar!
Daisy, was a rockstar!!!!
It was the best Friday in a long time….and the feeling I felt is why I can’t retire…..it is my commitment to saving the Daisy’s….
