Ree's Culinary Adventure

As if the uncertainty of Todd's diagnosis wasn't enough on the week of November 14th, something happened that totally took the focus off of him. 

~Todd says if it's not about him, he's taking a nap~

It was late afternoon on Thursday the 17th - I remember hearing 'a noise' but instead of going to see what it was, I decided to ignore it. Big mistake. Huge mistake!  Because when Carl got home not long after that, he found that one of my leather hand-bags had been chewed up and eaten - Whatever you call it, I didn't have to try and decide which dog had done it, because this had Ree written all over it. I frantically looked for any pieces that may have not been eaten, and found none, but I was at least able to account for most of the brass-hardware that belonged to it. 

~What's left of my bag~

--- And this is where I'll add that the 'crossbody-bag,' a gift from a good friend a few years ago, has always hung in that same place in the spare bedroom when it's not being used -- Ree had to jump up to get it off its hook, which is the noise I heard-- Whatever possessed her to do it remains a total mystery, other than she's a Lab, and that's what they do. ---

So, back to my story.... With no signs of the about 6-foot handle/strap and the full leather flap gone from the bag, and fearing an intestinal blockage because leather of course doesn't breakdown, Ree and I were off to the emergency vet. 

Thankfully the closest emergency vet could see her -- We didn't have to wait long before they took Ree to the back to induce vomiting and take x-rays - which was done twice. After almost 3 hours, Emergency Vet came out and told me that she thought what was left in Ree's stomach, even a couple of the small brass rivets would 'pass normally.' 

With that news, I was able to breathe a little bit easier, but Ree wasn't totally out of the woods, and I was told to watch her closely, because a blockage was still a real possibility. So, for the next week, we watched Ree's every move, inside and outside. I'll spare you the graphic details, and just say that despite it all, we did see pieces of my chewed up bag again and I'll add that Ree was totally unaffected by it all and was totally herself. And as for me, I was totally exhausted. 

It's now 9 days since Ree's culinary adventure, and she still appears to be no worse for wear. I'm told that there's still a chance that an intestinal blockage could still occur. Of course I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that it won't, as I hope for a new Dooney and Bourke handbag for Christmas. I wonder what Ree is hoping for?