Everybody deserves to be loved. Hampton taught me that no matter who you are or what abilities to have or don't have love will carry you further than you could ever imagine.
I'll never forget the day I meet Hampton. He was just over 1 year old and quite possibly the skinniest dog I'd seen. The animal hospital I was working at was a new hospital. We were the product of a quickly growing area with only one really good vet hospital nearby. We outgrew that building and so some of us went to the satellite office. Dr. K opened our animal hospital and with a small staff and repainted dental office we started to see patients. Within months a large rescue group had started using us as their vet. It was a really great experience for all of us. Many of the dogs were starved for any sort of positive human interaction. There are so many dogs that stick out in my mind and all of them have their own story, so I will get back on track.
I wasn't there when Hampton came in, but when I did finally meet him my heart cried. The story we got was a good Samaritan stopped along I4 in Florida to call in a dog that had been hit by a car and was dead. Turned out he was alive. To avoid immediate euthanasia he was taken to a rescue in Georgia. Hampton was diagnosed with severe malnutrition and heartworms. He was neutered and stated heartworm treatment. Within a week of his treatment he started to do very poorly. Another rescue group was contacted and soon after Hampton made his way to NC. My life was about to change forever.
One thing I can say about Dr. K is that she likes a challenge and it was good thing. We started with baseline blood work and x-rays. Poor little guy was barely able to stand on his own. He had copious amounts of mucous coming from his nose and eyes. Green is a good color for grass, crayons, and veggies. When it is coming out of your nose that's bad. Poor Hampton went from bad to worse within a 24 hours. I won't go into the medical jargon, but just to give you an idea of how sick he was Hampton was diagnosed with Kennel Cough, Pneumonia, Fungal infections (in his nose, lungs, and ears), heartworms (still), and Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever. The treatment for Kennel Cough and Pneumonia are very similar; antibiotics and cough suppressants. The fungal infection was fairly easy to treat too. The heartworms were the least of his many problems. Then there was the Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever. In simple cases you would treat it with a specific antibiotic, but if you can't tell by now nothing with Hampton would ever be simple. Dr. K treated his worse problems first and we had to avoid treating his Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever since the medication would have worsened his other illnesses. He wouldn't eat or drink and was so lethargic he would lay in the floor on a bed and not move. His eyes were lifeless. I was convinced he was going to die or we would have to euthanize him soon.
As if one critical dog wasn't enough the next morning a skinny yellow male lab was brought in by the same rescue. Roscoe also had pneumonia. He was also knocking on death's door. The owner of the rescue group, Dr. K, and myself came up with a rotation. The only thing these dog would eat was boiled chicken and white rice. We each took a day and cooked for them. I was newly married and Motorcycle Man worked out of town for 5-6 days a week so I had no one else to cook for! After a week and very little improvement, we were thinking we were fighting a losing battle.
Since Hampton and Roscoe were so lethargic we would put them in an exam room with a baby gate instead of a cage. I remember it was a Tuesday and I went into their room and sat with both of them. I thought the next time I saw them I would be holding their heads while they were humanely euthanized. I petted them and told them they had to come out of this and start being dogs or else. Through tears in my eyes I told them that we had put too much energy into them to just give up and lay there. I gave them each a hug and left to go shopping, it was my night to cook for them.
That night was sleepless for me. I called Motorcycle Man and had a nice cry. I watch Homeward Bound and cried a little more. I was convinced I would tell both of them goodbye in the morning.
The next morning I went into work a half an hour early. I stopped and got Dr. K and I breakfast; this was going to be a hard day. When you work in an animal hospital, food is the common thing between life and death. A hard day or a busy day
I unlocked door and turned on the lights and greeted our current house cat. I took a deep breath and turned down the hallway to go to Hampton and Roscoe's room. I can't even tell you the joy in my heart when I saw a chocolate head and a yellow head sticking over the baby gate. I even heard this thud, thud, thud noise. It was Hampton's tail!!!! As I took them outside to potty I didn't have to carry either one of them. My heart pounding, I had basically dug their graves in my head and they were walking! Dr. K arrived with sad look on her face and was confused by my sappy smile. I wouldn't tell her anything, but when she walked down the hallway I heard her yell "oh my God, hi boys!".
Within a week Roscoe was in a foster home and I never saw him again. Hampton went to a foster home with lots of meds and very detailed instructions. Here is where the story gets fuzzy. His foster home was an hour away. I had to help him get into her car because he was still very weak in his hind legs. I called a day later and was told he was doing fine. About 10 days go by and I started to sigh a breath of relief. It was premature. The phone rang and it was Hampton's foster mom. I don't remember the entire conversation but I just told her to get him to us as quickly as she could.
That evening as I carried him inside the foster mom told me he'd been unable to walk for almost 5 days. I was so angry I couldn't even speak to her. Maybe if we'd seen him sooner he would have walked on on four again. The list of maybes is too long. The reality was that Hampton was wheelchair bound or worse.
There were and still are a lot of people who belittled me for wanting to continue fighting for him. They were very open and loud with their comments of being "humane" and euthanizing him. I'm a realist, but I also listen to my heart. (A huge Thank you to my uncle for telling me to "always follow your heart, it may not know what's best, but it will always know what makes you happy!) My heart had fallen for this dog and I was willing to fight for him. Turned out I wasn't the only one.
Hampton was not full grown yet and we had to wait to order his wheelchair. For a couple months every morning, noon, and evening he would be 'slung' outside with a towel in front of his back legs to go the bathroom. While he wasn't knocking on death's door he was still very sick and weak. He had no bladder control and very little bowel control. I found a great person to sew him diapers in fabulous patterns. He was very stylish!
Looking back on things, it was nearly a year when we were able to order his wheelchair. The wonderful people at Doggon' Wheels worked with me for weeks while I measured and remeasured and measured him. We had to have a little growing room for him since he was getting taller. We also had a budget. The amazing rescue group was paying for his chair, but they aren't cheap and every dollar I could spare went towards his chair. Doggon' Wheels found him a refurbished chair at a very deep discount and we had it within a week.
Poor Hampton, the first time we put him in the chair was a huge disaster. In hindsight I should have put a fully functioning dog in to see how all the straps and fasteners and adjustments worked, but I didn't. We were so excited, I think we hoped he would get in and take off running. Not so much. He fought that chair like a welterweight boxer. Round 1 definitely went to Hampton. He backed up, whined, whimpered, and finally decided his best bet was to be dead weight. I finally felt first hand how much weight he gained! Defeated, I stopped and put him back on his bed with his rawhide and went and had a nice cry in the xray developing room. It turned out to be a great place to have a tantrum or good cry on a bad day.
I waited a few days to try again. This time I had someone else give him lots of treats, like Doggon' suggested. For a dog that nearly starved to death, Hampton loved to eat. This time was much better, we actually got him in the wheel chair and he stood up for a few minutes while we adjusted the straps. I took a picture to show his progress and we sat him back on his bed.
Hampton was a fixture at the vet's office. Everybody knew him and almost everybody loved him. There were a few cats that would have been happier if he wasn't there, but that's the beauty of dogs and cats. Hampton spent his days in the reception area so he could stay in charge and make sure everyone was doing their job correctly. His nights were spent in a large x pen in the kennel area. This arrangement worked great for long time. Hampton grew bored and I kept on my husband to take him home.
There were days that Hampton wouldn't get enough time outside, even though he was a lab he HATED the rain. Since he didn't actually have to go out to pee it wasn't usually a big deal. Except he decided he LOVED to bark and bark and bark. Hampton's bark could be heard a mile away, deep and resonating like a bass drum. It would drive anyone crazy after a while and he would sometimes have to return to his xpen in the kennel.
The day came when we had to have the floors refinished. Instead of Hampton staying in a cage all weekend I decided to take him home with me to stay for a long weekend. The harsh chemicals couldn't be good for him either and the house cat had found a place to go too.
I packed his diapers and food and off we went. I had taken him on day trips to pet stores and horse farms before but only for a few hours. Hampton had formed a bond with me, whenever he was scared or unsure he would always turn to me for reassurance. I was the best candidate for taking him home, I just had to convince my husband we could handle such a special needs dog. In all fairness our house was really too small and we already had a husky, 2 cats, and fish. Hubby was fine with Hampton coming home for a weekend, it would give us an idea of how things would be in the future (we were looking to buy a larger house).
We get home and Hampton starts shaking and whimpering. We get inside and he sees Hope and settles down and starts dragging himself around the living room. The wheelchair was too large to use inside, but he got around just fine on the carpet.
Hampton and Hope had a great time playing and wrestling. Hope had meet him many times and as the WONDERFUL dog she was, she knew his limitations. Too bad she was the only one. There was a toy and they were tugging on it. Hampton won the tug and the toy landed a few foot away. I had just decided they were ok and I could go change my clothes. I turned to go into the kitchen and Hampton decided he could get to the toy without any help and without moving his body. He turned sharp and fast. Before I could make a move to get him or the toy he starts yelping at the top of his lungs and I hear a loud SNAP. My heart sank, I just broke him.
I'll finish Part 2 soon. It all works out ok, I promise.
