|
 This
is the story of Teddy . . . an incredible shih tzu with a
tremendous heart who taught me an important lesson in love and courage.
In
1993, my daughter and I purchased Teddy from a pet store (this was
before I learned the truth about pet stores). He was so
cute, chubby, and adorable we simply couldn't resist this
four-legged ball of fur. Teddy
has always been a puppy at heart. He chewed shoes, papers,
and nibbled our beloved African violet collection - one by
one. One day I came home from work and there he was sitting
in the middle of my kitchen thoroughly delighted to show me plant material hanging from his
mouth. Every inch of my kitchen floor was covered with dirt
or the last remnants of another African violet plant. He
decimated this plant to the point there was not a leaf left to
salvage. Teddy,
by nature, is quite a very happy fellow. You can easily read
it in his facial
expressions. I always hated to correct his wayward puppy
behavior. After disciplining him for being a bad boy, he
would walk away from me with his head hanging low, dragging his
tail. He made me feel like a heel. Teddy could never stand me
being angry with him. That little puppy inside him was bursting
to get out. Even though his head was hanging down, I could
see he was looking out of the corner of his eyes to find a
favorite toy. Since the house was loaded with toys it didn't
take him long to find one. Immediately, he would pick up a
toy and come running back to me. He'd throw his toy in the
air and shake it in his mouth as if to say, please don't be mad at
me, I'm cute, come play with me. Of course, I would fall for
his trick every time.  Teddy
grew up to be one very handsome shih tzu. Oh how he loves to
travel and meet new people! He's traveled on airplanes, but he'd
much rather sit in my lap on a pillow when we went on long road
trips. I never understood why he always had a thing for semi
trucks and cows grazing in the field. The semi truck drivers
would wave and honk their horns. Teddy ate it up. He
loves to be loved and played the spoiled ham to the hilt.
I
noticed when Teddy was five years old, he had trouble getting up
the steps and acted as if his back was hurting him, especially
when the weather was cold. It only happened a couple of
times and he got better in a day or two so I didn't think it was
anything more serious than sore muscles. I didn't realize
that trouble was just lurking around the corner. The
day was December 19, 1998. My daughter received money for
her birthday and Christmas, and as children do had such an urgency to go
shopping immediately to spend it all. I put Teddy outside in the cold to
do potty. When he came up the stairs he yelped in
pain. I thought poor guy, sore muscles again. Since we
were going to be gone for a while I put Teddy on my warm bed and
made him comfortable. I thought he would be fine until we
got home. We were gone most of the afternoon. When
we got home, Teddy came to greet us -- dragging his back
legs. What alarmed me was the fact he didn't seem to be in
any pain. I am thankful my vet has 24-hour service.
The vet took him immediately. The vet thinks something
happened to Teddy's back when he jumped off the bed. He took
X-rays but wasn't equipped to handle an injury of this
nature. After two days, it was determined to take Teddy to a
neurologist 100 miles away. I drove the 100 miles in a
snowstorm to the waiting neurologist. More tests revealed
that Teddy had ruptured a disc in his back. The neurologist
said due to the fact the other discs were thinning, it looked like
this was a genetic condition. The following day, a mylogram
would be performed to see if surgery was indicated. This was
going to cost me a fortune, but I didn't care. I wanted the
very best medical care for Teddy. I
was home when the neurologist called. He said the damage
was too severe and surgery was now no longer an option. As
if the news wasn't bad enough already the neurologist went on to
say the damage was so bad the paralysis was traveling up his
back. It was such a rare occurrence he only read about
it in text books. If the progression of the paralysis wasn't
halted soon,
Teddy would be unable to breathe on his own. I was sick with
fear and fervently prayed that I wouldn't have to make the
decision end his life. The days went by slowly. The
vet even called me Christmas Day to give me an update on Teddy's
condition. Needless to say, we didn't celebrate Christmas
that year. It took a little while, but the neurologist was
able to halt the progression of Teddy's paralysis after it had
traveled over a four disc region. Of
course Teddy became the little darling of the animal
hospital. The doctor told me more than a couple of times
that he was relieved that I decided not to put Teddy down.
Most people do because they fear the unknown. He told me Teddy had
a very special personality and was one very, very lucky puppy. I still
had a lot of doubts and fears if I was doing the right
thing. Can I handle a paralyzed dog? What kind of
quality of life would he have? Since Teddy was going to be
permanently paralyzed, it was recommended that we order a special
cart from K-9 Carts. I
didn't hesitate a moment and told the neurologist to go ahead and measure Teddy
for his cart. A couple of days later, K-9 Carts called me to verify
Teddy's measurements. In the end they asked me if this cart for
a short, fat dog? I told them they pretty much summed up my Teddy. Two
weeks went by before Teddy came home. I had strict
instructions that Teddy was suppose to get lots of R & R for
six weeks. No problem as I was going to do everything in my
power to make him well. It broke my heart to go to work in
the morning and leave Teddy all alone on a pillow near a bowl of
water and food. I noticed when I came home he didn't even
try to move from his pillow. He was either too afraid or
didn't know how. I also noticed the sparkle was gone from
his eyes. Again, I was wondering if I was doing the right
thing because he was such a sad puppy. A
few days later Teddy's cart arrived. We had to size it a
little more to make it into a perfect fit. I couldn't believe
it; we barely had Teddy strapped in the cart and off he
went! The sparkle in his eyes were back.  It
has been six years since Teddy's injury. Teddy is 13 years
old. He's now blind due to glaucoma. During this
difficult time, we've formed such an incredible bond of love and trust. He knows I
am always there for him. I don't know how he does it, but
even though he's blind he always manages to find what he's looking
for. Teddy still continues to enjoy car rides, going for walks, and sleeping
next to me in bed. He thoroughly enjoys the back massages I
give him.
I
can look back and clearly see I made the right choice in giving
Teddy a second chance for a quality life. He has
taught me so much and to have courage even when things look
hopeless. Many times people point at Teddy and
say poor thing. I tell these people that Teddy doesn't realize he has a
problem - people have the problem. Just look at his face, can't you see how happy he is? Since
Teddy's injury, I've become passionate about shih tzu and their
health. My daughter and I now raise, groom, and when time
permits, show
shih tzu. I've since learned you shouldn't buy a shih tzu
(or any breed of dog) from a pet
store. Pet stores don't know the true health or quality of the pet
they are selling. It is best to stick with a knowledgeable
breeder who will be there for you and answer ALL your questions. We
will always continue to have a shih tzu in my home. Most of
my family and friends own shih tzus. We thoroughly enjoy
spreading the pure joy and happiness only a shih tzu can bring. |
