Forever Home – Pat C Dagger (Dagger)

Heather Vaughn — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 03:09:43 +0000

Dagger came into our lives as a foster for Greyhound Crossroads. We were using the kennel to foster greyhounds off the track until they were adopted or moved into a traditional foster home. Dagger came in with a load of other greyyhounds from Sanford-Orlando. He was very sweet and reserved. Not too boisterous or overly playful. Some of it I chalked up to the dramatic change of leaving the racing kennel and being neutered. Some of it I figured was just his nature: sweet and laid back. Dagger was with us for about a month, when one night he threw up his dinner. The next day he ate breakfast and again, threw up dinner. He was still opting to go outside on all turn-outs, but he seemed much more lethargic than normal. After throwing up breakfast the next day, we updated the group and moved Dagger up to the house so we could keep a close eye on him. We started him on boiled chicken and rice which he ate and seemed to keep down. As the sun rose the next morning, I knew that Dagger was very sick. He was refusing food and didn’t want to get up.

He didn’t have any tender areas anywhere on his body, but we and the group knew he needed to be seen ASAP by a vet. So, a volunteer with the group drove him to a local vet that they used. Unfortunately, this was on a weekend so after going back and forth over what was and wasn’t being done to treat and diagnose him, the group made the decision to move Dagger to the vet they normally used, who was about an hour away.

That vet, Dr. D, did not give us high hopes for Dagger. He was extremely ill by the time she was able to start helping him. After an x-ray confirmed that he had a partial blockage in his stomach and intestines, she immediately performed surgery. She removed a large section of his necrotic intestines in addition to the blockage: the remnants of carpet. Since we do not use carpet in our kennels or have any carpet in the kennel building, we knew that he had to have ingested the carpet at the track (carpet is often used in track crates as bedding for the dogs). Dagger survived the surgery, but, unfortunately he just wasn’t strong enough to battle his way back to health. We had all been praying so hard for Dagger. Dr. D had done everything possible save his life and give him a chance to find his forever couch.

While my sweet Dagger came into our lives as a foster, he now has a forever home in our family and in our hearts forever. I just wish we woud have had more time with him, but I feel blessed and honored that I was able to share even a brief part of his life.

Pat C Dagger

July 10, 2003 – November 22 2005

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Forever Home – Pat C Dagger (Dagger)