Rascal's Page

Rascal the Great		Looking up to Daddy
	Rascal's favorite P'ing Place
He's not into this.		I think he's done posing..

Since we're doing pets now, let me introduce you to Rascal (Sally's Little Rascal), a Rat Terrier. The perfect companion*. The sweetest, most affectionate dog I've ever known. In Rascal's first year, he was bit by a copperhead 3, maybe 4 times, on the face, neck and possibly in his mouth. I stayed home from work for a week in order to care for him and take him to our new Veterinarian, Dr. J. Michael Strickland, everyday for hydration & meds because he had great difficulty swallowing and refused to open his mouth for pills and I decided injections by the Vets were in order.  (I will have more to say about the wonderful, dedicated personnel of Leesburg Veterinary Hospital, LTD., where we began a special relationship of recovery and care for Rascal that lasted more than a year). He was in so much pain and squealed like a pig when we tried to open his mouth to give him a pill.  We weren't sure if he'd make it. He was a puppy and weighed about 12-13 pounds.  He's 6+ years old now and weighs 18+ pounds.  It took several months for him to initially recover from the trauma of the bites, which made it necessary for me to bring him to work with me (week 2) so I could give him his meds, special foods, comfort and much love and it took more than a year for him to be out of the woods, medically-speaking.  He developed many problems during his recovery.  Early in his recovery he developed digestive problems. I remember we gave him hamburger and cottage cheese when he started eating solids again.  He was basically on a bland diet for months and special dietary food prescribed by the Vets.   When Rascal finally felt comfortable enough to walk around in the yard a bit, while doing his business, he was stung by a wasp on his anal gland.  Back to the Vets for treatment and antibiotics.  The poor thing - he went from having a bowling ball-sized head on one end to a baboon butt on the other end.    

(*Edited to say my DH is my perfect companion :)  

On the second day after Rascal's snake bite, I began taking pictures of him as he recovered, and so what follows is a photo record and thumbnail synopsis of his date with death (a blind date, I might add, because Rascal survived. heh heh)

This is how he looked the day after spending the night at the Emergency Animal Hospital in Leesburg, VA.  My deepest-felt thanks to this great team for keeping him alive overnight until we could get him to our new Veterinarian, Dr. Strickland, the next day.  If you look closely you can see a pair of fang marks on his right cheek (left side in the photo), another set is under his right eye and another set in his neck.  He may have also been bit in the mouth, the tongue most likely, but it was never verified because he wouldn't open his mouth for examination.  I wonder why?

The first day, the day he was bit, was like any other joy-filled day watching the cute antics of a very young, frisky puppy digging life in the country with 2 and 1/2 acres of wild lawn, rock wall on one side of our berm/earth house, a tree line and open road about 150 feet down the driveway.  One minute he was doing cartwheels across the lawn, the next minute he was sitting on the ground next to Daddy, head down, slouched shoulders, as silent as the scorching sun, stricken without a peep. He went down fast, like our arms and legs, throwing wallet, pocketbook, blanket and dog into truck and zooming into Leesburg to the Animal Emergency Hospital.  They saw him immediately, triaged, terrified and tired we waited.  And waited.  Finally, the ER Vet tells us they'll do everything they can for Rascal, it's pretty bad, no you can't spend the night here, come back tomorrow, back in the truck, silence, home, tears, night-night.  Except I couldn't sleep.  I couldn't stop thinking of Rascal;  he was away from us for the first time,  perhaps awake now and afraid of his surroundings at the Animal ER.  My DH, still so upset and restless, was leaving the next day for a 2 week business trip to Puerto Rico, eventually fell asleep on the couch.  I have to say I shed a load of tears that first night. I was afraid Rascal might die.  This is what a pet can do to you.  Reduce you to tears.  (Thank God, this is what a pet can do to you, it shows the love and compassion animal lovers have for their fur-kids - so many animals are mistreated by their owners.)  And yet, quite by surprise, I suddenly became very calm and my part in this matter became very clear to me.  I must not let my feelings or doubts betray me, lest Rascal pick up on them and become discouraged himself.  I resolved that night to always be cheerful and positive.  I was going to tell Rascal (if he made it through the night) that he was very sick indeed and would feel very badly for awhile but that I was going to take care of him and he was going to be okay; that he'd start to feel better and better each day until he wasn't sick anymore and life was good.  And that's how I did it.

My DH and I were greatly relieved the next day that he was alive but saddened to see the shape he was in and we had to take him to our "own" veterinarian for further examination and treatment.  We had our "own"  2-room vet who aptly saw and dispensed whatever was needed to keep our 2 cats in good health, but realizing Rascal would need expert help in order to survive, we sought a larger, more experienced veterinary facility and this is where Leesburg Veterinary Hospital comes in to save the day.  I am here to tell of their heroic efforts to keep Rascal alive and how they succeeded in the end which makes me forever grateful to them for the extra effort they put into seeing that Rascal survived.  He had them "at hello."

I have never felt so entirely welcomed nor experienced a more caring team of veterinarian talent in which I could put my entire trust in, to care for, inspire faith in the complete recovery of, and offer help in more ways than I could have expected from an animal hospital.  I'm talking about the exceptional Leesburg Veterinary Hospital in Leesburg, VA.  

I ferried Rascal to our new Vets (60 miles round-trip) every day for administration of meds and hydration by injection under his skin. At home, I used an eye dropper to dribble water through the side of his mouth all day long, because he couldn't take anything by mouth.  Rascal was on a liquid diet (broths, soups) until he could tolerate a little chicken & veggie baby food, a dab at a time. He was given pain killers, antibiotics, meds for his stomach, antihistamines, and some sundries I can't recall, over the course of his recovery. Around the time he was feeling a little better and able to go outside to P and walk around a little on his own, he was stung by a wasp on his butt (the anal sac, actually), the whole left side of his butt was very swollen and painful and he had to undergo treatment for that, as well.  Rascal also had surgery on his paw pad for removal of a tumor.

This photo was probably taken more than a  week after the bite.  He came out of his den (crate, for all you animals out there!) on his own. Up until this time, he basically spent most of his day in his den or on my lap for feeding, resting, comfort, and pit stops outside.  He slept with me at night, next to my side.  

In this photo, Rascal's licking his tears.  I swear he cried at times.

Rascal..  also prays.  He's a Christian dog.

..though he appears embarrassed; perhaps because he knows he looks like Rascal the Half-Hog?

himself silly..  when he saw this photo during a visit home.  

..because Rascal looks like he has big rabbit teeth, here.

My reason for posting this testimony is to give hope to others who may have a gravely ill fur-kid after a poisonous snake bite, and and may be thinking of *putting down* your beloved companion.  Please reconsider.  Your pet can survive!   With diligence and devotion to the task, by you and your veterinarian to give the best possible care and proper treatment to meet your pet's immediate crisis, your fur-kid can make a  complete recovery from such a serious illness.  Before making a decision to put your dog down, talk to your veterinarian about your pet's chance of survival and recovery.  For us, there wasn't a choice involved.  We just did whatever it took to get Rascal back to the Good Life we enjoyed (enjoy!) with him.  It's impossible to put into words the quality of life a loyal, royal Rat Terrier can bring into an empty nest - out in the boon docks.  

It's also impossible to put into words the gratitude we feel towards the Leesburg Veterinary Hospital situated in beautiful, historic, old town Leesburg, Virginia, in a place proper, at 21 Catoctin Circle, NE, where Everyone-There-Knows-Rascal or knows of him, has weighed, wee'd, clipped, clamped, ID'd, IV'd, poked, pilled, bandaged, bound, x-rayed, examined, jarred, jabbed, loved and rubber-gloved him at one time or another.  Dr. J. Michael Strickland heads the list of this marvelous facility.  He's the most caring, selfless, compassionate, animal-lover I've ever known.  Dr. Strickland always goes beyond the call of duty to accommodate us, spends as much time as we need, and always makes me feel as though God is working through him.  I trust him like no other veterinarian.  Thank you, Dr. Strickland for your selfless efforts toward Rascal's recovery, especially the house call on your way home from the Hospital that one night to calm Rascal after his bad reaction to the pain medicine injection.  Your coming out to help me at a time in Rascal's early treatment, at a time when I had so much on my plate to deal with, showed me your love and dedication to God's precious animals.  The town of Leesburg, VA is lucky to have you.  

Dr. Michele Annese, Dr. McCormack, and Dr. Jennifer Schaeffer were also very involved in Rascal's recovery, although they are no longer employed at Leesburg Veterinary Hospital; without their care and dedication Rascal's recovery may have taken a different direction.  Also, Joanne Hatrick, Marolyn Monroe, and Helene Milinkovic, all  very dedicated, compassionate and caring former employees.  I owe you all a debt of gratitude that words cannot express adequately.  I owe our continued companionship of the world's greatest Rat Terrier to all of You.  Thank you from the bottom of my  heart, and especially thanks from my DH. If you didn't know, Rascal and he are joined at the hip.  

Rascal's doing very well these days (except for another recent tumor removal from his leg and the more-than-usual infections that require antibiotics), living the Good Life.

Oh, he's been vet-shy ever since. Wouldn't you know?

Here's a recent photo of Rascal, and our other fur-kid, Contessa ChiChi, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix, who also has a sweet, affectionate nature.  We call her "Tess" for short.