Ruby is a Gem of a Pug. Part I

by Laura Richmond

Laura is “mom” to four rescued pugs and a basset hound named, Smash. She is also a talented jewelry designer and you can find her creations at http://www.richmondltd.com/ or http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/pugwa.

The Day we thought Ruby would never walk again …

It was a typical Sunday mid-morning; wake up and eat and go out for our weekly Costco run. Nothing out of the ordinary except when we returned from our shopping trip and opened the front door only three of our pugs were there as usual, jumping and greeting us home but Ruby was pulling herself across the floor to get our attention, her back legs dragging to the side like a mermaid.

I dropped everything and sat on the floor to see what the matter was. She’d been absolutely fine and walking around previously that day. I propped her up holding her waist up and then she simply collapsed. We tried supporting her by her hind quarters but it was soon apparent she had lost all use of her back legs.

Our immediate concern was perhaps she fell down the stairs while we were out shopping and injured her back, and to this day we keep a baby gate at the bottom of our stairs when we leave the house to prevent any accidents while we are away.

Meanwhile, I made up a large plastic laundry basket with a bed pillow and nice pug blanket for Ruby to rest in and keep her contained, and carried her from room to room so she would not feel abandoned or helpless till I could get her to the vet on Monday morning. I carried her into the kitchen in her laundry basket so she could be alongside our other three pugs during dinner preparations, which all the family pets look forward to every evening. And at night I carried her upstairs and placed her in her pug bed next to our bed.

The following morning, again in the laundry basket, I took her to the vet’s office. We wanted to keep her absolutely still. Fearing she may have a spinal injury, keeping her immobile was our first priority.

The vet who examined her said he needed to take x-rays to see why she was not able to walk but when the film came back he could not see anything. He told us that Ruby should see an orthopedic and neurology specialist immediately. He called ahead with a referral and Ruby and I headed out to the VCA Animal Hospital.

By now I was frantic, calling my husband at work to tell him of the serious condition of our lil’ Ruby pug as I raced to the hospital. Once there I filled out tons of paperwork and “willingness to pay agreements” along with payment-collection paperwork that I thought odd but I filled out anyway, as quickly as possible, just to get Ruby in to see a specialist.

Upon examination, the neurologist said that Ruby most likely had a tumor next to her spinal cord that would be causing her to suffer. She wanted to open her up right away and shoot a dye into her spine and, if they found a tumor, remove it at once. The cost would be $12,000 today!

Oh, I was crying and feeling helpless so I called my husband again. His thoughts were that no tumor showed up on her x-ray and 24 hours prior she was completely normal! He said she was already 10 years old and to open her up like that and do major back surgery would probably leave her in a far worse state, on top of having to recover from serious surgery that may not even be necessary . He said tell them, “No” and see what we can do for her today.

I was willing to pay anything and give up everything to trust that this doctor knew what would fix my Ruby and I was shaken that we were not going to pay to “make it all better”. The doctor was not pleased with my decision and said that Ruby would not be able to eliminate on her own at this point and would need intravenous pain relief so I should at least check her into the hospital for four days .

Believing it kindest that Ruby be catheterized and sedated, rather than lying on pee pads in her laundry basket and having me clean her up like a baby, I checked her in to the hospital and went home alone.

Part II of Ruby’s story will be featured next week.