Zuva

Since we have moved out of town, Zuva has moved out of doors. She is exactly the same as Mukiwa, loving to be outside all the time rain, snow or shine.

When my spousal unit was going to bed last night after Zuva came inside, she noticed her licking her side and bent to get a closer look. At the sound of the gasp I got up to see what had happened. A large round gouge was missing from her side and at first glance it appeared that she had been shot. This immediately made us both very nervous because we know that farmers in the area will shoot at dogs if the dogs are hassling the livestock. I can't imagine that Zuva would have done anything like that, she really stays in the yard and chases mice and other small creatures and I know for sure last night she was in the yard because I was watching her for a while laying in the driveway in the drizzling rain, unwilling to come indoors. I checked out the wound and cut away some of the hair around it so she wouldn't be licking hair into it. It didn't appear to have anything in it so we waited until this morning to go to the vet.

The vet's first reaction was that it looked like a bullet wound but there was no bruising and no other damage. The area around our acreage is littered with old pieces of metal and engines, vehicles and other junk that she could have snagged herself on. So the vet gave her some local anesthetic, cut away pieces of damaged skin, and sewed her up. She has to be on antibiotics now for ten days and wear a halo. She is very depressed about the whole thing.

While we were in the vet office I sat on the chair next the table she was on and held her while the vet cleaned, cut and stitched her up. This is not a good experience for me. She took it like a champ, but I got cold sweats, clammy hands, dizzy and nauseous and when I thought I was going to pass out I excused myself to the restroom (barely made it there) and rested my head on the cool of the sink as I dry heaved a few times. After managing to compose myself - translate: no longer seeing double - I went back into the room where the vet, thoughtfully, had waited for my return to complete the procedure. Thanks vet.