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The following is a true story from an email discussion with Viewer, Wendy Hogan:
We left to go to our cottage, 45 minutes from here -- most on dirt/gravel roads though the woods. No phones, no electricity and didn't bring cell phone either.
We were having a great time, swimming, fishing [catching big bass], eating, playing and having fun. Our dogs were with us: Shad and Midnight our purebred black lab -- 11 months old.
This morning while we were fishing, Midnight came over to me when I was changing lures. I patted her head without looking and felt a bump on the side of her face. I looked over at her and my mouth dropped open. Her entire head, face, mouth and cheeks were swollen. One eye was shut. Her jaw and gums were 3x the normal size. It looked like she was in a boxing match and lost, bad.
I screamed at the guys. We packed up our stuff, shut down the cottage and in 5 minutes were on the road back to town. I have NEVER driven that fast on that cottage road before
We got to the first phone I could find and called the vet. The whole time Midnight was in the back seat on my son's lap. My son had tears rolling down his face talking to Mid trying to keep her awake. I called the Vet long distance and he told me to get to a pharmacy fast and get some Benadryl into her. We were only 5 minutes away from one so we ran in, grabbed the drugs and dragged poor Mid out of the truck onto the road and gave her the Benadryl with some water. Within 3 minutes, the swelling started to come down and my tears came.
We're home now. Midnight is completely knocked out. I've been waking her every few minutes to check her breathing. The swelling is way down but still very noticeable. Called the vet again and he said to monitor her and give her more Benadryl tonight. I cannot believe how scared I was. These dogs sure get into our hearts. She's fast asleep on the bed behind me - I won't let her out of my sight.
We have no clue what may have bitten or stung her. She had the run of the cottage, the woods, was swimming in the lake. Our other dog is perfectly fine. She has tons of bug bites on her underside but so does the other dog -- heck, so do I; the blackflies are really thick. I suspect it could have been a bee, wasp or even an ant hill she laid on.
She seems to be making a comeback now, but I am completely shaken -- not only by the event but also by how much I care about her. I'm just glad she is OK and now that we know we'll know better to keep a closer eye on her at the cottage.
