29 January 2011

When nothing else works

Toni had an accident this past week. She slipped on some ice. It seemed like nothing important at the time, but by the end of the day she was in pretty bad shape. We're still not exactly sure what the damage is—maybe sprains in both hips, maybe a torn ligament, maybe something else. What we do know is that it is the first time we've ever heard her yelp in pain. And she yelped a lot on the day of the accident. It continues even through the weekend, though not as much, thankfully.

There's something really horrible about seeing someone (even, or maybe especially, a furry someone) who is normally stoic and steady reduced to the desperation and confusion that pain causes. It added a whole level of panic to my end of the situation as caretaker that is not usually present, as I tried desperately to reach beyond my usual measures to try to find a solution for this ailment that was beyond the usual.

Even Téa is unsure how to help, and offers up the only thing she can think of, the thing that makes her feel best when she is not well (though truth be told it makes her feel best even when she's already feeling pretty good): love.

"I will be your personal blanket, teddy bear and hot water bottle until you feel better."


10 comments:

  1. That picture is just so sweet! Sometimes, I guess that's the only thing we can do, though. I hope she's feeling better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so wish our two dogs would curl up like this, but whenever Bruno tried to lay on Winnie, she just growls at him-- maybe when they get older...
    Hope Toni feels better really soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Poor Toni :( Hope she's feeling better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Possibly the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. yikes! have you seen a vet?

    sending well-wishes,
    aleksandra

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hope she's ok; it's so scary to see them hurting and not know what's going on. They are so sweet together.

    ReplyDelete
  7. how is she doing? better, I hope!

    http://maisieme.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes! Toni has been painkiller-free for about 36 hours now and seems to be doing okay. She's still hesitant and careful using her back legs, but the last 36 hours have gone so well that I feel much better about her recovery process (and the probability that we won't have to go back to the vet for this issue again!). We appreciate all of the concern!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope Toni gets feeling better soon. Looks like Tea is taking good care of her.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm so sorry to hear about Toni's injury. Hopefully Téa smothering her with love helped her heal.

    ReplyDelete