Jennifer Lyon


Wednesday, September 15th, 2021
My Brave Maggie

It’s just that kind of week. You all know about Wizard’s minor car accident this weekend.  (Wizard is fine–no one was hurt) So we’ve been knee deep in insurance stuff and figuring out how to get repairs organized, and how to rearrange things when we’re down to one car for a while. Then late Monday afternoon, we noticed Maggie was “off.” By 5 or 6, we realized she had a problem on her hind end. Most dog owners know this one :-) Dogs have glands back there that can fill and have to be expressed by someone who knows what they’re doing.

But by 9 o’clock that night, she was panting, pacing and biting herself in discomfort. All I had to give her was Benadryl, and two careful doses later, she was able to relax enough to go in her kennel and either rest or sleep.

The next morning, I saw a lump on her hind end and knew that wasn’t good. I took her for a short walk–only because it would help her relieve herself. She tried to go, and sure enough, the “lump” in that area broke open.

In other words, she had an infected abscess that burst.

As soon as her vet’s office opened, I called. They told me they had no appointments available until at least Saturday. I begged for help and they told me to call around and find another vet to see her. So I did. The very next vet I called worked her in immediately, and saw her by 9am. She confirmed that Maggie had an abscess that burst. The crazy thing is I heard Maggie yelp a little big when they had to treat her (it had to be done). And right after that, the vet said she was running around the back office, super friendly and wagging her tail. They said she’s a sweet girl despite being sick and in so much pain.

And that’s why I didn’t know Maggie was sick. She’s so sweet and brave, she just doesn’t show it until we’re at the serious stage. I love and appreciate her great attitude, I mean that. But I just wish she’d let me know when she’s in pain. It kills me that I let this get so far. But she will be okay. We have her on antibiotics and pain meds, treating her with warm compresses, and we’re watching her carefully. I will take her back to the vet that saw her in a week.

As for her normal vet. I love the doctor, and the techs. But there’s other stuff going on there, and I didn’t build a four year relationship with them to have them pull this when Maggie needs them. I understand they couldn’t get her into their schedule to see her yesterday, but they could have at the very least, suggested other vet’s to call, or given me the location of an emergency clinic to take her to. So I’m re-evaluating that situation.

I hope all of you are having a good day!

6 comments to “My Brave Maggie”

  1. Silver James
    September 15th, 2021 at 12:11 pm · Link

    Poor brave Maggie! And you and Wiz for all the worry. So glad she’s on the road to recovery and yeah…after four years of care and they blow you off? There’s something deeply wrong there. Definitely time to reevaluate.

    Glad Wiz’s car is getting sorted but what a pain! I totally understand. LG’s truck is in the shop getting the catalytic converter replaced and he’s got my Highlander. Not like I was actually going anywhere today. LOLOL

    What a hump day! Hang in there, get some Maggie snuggles and relax. Y’all need some TLC too! 💓



  2. Viki S.
    September 15th, 2021 at 3:12 pm · Link

    Poor Maggie. I’m very happy you were able to get her in to another vet so fast but heck, I’d be ticked off with the regular vet. That is very bad business practice to not even suggest an alternate vet.

    It is so hard to try and figure out when the fur babies are in distress because they don’t let on. I often wish they could speak our language and then I think better of it. Spunk might just tell me off :lol: .

    It’s good to know that the car insurance is being worked out. Having to rely on one car is difficult.

    Spoke with Julie today and got bad news. The nodes in lungs have turned out to be cancer. The biopsy was done the other day and they should know by Friday if it’s a spread of the bladder cancer or is lung cancer. Chemo treatment is different depending on the type of cancer.

    This has been a messy couple months. Our family members need a break.

    I hope you have a great evening!



  3. B.E. Sanderson
    September 15th, 2021 at 5:01 pm · Link

    I had that same response from our old vet when I had an emergency with Kira. (And this was pre-‘rona.) I understand they have schedules and junk, but we’d been going there with Max and Kira for years. A referral would’ve been nice. I did find a better vet then, but when I tried to get another appointment, I found out she was retiring. Derp. I’m so glad you found someone who would take care of Maggie on short notice. And I hope they are good enough to maybe become your new vet. :HUGS: I know if we ever get another pet, I’ll be looking for a different vet to take care of it.



  4. Jenn
    September 15th, 2021 at 6:11 pm · Link

    Silver, thanks. I think there’s something wrong too. I just wanted to wait until I wasn’t upset over Maggie to make a real decision.

    Yeah, the whole accident thing is getting beyond aggravating. I don’t even want to talk about it until we wait and see what all happens. People get away with so much crap these days.

    I get it though. Even though you’re not going anywhere, there’s something disconcerting about not being able to jump in your car and go if you need to. It’s the mom in us or something. Our car will be in the shop for 10 days. Hopefully LG gets his vehicle back tomorrow.

    I’ll be happy once Maggie feels more herself :-) But the pain meds are making he more comfortable so that’s good.

    Happy Almost-Over Hump Day.



  5. Jenn
    September 15th, 2021 at 6:20 pm · Link

    Viki, exactly on the vet office.

    That would be pretty funny if our pets could tell us off in our language :-) I know they don’t really understand that we need to know when they’re sick, but it’s upsetting when we feel like we let them suffer longer than they needed too.

    The insurance thing is very frustrating right now. I’m trying very freaking hard to be patient. We have other stuff going on, and my patience is paper thin.

    Oh no, that’s not the news you wanted to hear on Julie. I’m sorry all of you are going through so much worry and heartache. I hope the spread is limited. It’s a crappy situation but if it’s contained enough, targeted treatment should give her a good prognosis. Again, though, I’m so sorry it wasn’t better news.

    And you’re right, your family is due a heck of a lot of good news!

    I hope your week gets better!



  6. Jenn
    September 15th, 2021 at 6:27 pm · Link

    B.E. it really sucks when you’re treated that way at the exact moment you need help. I’m sorry you went through it too. And then to find a new vet and find out she’s retiring–well we can’t be mad at her for that, but it’s so disappointing.

    My experience with the new place was very good so far, and we’ll see how it goes. I love Maggie’s old vet, and she’s the reason I’ve stuck it out this last year, but when I can’t even get to her (I’m sure she has no idea this happened), it’s time to make other arrangements.



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