Poor Pepe'

Poor Pep-Man... He's had a rough week. Poor thing was 12 in January, and has been feeling and doing SO very much better since his diabetes diagnosis. Life was good ~ then, Wednesday night, I let him out for one last pee-pee before going to bed. I turned around long enough to re-fill my glass with milk, went back out, and heard him. Screaming for help. Now, we know this scream, as we get similar sounds when the cat pops him, or something scares him. LOL! But, this was different. Right away I screamed to Wayne that something had Pepe'. Out of the house we go, me in my canteloupe colored nightgown, Wayne in his red and blue stripped boxers, and both of us shoeless at 9:45 running around the house like crazy people...

We spotted them between our house and Gerald's, one with Pepe' still in his mouth. Wayne chased them off, while I tried to get to Pepe'. When I finally caught up with him, he was back on the back steps trying to get in the house. HIS house, where he knew he'd be safe. Wayne put a call in to our family hero, Pooh, who called out Steve and had him en route to the office while we changed and loaded up.

When we got there and on the table, I could tell it wasn't as bad as the last attack, but as I said before, he's now 12 years old, too. You see, when he was very young, Wayne was over at Lakeview visiting his parents, and left Pepe' outside as they were keen on dogs in their house. When he came out, he found him on the carport step, ripped apart. 911 to Reidsville, and Dr Steve patched him up. Fast forward, I don't know, probably 9 months or so. Long enough for him to heal good anyway. Same thing, only this time the door was open and Wayne heard him and was able to see what had gotten him. It was the neighbors german shepherds, and they were doing their best to kill him, and almost did this time. We nursed, and cared and loved, and got our man back, but it took some doing. LOL! When Wayne got in from taking Pepe' to Dr Steve that trip, he grabbed the shot gun and headed to the neighbors house. They knew what their dogs had done, and we believe they knew they'd done it the first time, and were just cowards and wouldn't come forward. Anyway, those 2 BIG german shepherds were kept in a very small concreted pen, with very minimal socialization, and when they got out of the pen, they were uncontrollable. But, when Wayne got there, the neighbors were smart enough to have carried them in the house, and for some reason, Wayne banging on the carport door with shot gun in hand didn't prompt them to open up... LOL! They manned up on this one, and at least paid the vet bill, and the dogs got theirs in the end. One died in childbirth, I think, and the male that had last had hold of Pepe'? A long suffering death from heartworms. Justice? I belive so.

Back to this week. Dr. Steve cleaned and sedated Pepe' and put him in for the night, prepared to do surgery Thursday. I visited him Thursday morning, and when he saw me coming, you'd have never known he was torn and punctured. He just wanted his mama. LOL! But, he had to stay, and after lunch, they cleaned and stapled, and put in drain tubes, and Lord knows what else. He may actually be bionic now. Dr Steve and Pooh both talked like he'd have to spend a few days in the hospital, but Friday morning when Pooh got there, the incubator door (they'd put him in because his body temp had dropped) was completely fogged up, and when she opened the door, she said he all but lauched himself into her arms and was wagging his tail, SO glad to see her.

When Wayne and I got there about 8:45, he was nearly tearing the door off the cage to get to us when he heard our voices. We got him out, and checked him out, and Pooh said she'd never have believed it. That little sucker has a stronger will to live than anything we've ever seen. He's amazing! So, we brought him home~

His drain tubes have to be flushed twice a day. He's on antibiotics and pain meds, and he's got more staples than Office Depot, but he's ours, he's home, and he's gonna be okay. Geez! What we go through with and for our animals.... We love you Pepe'!

And, I'd like to send out our most heartfelt love and gratitude to Emily (Pooh) and Dr Steve Lynn for being our livesavers. Yet again. I know they hate to see us coming ~