Saturday, October 28, 2000
We’ve figured out how Momma wants to do this fluid thing. She doesn’t want Scottie to hold her. She wants me to do it alone with her standing on the kitchen table. This is what is working. The set up on the top of the crate was a little too comfy for her. Dr. Rick said I had to get tough with her and make her do this. Every time I had to take her to the clinic because I couldn’t get the fluids done, she gave them no problem. So, the kitchen table it is. I hold her with one hand under her belly and my other holds the needle under her skin. Gives us both time to think.

I think Momma was supposed to be mine from the beginning, but I just didn’t know it. Thank God I’d convinced Jennifer to let Dr. Rick examine her before they did exploratory surgery. I was working at the clinic at the time so it was easy for her to just bring her to us. When she walked in the clinic that day Jennifer had Momma completely covered by a blanket. She didn’t even say anything to me as she put her in my arms. By the time I uncovered her she was already out the door. I gasped as I saw Momma’s condition. She was a rack of bones. She went to her a sturdy 12 pounds and was now down to 8 pounds.

Dr. Rick examined her and couldn’t find anything major wrong. We offered her food and she ate with gusto. We were thinking she’d been fed inappropriately where she was and just wasn’t getting enough to eat. With most of her teeth gone, dry food wasn’t the best option. Came to find out, Jennifer was going through a divorce so I guess the dogs were not as high up on the priority list as they had been. I haven’t talked to her since she brought her to me. She wouldn’t return my phone calls or calls from Dr. Rick. Mia came to our house to recuperate, get strong and get ready for a new home. I knew that new home would be ours – it took Scottie a little while.