Not a good day for Nikki

Or any of us for that matter.

The day started out normally. First thing every morning after I get dressed and get my contacts in the dogs expect to be let out for a quick pee and then breakfast.

I let them out the back sliding door and as always Ellie pees faster and is in the door first. Nikki finishes peeing and makes a leap to tear up the steps to get her food.

While I had been aware that whoever had built the stairs for the deck should be summarily shot for the absurd steepness of the step – it’s more like climbing a ladder with a 10-12” rise between the steps – I had not noticed the point on the stair rail that extended well out from the stairs. Because the stairs are so ludicrously steep the rail was incredibly pointed.

Nikki came at the stairs at an angle and rocketed herself into that point tearing open her back.

It was terrible. She ran around the yard in a squat like she was peeing with a pleading look on her face – she didn’t understand what she had done wrong and why she was so seriously being punished. It was terrible.

I saw the bloody gash on her back and it was with great relief I watched her finally stand squarely on all fours. I hoped this meant her back wasn’t damaged.

In the meantime I had run down barefoot and in my pajamas to her aid. I am a self confessed weenie – I don’t do well with other people’s bloody wounds. I can be bleeding all over the place and comprehend what’s going on and know it’s not all that bad. Other people, I’m terrified they’ve lost a limb. No logic to this response – I’m just a weenie. Always been this way, know it, accept it.

I see the fur hanging on the damn stupid point on the stair rail and I’m pissed. I see the bloody gash on my dog’s back and I’m more pissed. And I’m scared. Really scared.

I get Nikki back in the house and to my amazement they both want their food like normal. As soon as they’re done eating a get a wet rag to blot the wound. I can’t really explore it so I head for the computer to find a vet. The bloody gash on her spine has to be checked out.

Nikki wants to be with me and follows me from room to room but goes to hide in a corner to protect herself. It breaks my heart and scares me further.

Despite the fact it’s 7:00 AM I call my friend Trulene and ask her for a vet and she tells me Dr. Sanders in La Follette. I call the office and explain what’s going on and they say have her there at 8:30 when the vet arrives. I had her there at 8:00. Too upset to sit and do nothing. Thankfully Nikki could jump into the truck.

Dr. Sanders explains to me that dogs have a tendency for the skin to separate from the tissue below with an injury like this. If it’s on the side or stomach it’s no problem because the debris and fluid can drain. Since this was dead center on her back and it had lifted at least a 5” diameter circle of skin away from the tissue the fluid would accumulate and infect. The only thing to do was knock her out, stitch her wound up, and insert drain tubes on either side so the injury could drain.

She was going to be okay. While they were at it I asked about a weird growth I had noticed on her left front leg – it was harmless and they removed it while they had her knocked out.

They sent me home and called and sent a photo when she came out of the anesthetic. The vet called immediately with a report when he got done. I could pick her up in a few hours.

My beautiful Lab (and yes, I found out I am vain about the beauty of my dogs and was upset it had been marred) had a section of fur about 10” long and 6” wide shaved off her back with a tidy stitching job of her wound. She had two drain tubes inserted on either side of the wound and slightly behind it.

I had no idea under all that downy fur she had a whole slew on freckles. Who’d a thought?

The weenie could deal with stitched up wounds a lot better than open wounds so I was okay with caring for her. I had to lift my 73 pound dog up to the back of my Xterra – they sit high. And lift her down again at home. Goodness – and I thought my 65 pound Casey had been a load to lift.

Trulene later told me she called the vet to see how Nikki was doing. They told her they thought both of us were going to be okay. I laughed. Yes – I was pretty stressed and upset. I have an indicator of highly upsetting events – I got up the next day to an epic eruption of fever blisters. So yes, I confess my doggies are very important to me. But then, all living creatures are important to me.

She didn’t feel too great the rest of that day and was a bit better the next day. Thursday morning I was shocked when she did her usual thing and rolled over on her back after waking to get a tummy rub. I tried to stop her and told her “I don’t think you wont to do that!” She didn’t seem to be too bothered by it, but she was careful.

The following morning she was back to her full roll onto her back and did it several times. I couldn’t believe it.

Man – don’t you wish people could pop back that quickly? I am always in awe of how stoic Labs are about injuries and how quickly they cast aside any concern about what may be going on physically and behave like all is well. Like I said – I am in awe. I’m pretty tough but I suspect I be a little whiny and still dragging around a couple days later.

I’ve asked her a few time if she thought we should change her name to “Tail Pipes” but she ignores me.

It was such a weird event. She hadn’t misbehaved (like chowing down on all the field corn in Canada) or done any thing wrong. I hadn’t been negligent in the care of my dogs. And yet I found myself with a seriously injured dog. Very scary. But I ended up deciding it was better it happened to my dog than a small child.

When I get really, really upset I get fever blisters. I got a dandy batch on my lower lip the day after the injury. Since I have open, oozing fever blisters on my face I’ve been more than happy to lay low at home and keep an eye on Nikki.

It’s funny this happened soon after my realization that I have a 10 year old and an 8 year old Yellow Lab and they aren’t going to be around that much longer, so rather than feeling like they are boat anchors that prevent me from travelling, I had decided it was time to kick into high gear and take them places we can have an absolute blast.

I’m planning an extended trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina as soon as the weather warms. They have dog friendly beaches. We’re going to have a blast. The vet said the fur should be grown back so I won’t have to put sunscreen on Nikki’s somewhat bald back.

We got the tubes out today (injury on Tuesday and today is Friday). Here’s a picture — no tubes, but such a big bruised area. I guess I can’t call her “tail pipes” anymore.