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My mother works in a vet clinic, and their everyday occurences are something crazier than a person with a 9-5 job pulling faxes or landscaping.
Yesterday, a man brought in his dog. It was a little black mixed breed named Daisy, an ordinary dog in so many ways. She had a rattlesnake bite to the face, and it made her entire head swell up to twice its normal size. Judging from the bite wound and the amount of venom in her blood, the dog was bitten by a large rattlesnake not long out of hibernation. It was full to the fangs of toxin.
They got to the vet pretty quickly. The man told them to spare no expense in getting anti-venom and treatment for his dog. Yesterday, someone at the clinic was always with Daisy. My mother spent two hours sitting with the dog, brushing cockleburrs out of her coat and talking to her. She said the dog was a stoic, sweet thing and she bore the injury gravely. But at some point, it became clear that the anti-venom wouldn't save her and the dog was suffering tremendous pain that would only end in death. The family made the decision to put Daisy to sleep to spare her any futher pain.
My mother spoke to the man this afternoon. He told her that he was out at the ranch with his family, walking around in the long grass and summer air. He heard Daisy give her intruder alert sort of bark, and started walking towards the dog. Apparently she saw the rattlesnake first, and tried to warn them away. But the man's young son was headed straight for the snake. Daisy literally threw herself between the boy and the snake. The dog saved his son's life.
My mother said she had goosebumps on her arms. She took the bite that probably would have killed that little boy, as the dog and child were of about the same size. I think we're all convinced that Daisy knew exactly what she was doing. The little boy was her family, and she protected him with her life.
Godspeed Daisy, brave little black dog.
Yesterday, a man brought in his dog. It was a little black mixed breed named Daisy, an ordinary dog in so many ways. She had a rattlesnake bite to the face, and it made her entire head swell up to twice its normal size. Judging from the bite wound and the amount of venom in her blood, the dog was bitten by a large rattlesnake not long out of hibernation. It was full to the fangs of toxin.
They got to the vet pretty quickly. The man told them to spare no expense in getting anti-venom and treatment for his dog. Yesterday, someone at the clinic was always with Daisy. My mother spent two hours sitting with the dog, brushing cockleburrs out of her coat and talking to her. She said the dog was a stoic, sweet thing and she bore the injury gravely. But at some point, it became clear that the anti-venom wouldn't save her and the dog was suffering tremendous pain that would only end in death. The family made the decision to put Daisy to sleep to spare her any futher pain.
My mother spoke to the man this afternoon. He told her that he was out at the ranch with his family, walking around in the long grass and summer air. He heard Daisy give her intruder alert sort of bark, and started walking towards the dog. Apparently she saw the rattlesnake first, and tried to warn them away. But the man's young son was headed straight for the snake. Daisy literally threw herself between the boy and the snake. The dog saved his son's life.
My mother said she had goosebumps on her arms. She took the bite that probably would have killed that little boy, as the dog and child were of about the same size. I think we're all convinced that Daisy knew exactly what she was doing. The little boy was her family, and she protected him with her life.
Godspeed Daisy, brave little black dog.