Who, Me?, Sony the Pug on Friday, the day before she got sick. Photos © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
The Vet called about an hour ago to ask if we were missing a pecan.
It turns out that 12-month-old Sony had one lodged in her intestine, which the Vet (my new heroine) found when she went in and opened up our little pug’s stomach this afternoon. The pecan, it seems, blocked food and liquid from passing through her stomach, causing it to swell up like a balloon.
She’s not out of the woods yet, although my-heroine-the-Vet said that Sony was awake and alert right after the operation. Medical folk will be at the animal hospital around the clock tonight, and tomorrow evening they’ll try to feed her something. If all goes well, we’ll pick her up on Tuesday.
Whew. What a relief.
I was worried they’d cut her open and find nothing. At least now we know what caused Sony to get gradually sick over these past two weeks until she finally reached the point this morning of not being able to keep anything down. Poor baby. We decided to take her in when we noticed her stomach had expanded so much that her left leg was starting to stick out and she could hardly lie down.
We’ve tried to “Sony-proof” our house, with mixed results. Every now and then I catch her trying to swallow a rubber band or eat the stuffing out of a toy. About two or so weeks ago I caught her outside with a pecan in her mouth. I got it away from her, and if my memory serves me correctly, threw it way out of reach — or so I thought! Little did I know.
From here on out, we’re going to be way more vigilent when Sony is outside. This isn’t the first time she’s had to be rushed to the Vet because she ate something discovered while snorting around under the old trees. She’s just not an outdoor dog. Which is too bad, because she love-love-loves being outside with her big bros.
If you get a chance, please send her some positive vibes. And if all goes well, she’ll be safe and sound at home — indoors! — in two days.
***UPDATE*** — Sony is safely esconced at home, currently lying in her snuggly fleece bed. Her face is thin, her eyes alarmingly protruding. But she is good ol’ silly-sly-huggable-lovable-snuffaloffagus-nutty Sony.
Look what the vet sent home with us. After taking this shot, for posterity, I placed the menacing nut into the bottom of the trash bin. Good riddance!
-Related to posts A Girl With A Curl & Her Pug, In Spring, and Ten Things About Sony The Pug.
My Cats send their get very well wishes…and a bad joke
(They are Cats after all)
I went to the cinema the other day and in the front row was an older gentleman and with him was his dog. It was a sad, funny kind of movie, you know the type.
In the sad part, the dog cried his eyes out, and in the funny part, the dog laughed its head off. This happened all the way through the movie.
After the movie had ended, I decided to go and speak to the man. “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” I said. “That dog really seemed to enjoy the movie. It’s remarkable!”
“Yeah, it is,” said the man. “He hated the book.”
Told you.
Get well soon Sony. 🙂
LikeLike
ybonesy, what an adorable photo of Sony. Just checking in right before heading to bed. Liz and I just read this and it’s unbelievable that it was a pecan! I’m so glad you took her in and they caught it. Relief! Sending good energy to Sony Pepperoni. As Heather says, Get Well Soon!
LikeLike
BTW. Heather, great joke from your cats. 8)
LikeLike
ybonesy, Sony looks like a loveable pug, so sleek and huggable. Does she like to carry stuff around in her mouth, or does she gobble them down? We had a darling black lab girl who loved to carry pebbles in her mouth, but she never swallowed them.
I hope Sony comes home from the operation and mends well. What an awful scare. Sending her warm pats and wishes! G
LikeLike
Heather, THANKS. I needed that joke 8) I was a wreck yesterday, worried about her.
G, Sony *eats*. She never just carries. She eats anything she can find. She’s like an anteater in the house, nose to the ground, searching every nook and cranny. Same thing outside. In the house she’s less discerning — she’ll eat anything she finds. Outside since there is so much, she goes for certain things. I’m worried now about pebbles because we have a rock garden, and I’ve seen her try to carry rocks out of it. I don’t think she’ll be outside much anymore unless on a leash.
QM, I am so happy we took her in and that I didn’t “tough” it out. My gosh, her stomach was filling up, filling up. The vet said there was no way she could have passed this whole pecan out. Her stomach could have burst.
LikeLike
ybonesy, I assume she’s still holding well this morning. Yes, I’m glad you didn’t tough it out, too. Since pets can’t speak, it is sometimes hard to know the right thing to do — when to take them to the vet, when to hold out and see if it passes. We really have to watch them a while and try to tune in to what they are feeling. So glad you did that and took Sony in!
Hey, I meant to ask last night, are there pecan trees on your land? I remember the apricot tree out back. But I can’t remember seeing the pecan trees. Are they a variety edible for humans? And where are they located? I just never picture pecan trees in New Mexico.
LikeLike
As a fellow Pug owner, I’m sending out my bestest vibes for a speedy recovery. What a cool name . . . Sony. You should get some kickbacks or something . . .
Brian
LikeLike
Poor Sony! I love that first photo. Actually, I like them all, but the first is adorable.
I’ll send lots of positive vibes Sony’s way. I hope she gets well and comes home soon.
LikeLike
She’s a sweetie! A greedy little sweetie who likes her frutos secos. I will send her lots of healing light. Hope she’s all better very soon.
LikeLike
ybonesy – i hope Sony is on the mend and will come out of hospital soon. It’s amazing that she is so oral that she Hoovers in everything. her operation was such a major one, and it is good you took her to the vets, before she was beyong help. The fact that dog’s can’t communicate, except through changes in behaviour, makes it tough to come to a decision as to when they are in temporary or grave distress.
Our new Scottie, Jessica, is going in on Thursday for a hysterectomy. Poor baby will need lots of TLC from us and watchfullness so that The General doesn’t pick on her while she is recuperating. He is such a perverse cat! G
LikeLike
ybonesy, let us know how Sony is when you get back into town tonight. Love to have an update. Still sending good energy your way.
LikeLike
dogs are so tough–my silky sends his best wishes
LikeLike
Thanks, all. Just logging in after a long day up in northern NM.
The hospital folks called this morning to report that Sony was recuperating well. They tried to feed her at about 4 today, but she was not interested in eating. That’s normal, they assured. They wanted to keep her another night.
I’ll call after the vet checks her again tomorrow morning. Again, they feel she is doing well, all vitals and blood tests, etc. are positive.
LikeLike
G, best wishes with Jessica. I love her name, too, btw.
We should change Sony’s name to “Hoover” (smile).
Brian, kickbacks are in order, yes. Good idea, and it will help with the vet bill, which I will not even mention what it is going to cost as it might cause collective fainting (or at least a major case of the vapors) in the blogosphere.
LikeLike
p.s., QM, the pecan came from a bowl of holiday nuts. The girls took the whole, unshelled nuts outside to break them open with rocks, and apparently there was a pecan or two floating around. We think we’ve gotten them all up now.
We don’t have a pecan tree at this place but we did have one at our old place. The pecans were often bitter and dried out. The neighbors across the street had the “partner” pecan tree, and theirs were better.
Pecans and pistachios grow well in Southern NM. You can see acres of trees along the highways. Really great crop for those parts.
LikeLike
Jerry, Domino, and I are sending positive vibes, too, Ybonesy. Glad to hear that Sony’s recuperating well!
LikeLike
Ybonesy,
I hope Sony is ok because I haven’t met her yet. Looking forward to our visit. Pugs are cool! 😎
MM
LikeLike
My doggies, Peri and LIbby, and I send our best wishes to Sony. Good thing your vet caught this in time!
Libby, who is a beagle,is totally run by her round tummy and her nose. She wants Sony to know that she totally sympathizes with the impulse to taste everything that crosses one’s line of vision. When you are built close to the ground, there is so very much yummy stuff available. She hopes Sony had a chance to at least enjoy the pecan before it went down.
I’m glad little Sony is going to be okay.
LikeLike
Thank you. I am still waiting for the call from the vet. We’re all so eager to have her home, we can hardly stand it. I still don’t know if she’s eaten anything as of today. Will keep you posted.
jude, if you have any tips on how to deal with Libby’s impulses to eat anything, please let me know. I hate to restrict Sony when she comes home, but I’m afraid that’s what we might end up doing. Also, I don’t think she enjoyed the pecan, as it was whole. ; – )
sam, how’s Jerry doing these days? Still paralyzed in the back legs? You are a dog-care-saint.
LikeLike
MM, I think you’re going to like her. She’s pretty cool for a small dog ; – )
LikeLike
jude, Peri and Libby were so sweet. I’m glad we got to meet them. I hadn’t put it together about being built close to the ground and also wanting to eat everything close to the ground. 8)
ybonesy, oh, I wondered about the pecan trees. Got it. Next time I’m there, you’ll have to point them out to me. I want to see if they look the same as the ones in Georgia. Glad Sony’s doing better.
LikeLike
Yeah, YB, he’s still paralyzed. And he still manages to be a bit of a rounder, anyway.
BTW, he ate everything that would fit in his mouth when he was younger — a Bible, 18″ intact inches of his leash, part of my jacket, an inkpen, something dead at the park that resulted in an ER visit, cigarette lighters (‘though they weren’t actually eaten, just exploded) — but he grew out of it. Give Sony a couple more years and she’ll get a bit more judicious. 😉
LikeLike
Holy moly, Sam. Cigarette lighters that exploded?!
QM, I bet the GA trees are huge. It will be interesting to see what you think of the local ones.
Also, a general update: As of about two or so hours ago, Sony was keeping her food and water down. Everything looked good. They said it was likely I could pick her up at the end of today.
LikeLike
hugs to you and sony. i’ve been through something like this and it’s so stressful! i bet you can’t wait to have her next to you snoring away!
p.s. she looks so beautiful — she harkens back to the pictures of pugs a gazillion years ago in china. the original pugs like in old old art work.
LikeLike
You’re right about not able to wait. As I was driving home from the animal hospital with Sony this afternoon, I call my friend Patty. She said I was the happiest I’d sounded all weekend.
And yes, as I’ve told the woman who gave her to me, Sony is a good-looking pug. Very regal, very handsome.
p.s., I updated the post with a pic of something the vet sent home with me.
LikeLike
I’m glad Sony is a-ok. That is a rather formidable looking nut. Gotta find you the Onion article about pugs, now that you’re a veteran owner.
Check out the slide-show to the right if you get the chance.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/dog_breeders_issue_massive_recall
LikeLike
OMG, amuirin, that is hilarious. I’d better not show it to Jim. He might think it’s real!!!
Oop, I just saw your note on the slideshow. OK, I’ll watch that one in the morning. With the whole family. 8)
LikeLike
ybonesy – glad Sony is back in her snuggly bed and in the arms of her family and hope her stitches heal fast.
What a monster nut! G
LikeLike
ybonesy, I LOVED that you came back and added the pesky nut to this post. And even that your vet saved it for you, says a lot about her. It satisfies that natural curiosity (at least I have it) to actually see the tooth that was pulled, or to see the X-Rays, or the gallstone, or kidney stone (haven’t had those yet, knock wood).
Liz and I cracked up when we saw the pecan posted. So glad Sony is feeling better! Hip Hip Hooray!
LikeLike
Don’t know how to cure the Hoover-syndrome in dogs with good noses and short legs. Libby is 6 years old, though only with us for the past 6 months (a rescue). I’ve learned that if I drop anything small enough to interest her, like a vitamin, I have to snatch it off the floor instantly or she’ll swallow it. I swear she can hear a dust mote drop – and if it’s a tasty dust mote, she will be on it in less than a nano-second. We don’t restrict her in our house – but do keep the house doggy-proofed as much as possible. tight lids on waste baskets, no food lower than 4 feet off the ground. In the yard, it’s harder. Her new favorite is sunflower seeds that fall from the bird feeder. They give her the runs. At least they don’t plug her up.
That pecan looks like a monster nut!
LikeLike
It does look monster, doesn’t it? It’s not quite as big as it seems. I mean, it’s a good-sized nut, but somehow the photo makes it look mutant, which it’s not 8) .
Yikes, Libby is 6? I was thinking this was something Sony might grow out of in another year. Perhaps “once a snoffler, always a snoffler.” One thing, which your dust-mote comment jogged, is that our floor is awfully clean since Sony moved in.
QM, I love seeing “things removed,” too. Teeth, bone parts. Oh, when I was about 11, I got a benign tumor removed from my knee. I remember the doctor describing it to my mom. Almost the size of a golf ball. I pictured a nice, round ball, little dents in it, mostly white. Then he pulled out a jar with the growth floating in the liquid. Gross! It was gray and bloody and messy. I almost fainted.
LikeLike
Really, I never heard of an “indoor dog” – but if your baby eats everything in sight, at least she’s useful as a vac-u-dog.
And I loved seeing the dreaded pecan – on your green vinyl retro dinette chair!
LikeLike
chickenlil, very observant about the green vinyl retro dinette chair. I was wondering what that was. It kind of makes the pecan throw off a green sheen — like an olive. 8)
LikeLike
lil, truly a New Mexican! Dogs are dogs, right? 8)
Vac-u-Dog should become a daily comic. Vac-u-Dog to the rescue! I’ll draw her up in a doodle soon. And good eye. That is my new chartreusse (sp?) vinyl chair. (BTW, I’ll likely be seeing you’ins tomorrow if I can break away. I had a child plow into me on Sun. Ouch.)
QM, you are making connections all over these comments 8) . Yes, the pecan does look just like an olive ; – ).
LikeLike
My mother’s dog once ate an entire bag of oatmeal cookie mix, and then drank several bowls of water. After a stomach pumping, and a night at the vets, he was fine.
Groceries were never left unattended again.
LikeLike
Steve, oh, sounds like that would have blown up in the poor little guy’s stomach! Glad he was fine after the stomach pumping. Your comment reminds me of Sony and I wonder if ybonesy took her along to her cabin this weekend. I guess we’ll find out later!
LikeLike
Yikes! Can you imagine? Yes, I would have hated to see just how big those oats would have expanded.
QM, yes, after going back and forth, we finally decided to take Sony to the cabin. She loved it. We took her beds, so she settled in to a warm spot. We did take her on one walk that was pretty long given that she’d only had surgery less than a week earlier, but it wasn’t too too long. And we left her home for a longer hike yesterday.
I’m glad we took her. I was worried but it worked out well.
LikeLike
yb…So glad to see the update!
I have been mentioning her when I light my candles. I will continue to do so a little longer just for good measure. 🙂
LikeLike
ybonesy, so great that you took Sony to the cabin. I was hoping you would. Dogs seems to love the wild places. Sounds like she is recovering well. So happy about that! 8)
LikeLike
She’s really tired today, QM; I think we might have overdone it at the cabin. I’m glad we’re doing a check-up with the vet tomorrow. She’s eating well, but she’s not very active. Which is to be expected, I suppose. But I do worry.
And for that reason I *so* appreciated the continued lighting of candles, suz!!
LikeLike
Oh, so sorry, ybonesy. I bet she’s just tired, and still healing. I can see why you’re worried though. Let us know how the check up goes tomorrow. Liz says that Pants says Hi to Sony. 8)
LikeLike
[…] Sony the pug found the cat, and, well, you know what Sony does when she finds things. Luckily, we rescued the cat; it presently resides in all its mangled glory on a tree trunk […]
LikeLike
I thought I should come back to this post and leave a comment about Sonia’s second emergency stomach operation. Yep. Yesterday. She got a chunk of corn-cob stuck in her small intestine this time. I got it from the vet, but it’s a bit too disgusting to post a picture of.
And in all honesty, the fact that we’ve now done this two times in four months—well, I’m not sure what’s going to happen here. 😦
LikeLike
[…] to posts Because She’s A Nut and Ten Things About Sony The […]
LikeLike