I’m Beginning In The Middle Of The End

Maya (our Pit Bull) cut her foot on a piece of glass outside a few days ago.  Both dogs (Mika and Maya) came up to the house and were covered in blood.  At first we assumed Mika was the one who had been hurt.  She’s tan and we seemed to see a lot more blood on her.  After full body evaluations, it was established that Maya was the one who had been hurt.  The largest pad on the bottom of her foot was almost completely removed.  We didn’t have any gauze to bandage her wound.  So I made due with paper towels and scotch tape.  We took her to the vet the very next morning.  The Vet commended my crappy bandage.  One year of EMT training and completing coursework as a CMA has given me quite a bit of first aid training.  I can wrap a beautiful bandage.  Even if all you give me is a paper towel. 

Her stitches should come out on Tuesday.  She’s sporting an Ecollar (a cone that keeps her from having access to her wound).  She’s less than thrilled.  We took the collar off for a little while to give her a rest and as soon as we had our backs turned, she was gnawing and licking her bandage.  The vet made it a huge point to let us know the bandage shouldn’t get wet.  Because of this, we took her back to the vet for a new dry bandage.  Once we got there, they told us she really didn’t need a new bandage. She hadn’t saturated it enough to cause any problems. 

Since it’s been raining non stop in Florida lately (or so it seems).  The ground is constantly wet and we have to put a bag on her foot each time she goes out to use the bathroom.  This practice is getting old quickly, but we’re good mommies and we’ll do whatever it takes to make her well again.  The vet warned us against infection.  If she gets an infection, she stands the chance of loosing her limb.  We wouldn’t love her any less, but this just didn’t have to happen. 

So the glass that cut her.  Where did it come from?  We have the trashiest people for neighbors.  They constantly leave trash lying around.  They burn their garbage, rather than take it to the road for the city to pick up.  On a weekly basis, there is some kind of colored smoke reaching the atmosphere thanks to their efforts.  The inside of their dwelling is absolutely disgusting.  Old food, dirty clothes and roaches are all over the place.  I house sat for them once years ago.  They had two big Macaws at the time, and their water dish was so dirty I made it my mission to leave them in a better condition than what I found them.  The birds were not tame.  I was scared to put my hand in the cage of an unfamiliar animal anyway.  So I removed the bottom tray (the one that catches their droppings) and roaches scattered.  It was no way to live.  I complained to my landlord at that point in time, and they were evicted shortly thereafter. 

Somehow, they were allowed to move back in, once the place had been cleaned up, painted, and new carpet was laid.  My landlord is a guy with a big heart and he knows this family would be on the street if it weren’t for him allowing them to live there close to rent free.

So they’re back.  And so is their disgusting way of living.  So is there any really question as to where Maya cut her foot?  I called the landlord again, once the vet had warned us of Maya possibly loosing her limb. I was irate to say the very least.   Our landlord assured me that he would be getting evicted again.  This time though, I want to be sure he’s not coming back. I’ll make it my personal responsibility to find a decent tenant to live in that house.

I’ll keep you updated on Mayas progress.