Doggie Rehab in Belize

Barney is recovering well thanks to Dr. Baptist at Saga. 

Well if you have been following my blog lately, you know that I wrote about how "A Walk on the Beach Ended with a Trip to the Vet" when Barney was attacked about two weeks ago when two pit bulls jumped over a fence and went straight for Barney's throat.  Bill managed to pull one of the Pit Bulls off of Barney while the owner got the other one.   The owner of the Pit Bulls was bitten several times and had to make a trip to Belize city to see his step father who happens to be a doctor.  Bill had lots of road rash on his arms and knees.  Luckily every one survived this incident and we are thankful.  We know it could have ended much worse. 

I am happy to report that Barney is doing well.  But he did have to go back to the vet when fluid built up on his incision and busted the stitches out.  We took Barney back to see Dr. Baptist at Saga and he put in a drain tube and more stitches again.  Barney went back to the doctor this week and they have removed the drain but he still has the stitches, all 33 of them.  Yep, he had a total of 33 stitches put in from this pit bull dog attack.

Our oldest female husky Alina who is over 11 years old also had to go see Dr. Baptist this week.  Back in June of 2011, Alina had a cancerous tumor removed from her eyelid by our wonderful vet from back home in the US, Dr. Mike Randall, owner of Randall Veterinary Hospital in Byram, Mississippi.  Alina was then diagnosed with Melanoma skin cancer.  The tumor has since grown back, which Dr. Randall said it would.  So Alina was supposed to go see Dr. Baptist at Saga on Tuesday to have the tumor removed, but when Bill got to Saga there was a note on the fence that said Dr. Baptist would not be in his office today and come back tomorrow.  Yep, that is how it works here in Belize.  So Wednesday Bill took Alina back to see Dr. Baptist and he was in his office that day.  Dr. Baptist removed Alina's tumor once again.  Alina also had a fatty tumor on her chest which he also removed at the same time.  Surgery and drops for Alina's eye infection was $200.00BZ ($100.00US).

These pictures are from where Dr. Mike Randall with Randall Veterinary Clinic in Byram, Mississippi originally removed the cancerous tumor from Alina's eye.

It looks like "Doggie Rehab" around our house.  Both Alina and Barney are having to wear some of Bill's t-shirts to keep them from pulling on their incisions and getting them dirty.  Both seem to be on the mend as long as we can keep them from tearing out any more stitches. 

I don't think Alina much cares for wearing Bill's t-shirt.  She said yellow is just not

her color. 

Please, please take this shirt off of me..it's hot!!

This is where Dr. Baptist removed the fatty tumor from Alina's chest.

Alina also had an infection in her eye which was causing her eyes to run, so we are having to put drops in both of Alina's eyes every day. 

Drops for Alina's eyes to clear up an infection.

Barney's incision is healing up nicely now.  These stitches should disolve on their own but Barney has to go back next week and be checked again by Dr. Baptist.

Bill hasn't been taking the huskies on any walks since the attack, but in a few more weeks he hopes to find a safer route and get back to their walks.  The pups are really missing the walks, but for now they just get rides in the golf cart around town. 

Many of my readers and friends have asked, "what has happened to the two pit bulls"?  The answer is nothing.  Unlike in the US where we are from, these two dogs would have probably been euthanized. In Belize, Pit Bulls are a popular choice of dog to have.  They are chosen mostly for security reasons here.

Dog ownership is a big responsibility.  Bill and I encourage you to adopt from a shelter where there are so many beautiful animals that have been given up by previous owners and put in a shelter to live the rest of their lives.  These dogs need homes too.  Barney was in a kill-shelter in Jackson, MS.  I had heard about him from someone I had met.  They had been to the shelter and said they saw the most beautiful husky at the shelter.  I immediately went to the shelter and got him out before he was euthanized.  My intentions were to eventually find him a home.  He had to be neutered before I could bring him home.  I picked Barney up that next afternoon and fell in LOVE with him.  He was so beautiful and gentle.  I knew there was no way I could ever let him go and we didn't.  Although at the time we already had three other huskies, we decided to keep Barney as well.  I mean what was one more at that point.  We love our sweet Barney.