Been A Tough Week
Forum rules
Keep it civil and mind the rules! Absolutely no ranting!
Keep it civil and mind the rules! Absolutely no ranting!
- Ranch Dog
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6458
- Joined: 22 Jun 2013 17:16
- My Press Choice: Progressive
- Location: Inez, TX
- Has thanked: 1617 times
- Been thanked: 2851 times
Been A Tough Week
When I came home Thursday a week ago, my wife told me my dogs had been missing since 1 pm. I had been at a prescribed burn all day and was tired and a bit upset that they took off. A little after 7 pm, they came dragging in and my Treeing Cur dog, Zeus, was beat up plus they were both in sad shape from the 100º plus heat. They both laid in a wildlife waterer out a ways from the house for about 30 minutes before they finished the walk home.
Zeus had finally tangled with something he should not have. He had eight hourglass shaped bits on his jaw, legs, and tail. Every so often while he walked, he would screech like a nerve in his back was pinched. I talked to my friend with The Nature Conservancy, the guy I was burning with, and he thought from the shape of the bites it was either a badger or a couple of young coyotes. Zeus stood up all that night as he couldn't get down and I doubt if he did he would get back up. So, off to the vet the first thing the following morning.
They put him on pain killers and antibiotics and said the best thing to do was to give him some time. His tail was dead, bitten through, and would need to be amputated, but the vet (three of them) thought it best to see if he improved over the weekend. I took him in Monday, and he was looking a bit better, but whatever was causing the spasms was still a real problem. The vets were also concerned about how extensive the beat down had been, and we discussed putting him to sleep. Instead, we were going to give him a few more days to see if his general health would get any better. It didn't, he was a mess, so I took him in yesterday afternoon and let him go.
Zeus was all dog and all GO 24-7, it is amazing how quiet it is out here without him. Honestly, I thought by now he would have ran head-on into a 6' rattlesnake as he was always looking for something to jack with. With that in mind, it wasn't a surprise and I told my wife that if they were not back at dark they were probably dead.
Rest in peace, Zeus, you crazy bag of fur! See you on the other side!
Zeus had finally tangled with something he should not have. He had eight hourglass shaped bits on his jaw, legs, and tail. Every so often while he walked, he would screech like a nerve in his back was pinched. I talked to my friend with The Nature Conservancy, the guy I was burning with, and he thought from the shape of the bites it was either a badger or a couple of young coyotes. Zeus stood up all that night as he couldn't get down and I doubt if he did he would get back up. So, off to the vet the first thing the following morning.
They put him on pain killers and antibiotics and said the best thing to do was to give him some time. His tail was dead, bitten through, and would need to be amputated, but the vet (three of them) thought it best to see if he improved over the weekend. I took him in Monday, and he was looking a bit better, but whatever was causing the spasms was still a real problem. The vets were also concerned about how extensive the beat down had been, and we discussed putting him to sleep. Instead, we were going to give him a few more days to see if his general health would get any better. It didn't, he was a mess, so I took him in yesterday afternoon and let him go.
Zeus was all dog and all GO 24-7, it is amazing how quiet it is out here without him. Honestly, I thought by now he would have ran head-on into a 6' rattlesnake as he was always looking for something to jack with. With that in mind, it wasn't a surprise and I told my wife that if they were not back at dark they were probably dead.
Rest in peace, Zeus, you crazy bag of fur! See you on the other side!
Michael
- Ranch Dog
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6458
- Joined: 22 Jun 2013 17:16
- My Press Choice: Progressive
- Location: Inez, TX
- Has thanked: 1617 times
- Been thanked: 2851 times
Re: Been A Tough Week
Up until last Friday, Zeus had never missed a day delivering the paper to my dad. As soon as I let him out of the yard in the morning, he bolted the 300 yards to cattle guard where the paper would be laying, snatch it up and bolt the 400 yards to my dad's porch. Rain or shine. He did this since I got him in January.
Once in a while, he would take a detour after a coyote or hawk, but he never dropped the paper until he hit the porch.
Once in a while, he would take a detour after a coyote or hawk, but he never dropped the paper until he hit the porch.
Michael
-
- Founding Member & Supporter
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: 20 Dec 2013 11:09
- My Press Choice: Single Stage
- Location: Arizona
- Location: Arizona
- Has thanked: 688 times
- Been thanked: 327 times
Re: Been A Tough Week
Sorry to hear this Michael, very sad, hang in there.
A day late & A dollar short? Story of my life
-
- Supporter
- Posts: 258
- Joined: 15 May 2018 16:37
- My Press Choice: Single Stage
- Location: Oregon
- Has thanked: 94 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Fyodor
- Founding Member & Supporter
- Posts: 1514
- Joined: 04 Jan 2014 05:45
- My Press Choice: Progressive
- Location: Gernsbach, Germany
- Has thanked: 794 times
- Been thanked: 504 times
Re: Been A Tough Week
Sorry to hear that... Losing a friend and family member is tough.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
- Evelyn Beatrice Hall, often misattributed to Voltaire
I think I'm thinking, therefore I may possibly be.
- Evelyn Beatrice Hall, often misattributed to Voltaire
I think I'm thinking, therefore I may possibly be.
- Ranch Dog
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6458
- Joined: 22 Jun 2013 17:16
- My Press Choice: Progressive
- Location: Inez, TX
- Has thanked: 1617 times
- Been thanked: 2851 times
- RBHarter
- Founding Member
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 13 Mar 2014 19:45
- My Press Choice: Single Stage
- Location: The green hell 90 miles north of Texarka
- Has thanked: 76 times
- Been thanked: 672 times
Re: Been A Tough Week
More condolences to you from me . The good ones could last 50 yr and it would about a week and a half not long enough .
Just a Red neck,White boy, Blue blood American.....
-
- Supporter
- Posts: 71
- Joined: 30 Jun 2013 09:25
- My Press Choice: Turret
- Location: NW Ohio
- Has thanked: 31 times
- Been thanked: 47 times
Re: Been A Tough Week
It's something how a dog that can drive you up a wall (running off and making you worry) suddenly leaves such a big hole. Seeing them change so completely in one day is tough. Losing them entirely even tougher.
Very sorry to hear about Zeus, Michael. They're always such a joy (mixed with aggravation and anxiety, admittedly) while they're with us, incredibly difficult to lose, and then leave us with some fond memories as well as make us a better person for their brief influence upon us.
According to the law in most places, dogs are "property," but I've never believed that. It's a convenient way to assign responsibility to someone to try to keep them out of too much trouble, or to acknowledge to whom the dog was assigned to teach something.
If you hadn't given him a real job, who knows what kind of life he'd had? I'm betting he misses you too.
Very sorry to hear about Zeus, Michael. They're always such a joy (mixed with aggravation and anxiety, admittedly) while they're with us, incredibly difficult to lose, and then leave us with some fond memories as well as make us a better person for their brief influence upon us.
According to the law in most places, dogs are "property," but I've never believed that. It's a convenient way to assign responsibility to someone to try to keep them out of too much trouble, or to acknowledge to whom the dog was assigned to teach something.
If you hadn't given him a real job, who knows what kind of life he'd had? I'm betting he misses you too.