Sweetpea is home

07h30:  I received a call from the Vet... Sweetpea can come home!  
 
She's still not well and not eating enough (maybe not at all yet)... but he said she needed to be home and maybe being home she wouldn’t be so anxious or depressed and that would help her to get better more quickly.  So, we picked her up around 9am
 
Lord help her still please
 
After we arrived home:
Sweetpea is looking much happier to be home, and stronger... walking around weakly still, but even jumped on the chair and snuggle next to me. She was shivering under a towel cos they bathed her for her homecoming and she was still a little wet.
 
She's going to be alright. I will know for sure though when I see her eating.
 
We boiled chicken for her yesterday... now we have to boil more, because the Vet says no herbs and spices  Yesterday I added mixed herbs thinking that would be good for her!  Well, I guess the rest of us will enjoy that with lemon juice
 
Trixie is so happy to have her sister back. She’s being very respectful and quiet. She knows Sweetpea is not well
 
We are extremely grateful to have Sweetpea home. Thank you. will never be enough.
 
Total remaining hospital stay bill was:
R3305 I thought it would be a lot more. Although, R250 was already taken off of the full bill due to a dear friend donating straight into the vet's account.
 
I paid from all the kind donations received: R2200.
 
The remaining amount still to be paid is R1105.
 
If anyone could help us to pay off the remaining R1105, that would be wonderful.  Thank you.
 
We will continue to try to fund raise for when Sweetpea is all better.  We could need:
 
Spaying for Sweetpea: R1850
 
Chipping x 2 dogs: R375 each dog
 
Vaccinations x 2 dogs: R485 each dog
 
Sweetpea is still not eating  but the vet feels she has more chance here at this stage... she started her life out abused and who knows what she went through when she was a puppy, so it seems she was very nervous without us while at the hospital.  I’m so glad she’s home now.
 
She's still very ill and weak and has lost quite a bit of weight, but walking and drinking, but mostly sitting or lying by herself in hideaway places, like under the couch on the hard floor in the lounge.  We wondered “Why?” because it’s very unlike her.  She's usually all over us trying to get into our skin. We're giving her, her space. She's very nauseous he said, so we just have to give her time for her gut to repair itself while we do all he suggested to help her with her healing.
 
I won't be fully happy until she's eating... but for now I'm at least happy and to be honest, a little scared that she's home. It's a huge responsibility to take care of such a sick doggie. All we can do is to love her and respect her space and do what the vet told us to do and hope she will come back to us more fully and in good health soon.
 
I wasn’t happy with her lying under the couch, so pulled a couch closer to where I sit and put her bed on it… we picked her up and put her in it and she stayed there for the rest of the day.  Happy that I could reach over to her and keep my hand on her head and stroke her.  She became very relaxed and went to sleep.
 
Later
We were just blessed with a lovely rainstorm to water our garden and save me a tomorrow-job so I can spend more time with Sweetpea. So wonderful.
 
I never got to my computer at all since this morning, so my work catch-up is still waiting to be done, but I did catch up on a whole load of much needed housework and even a little garden work thankfully.
 
I made boiled white chicken and rice and boiled lean mince and rice for Sweetpea as suggested by her Vet and added a little Himalayan salt. I first offered her a piece of chicken soon after she arrived home. She turned away from it, still feeling very nauseous. Later I tried a little mince and rice and she took a tiny bit and soon after sat up looking very uncomfortable with her tongue hanging out as if she was going to vomit. But a short while later, Andrew offered her a little nugget of mince and she ate it!
 
We were delighted. Now, every two hours we've offered her the mince and rice and she's taking about a tablespoon at a time. Feels sick for a while after then lies down and sleeps. She is also drinking water.
 
I'm sure she never slept much at the vet due to anxiety, but she's sure making up for it now.
 
I will move my bed to the lounge again like I did for the first two nights of her illness before she went to the hospital, so that she's off of the bedroom carpet and near the door in her little bed next to mine if she needs to be let out, and I will also make sure she has a bowl of water near her and set my alarm to offer her food at least once or twice during the night to help build her strength up
 
Goodnight to you all.  Thank you for everything you’ve done to help Sweetpea to come home to us.  Thank you for your prayers, your good wishes, your love and also for your kind and generous donations.  We are all very, very grateful   
 
~ Panayiota
And also, on behalf of, my son Andrew, Sweetpea and Trixie