1/18/25

 We had a scary incident happed today. It left us all horrified, disappointed and sad.

I was doing my meal prep in the kitchen. The door was open to our pantry where we keep the dog food. The food is kept in a bin with a lid on it. I suspect a piece of food was on the floor but it all happened so fast, I don’t even know what the trigger was. 

Normally Jiminy and Moe mesh well together. Moe has been known to be protective of food and has snapped at the other dogs over food but never any other reason.

Today was Jiminy’s turn. I never did find the piece of food that initiated the incident. Maybe it was eaten? Avery and I were right there and stopped it as soon as it happened. Moe had Jiminy in his mouth for a split second. Then it was over. Jiminy squealed.

Avery and I intervened in a split second. Jiminy immediately had swelling over his soft spot which is about 2/3 of his head. His delicate little brain with no protective skull. 

I was still in my PJ’s and hadn’t brushed my teeth. I had Avery hold Jim while I ran up and brushed my teeth while changing. Avery called out “MOM!” With panic and terror in her voice. Jiminy was having a seizure.

I did a quick spit of my tooth paste and ran down the stairs with my bottom half exposed and my clothes in hand. The kids got a special treat with that one. I threw on my clothes and off I went.

I rushed off to the vet. He was started on a steroid to help with brain swelling and a solution to reduce the pressure in his skull. He had well over 10 seizures. That is not good.

He earned an IV catheter, bloodwork and lots of assurance he was a good boy.

The local ER (the one I used to work at) does not have the medication he needed for cranial swelling. I started driving with little Jiminy on my lap, the almost 2 hour trek to the Buffalo Emergency Services. Both kids wanted to go and were in the car in a jiffy. I was glad because it was hard to drive and hold him while Jiminy was seizing.

I prepared the kids for the worst even though that was unfathomable. Ethan started sobbing. “I can’t lose this dog. He is my best friend and my child!” We all feel that way about Jiminy. He is the smallest but biggest bundle of joy. He adds a unmeasurable amount of joy to our lives multiple times a day. 

It was a long and quiet drive. Avery navigated, Ethan held Jiminy and I drove.

As we drive, the seizures started to slow. Jiminy was cuddled on Ethan’s lap and even started to do his stim licking. All encouraging.

We arrived at the facility. It was big, clean and everyone was very nice and professional. Avery said it smelled like a vet hospital. It smelled clean to me but likely with all the medications, white products, tinctures, salves, sprays and more, it has developed a “vet” smell. I think my nose is numb to the smell.

They took Jiminy right to the back to start treatment right away. A sense of relief came as soon as we arrived. 

They put us in a room while we waited for the doctor to assess Jiminy, and develop a plan. 

Avery noticed that this ER was AAHA accredited. She knew what that meant by listening to me on my calls. 90% of the hospitals I hire for are AAHA accredited.

Overall, there are only 15-ish percent of veterinary hospitals that achieve this accreditation across the nation. It has a rigorous set of standards that once achieved, elevate their medical excellence. It’s funny that she has heard it enough to pick up on it and recognize the significance.

We met with the doctor. She was nice and thorough. She explained what she wanted to do, and went over a treatment plan. 

We asked to see Jiminy one more time. He has to stay until at least Monday to make sure his swelling is under control.

He came in and we all told him to be a good boy and that we loved him. Away he went to get his treatments. We all felt better having him in the hospital.

The ride home was more relaxed. It opened the door to conversation about the trauma we had and how we dealt with it. 

I texted Paul with what happened. Paul is one that does NOT deal with this sort of thing well.  Paul called right away.

He was very upset. He wanted to rehome Moe on the spot. He didn’t want Moe in the house. His breathing was noticeably increased. He was angry and not thinking clearly. The kids could hear him. 

Paul historically needs time to process things. He needs a steady voice, calming talk, and needs to know what to expect. He needs the guidance that things will be ok. I purposely wait to tell him things until I have most answers so he doesn’t have to worry as much. It seems kinder for him.

I explained to the kids (after the call) that dad had just a few moments of processing while we were going on hours of time that we have had to process. Dad was in the throes of grief over the situation. You have to go through each step.

We also talked about how men don’t process emotions the same as women. Men present with anger when they are scared, tired, hungry, sad, and all of the other things. 

Ethan brought up that his counseling has helped him understand his emotions a little bit better. 

Later in the evening, I spoke with the doctor. Jiminy was holding his own. They shave his head where he had a blood spot. He was eating. He didn’t have any seizures since the last one in the car, and his blood pressure went back to normal. Yay! They even discontinued his infusions that help decrease the pressure in his brain. He was front and center in the hospital ICU. He is a staff favorite. Of course he is. 

As far as Moe goes…we will not be re-homing him at this time. This is a dog being a dog incident. Unfortunately, Moe is so big and Jim is so small. But we are not going to give up on Moe. I am not happy about this situation. I am going to change where the dog food bin is located and make it less easy to squabble over a morsel of food. Hyper diligence will be needed.

This day was not fun. But the bright side is that our little family came together for Jiminy. Jim is in good hands.