Mia
By Emily Chance
A couple months ago, a dog started to come around. After asking a few neighbors, we realized this dog was dumped on our road. This occurrence is not abnormal; this is the second or third time in two years this has happened. She seemed young, probably around a year old or so. We began feeding her and growing attached to this sweet pup, and we decided to name her “Mia.”
Recently, however, I came home to find a three-prong fish hook stuck and hooked inside her gums, with the knowledge of nobody having seen Mia for three to four days. She hadn’t touched the food or drink we laid out for her, and I tried to call the animal clinic to no avail. Mia was dehydrated and bleeding when I found her, and unsure of what to do, my friend and I took her into the emergency animal room. I loved this dog more than I realized when I waited four to five hours in the waiting room without having eaten beforehand. I left my Chinese food on the stove, left for the clinic at 3:15 p.m., and finally got home at 9:15 p.m.
While we were at the clinic, the doctor said that Mia’s stomach was bothering her and they were afraid Mia had eaten another fishhook and had it in her stomach. After much debate and discussing numbers and prices, it came to the decision that if Mia had a fishhook in her stomach, we would have to euthanize her. It seemed that no matter what we did or what path we were going down, it would be between $300 and $500, and if we did the x-ray and they found a hook in her stomach, we would have to pay over $1,000. We talked the doctor down to only doing one x-ray, which cut the cost down to $67.
After we did the x-ray, we found out that there was nothing in her stomach. After this good news, we decided to go ahead and hospitalize the poor pup and put her on IV fluids.
Here’s the thing: people need to be more careful with their belongings, even if they don’t have any children or animals of their own, because they could cause serious damage to someone else’s animal. This kind of recklessness causes families to crumble and go broke. It causes pain and suffering emotionally and physically to the animal and anyone around them. That animal happened to be my family. However, while we were with Mia, we overheard that the doctor was in surgery cutting another fishhook out of another dog’s esophagus. So it’s not just one person or one dog affected by this problem. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of dogs and other animals getting hurt from someone’s carelessness and disregard for another’s safety.
I’m not trying to point fingers or make anyone feel guilty. All I want is for everyone to be more careful about their belongings. I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I had to go through. I love this dog, and I had to spend money I don’t have to help her, so I believe it’s fair to expect everyone to be responsible with their stuff.
Edited by London Koffler
By Emily Chance
A couple months ago, a dog started to come around. After asking a few neighbors, we realized this dog was dumped on our road. This occurrence is not abnormal; this is the second or third time in two years this has happened. She seemed young, probably around a year old or so. We began feeding her and growing attached to this sweet pup, and we decided to name her “Mia.”
Recently, however, I came home to find a three-prong fish hook stuck and hooked inside her gums, with the knowledge of nobody having seen Mia for three to four days. She hadn’t touched the food or drink we laid out for her, and I tried to call the animal clinic to no avail. Mia was dehydrated and bleeding when I found her, and unsure of what to do, my friend and I took her into the emergency animal room. I loved this dog more than I realized when I waited four to five hours in the waiting room without having eaten beforehand. I left my Chinese food on the stove, left for the clinic at 3:15 p.m., and finally got home at 9:15 p.m.
While we were at the clinic, the doctor said that Mia’s stomach was bothering her and they were afraid Mia had eaten another fishhook and had it in her stomach. After much debate and discussing numbers and prices, it came to the decision that if Mia had a fishhook in her stomach, we would have to euthanize her. It seemed that no matter what we did or what path we were going down, it would be between $300 and $500, and if we did the x-ray and they found a hook in her stomach, we would have to pay over $1,000. We talked the doctor down to only doing one x-ray, which cut the cost down to $67.
After we did the x-ray, we found out that there was nothing in her stomach. After this good news, we decided to go ahead and hospitalize the poor pup and put her on IV fluids.
Here’s the thing: people need to be more careful with their belongings, even if they don’t have any children or animals of their own, because they could cause serious damage to someone else’s animal. This kind of recklessness causes families to crumble and go broke. It causes pain and suffering emotionally and physically to the animal and anyone around them. That animal happened to be my family. However, while we were with Mia, we overheard that the doctor was in surgery cutting another fishhook out of another dog’s esophagus. So it’s not just one person or one dog affected by this problem. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of dogs and other animals getting hurt from someone’s carelessness and disregard for another’s safety.
I’m not trying to point fingers or make anyone feel guilty. All I want is for everyone to be more careful about their belongings. I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I had to go through. I love this dog, and I had to spend money I don’t have to help her, so I believe it’s fair to expect everyone to be responsible with their stuff.
Edited by London Koffler
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