A not so happy update

The last 72 hours have been rough….We were awakened early Friday morning by Nora screaming in pain. The screams were the same heartbreaking screams she made when she had her phantom limb pains, so we assumed the neuropathic pain had come back after almost 6 months of being pain free. She kept having episodes throughout Friday afternoon – 4 major (lasting more than a minute) and a couple of minor ones that only lasted a few seconds……but something was off. Back when her phantom limb pains were at their worst, she would NEVER have more than 2 episodes in a day – and within minutes of it being over, she was back to her normal happy self as if nothing had happened. Friday, however, she never snapped back to normal. She was hiding, tail tucked and not wanting to be touched. She did perk up for food and for going outside in the yard….

Early evening we couldn’t take it anymore, and rushed her to the ER at Animal Medical Center. She was assessed by their amazing ER staff who couldn’t say for sure if this was phantom limb or if there was cervical involvement. They send us home with Gabapentin and Codein and orders for strict crate rest.

We got home Friday night, but in spite of the pain meds she kept having agonizing moments of pain throughout the night. Saturday morning we made an emergency appointment to see neurology at AMC and brought her back in. The neurologist was able to find the source of her pain. Turns out she has a ruptured disc in her neck that is pressing on nerves and sending shooting pains through her body. She was given new pain meds, and orders to be on strict crate rest for the next month – with us carrying her out to poop and pee. The hope is that with proper rest, her disc will regenerate and we can avoid risky surgery. Being a tripawd in and of itself is a high impact activity…..

Nora is now finally resting comfortably in her crate. As of last night her pain meds finally kicked in and we could all get some much needed rest. We will do our very best to help Nora through this next month. She is going to hate having to be confined and restricted, but it’s worth it to make sure she never has to endure this kind of pain ever again. Lots of love, kisses and organic pumpkin filled Kongs……and her kitty brothers are watching over her as well.

New smile!

A couple of weeks ago, Nora had major dental work done. She was pretty badly beaten during the assault where her leg was sawed off, and as a result she had some broken teeth. 2 of them really didn’t need fixing, as the break was superficial, but one of her lower canines had suffered a pretty complicated break with pulp exposure. She had to have a surgical root canal done on that tooth in order to save it.

There was a lot of puss and infection at the root of this tooth, so the poor girl must have been in pain. We never saw ANY signs of her having a painful mouth – proof of how important regular dental check ups is for any cat or dog.

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This brought us to (happy) tears….

The rescue group in Iran who initially rescued Nora (Mazandaran Rescue Team) and who connected with Beagle Freedom Project/ARME in the US to get her transported here for medical care and adoption – posted this video on Facebook today as a thank you to me and my husband today…

It was very emotional for us – she’s come so far!!!

Link to the video:

https://www.facebook.com/PnahgahHywanatBySrprstMazndranrwyana/videos/vb.275280585888301/1118865408196477/?type=2&theater&notif_t=comment_mention&notif_id=1470068024459350

https://www.facebook.com/PnahgahHywanatBySrprstMazndranrwyana/videos/vb.275280585888301/1118865408196477/?type=2&theater&notif_t=comment_mention&notif_id=1470068024459350

Time for some dental work

Yesterday, we went back to The Animal Medical Center (AMC), where Nora had her amputation done when she first arrived in the US. This time we went for a dental evaluation. Nora has a few chipped teeth that need to be repaired. According to both our regular vet and the dentist at AMC, all but one tooth only need minor enamel repair, but one might need a root canal. We won’t know for sure until the dental x-rays are taken before the procedure. She will also get her teeth cleaned. The dental is booked for September 14th.

She has shown no signs of discomfort or pain, but with dental pain animals often eat and play like normal in spite of pain…..so we can’t wait to have her mouth fixed.

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That’s what friends are for…..

Fireworks…….the celebratory tradition for the 4th of July that, though fun for most people, is horrifyingly scary to pets. In our neighborhood, knuckleheads like to shoot off fireworks every couple of hours at night both weeks before and after the 4th – which has turned Nora’s life into pure hell. She is TERRIFIED of the sound, and will hide in her crate or in a corner, shaking like a leaf. She also refuses to leave the house for walks, or even to relieve herself. It’s heartbreaking to watch, but all we can do is act normal as to not give her any additional confirmation that this is something to fear.

She has been taking both L-Theanine and Melatonin as supplements for her anxiety for a while now, but even that can’t take the edge off when the fireworks go off.

Enter George…..one of our cats, and Nora’s best buddy. Last night after nothing had worked to calm her anxiety, we saw George walk into her crate and lay down with her. A little while later her hyperventilating and fear seemed to have subsided a little. Still scary, but less so with friends there looking out for you….

Hoppy 4th of July to all of you….

make sure your pets stay indoors, safe and sheltered from the worst of the fireworks noise.George&nora