Sam-u-rai

When I first met my wife, we were both in college. We were both pre-med students at the University of Dallas. We had both gone there because we wanted to be close to our families, and it was a good school. Well, when we started dating, the time came for me to meet the folks. So, one evening, I went over to have dinner with her folks. It was a mixture of Russian and Uzbek cuisine, and it was delicious. I had been playing Rugby earlier that day, so I brought my appetite (and anybody who knows me knows that I normally have a sizeable appetite to begin with). Her father started serving shot after shot of vodka, as I went back for seconds, thirds, and even fourth helpings of plov and Vinagrat. I managed to ingratiate myself with my future in-laws that way. My M-I-L was flattered at how much I enjoyed her food, and my F-I-L was satisfied that having been gotten to my core through the liberal application of vodka, I was the  same man sober as I was drunk, and not just putting on a face for him. I also met the other members of the in-laws, which included a significantly younger sister and the family dog, an Aerdale terrier named Sam.

Sam, I saw very quickly, was a spoiled dog. Domestic-6 had known him as a pup from the first day he came home, and had watched him grow over the years. At that point, I would guess that he was about 6 months old. Sam was very interested in me, as a newcomer, and tended to stick his face into mine when I was trying to talk with the future in-laws. Over time, I grew to like Sam a lot. He was a spoiled, but very good dog. I established some boundaries with me, and he abided by them. We were both rivals for domestic-6's attention.

He usually won.

Sam is a happy, loyal and loving dog. My father-in-law refused to neuter him. His argument was that in a house full of women, once the dog got neutered, he was next. So, Sam was always a rambunctious, loud and mischevious dog. For his birthday, he got a steak. Just him. Marinated, grilled, and served on a plate on the floor. 

Last week, Sam was getting his usual haircut, and the stylist noted a hematoma on his ear. It was a small thing, but left untreated, it could cause something akin to cauliflower ear. So, they took him to the veterinarian to get it looked at. The vet told them that it should be drained, and that this would best be done under anaesthesia. My in-laws agreed to the procedure, dropped of Sam on the appointed day, and then went home. Later, they got a call saying that Sam was having some issues with recovering from the anaesthetic, and that they would like to watch him overnight. So, they came back the next day to pick him up.

When they picked him up, they noticed that he had a lot of problems getting into the car. They were told it was just the anaesthetic, and that it would gradually improve. However, by the time they got home, he could not get out of the car, and so they took him back to the vet, who referred them to a veterinarian emergency department (I had no idea that those existed). Well, they took him in, admitted him to the hospital. Now he was having problems urinating, and they put a foley in him. They took x-rays, and ran some tests, but couldn't find anything wrong. So, they told the in-laws that they would wait and see with the hopes that Sam would get better.

Today, they went back to check on Sam. He has not improved. He cannot stand, and can only barely move. He was able to recognize my parents-in-law, but he could not run to them, he could just kind of claw at the ground in a futile attempt to pull himself to them. He barely ate the boiled Kielbasa that they brought him, which is highly unusual. Right now, they are still just watching him, with noidea of what is going on. It is understood that if he does not improve in a few days, we will have to put him down. We are a long way from where this started with a blood collection on his ear. My wife is very upset, and understandably so. While she is undoubtedly closer to Sam than I am, the fact of the matter is that I love that dog, if for nothing else than the joy and happiness that he brought her.

I do not know what is going on. Comparative mammalian anatomy is a course I did not take. I do not know how dog physiology differs from human. The only thing that I can think of is that Sam suffered some sort of perioperative stroke that either progressed or converted. I don't know about these things. I am going to make a humble request of you, my readers. I don't want or need money or anything like that. What I do need is information. If there is anyone that any of you know who may have some insight into what might be going on, please point them to this site. I am coincidentally flying to Dallas next week, and I am going to talk to the vet, but by then, it might be  a moot point, and perhaps more importantly, I want to know what the Hell is going on before then.

So, please, if there is anyone out there who can give me some insight, please post in comments, or eMail me.

UPDATE

First, Thanks to everyone for their kind words and well-wishes. It is very much appreciated. Second, out of desperation, they started high-dose steroids. It appears to have had some effect. Sam is doing much better. He is still not out of the woods, yet, but he is doing better, and the plan is currently to start him on oral steroids and let him go home. I will keep people posted on what develops.

Respectfully Submitted,
-doc Russia