a scare

most of what we planned to do for the day was not marked off of the to-do list. we spent the better part of the afternoon at the animal hospital with jules.

michael went outside about 11am to mow the lawn. jules always goes out with him, follows him around and makes sure he is doing a good job. when the mowing was complete, we went out to the front porch to look at his beautiful handy-work. i'm sitting in the rocking chair when i look over to see jules oddly leaning against the wall. i point out to michael that she looks weird. he comes over to look but she gets up and walks off the porch to the side yard. michael could see her and said she was hunched over in some weird way. as i made my way to the edge, she lifted her head and moved over towards us. she got her front feet up on the porch and left her back feet on the ground. michael began walking to the other side of the house, calling her as he went. she stayed frozen in the same spot. as i started to make a fuss, he came back over and put his arms around her. she collapsed.

she couldnt' stand or even sit. he laid her down on the porch and she stayed there as we ran to change clothes and get in the car. michael laid her head in my lap in the backseat of his car and sped to the nearest clinic.

we were there for about 15 minutes before she started to perk up a little. the doctor was extremely concerned and very thorough. jules has a heart murmur, something extremely normal in boxer dogs. in fact, they have such a history of heart issues that there is a name specifically for what they have. apparently, in many health related categories, boxers are in a league all their own.

they kept jules at the vet for a few hours pumping her with fluids and allowing her to rest under their watchful eyes. she's scheduled for an echo cardiogram tomorrow and we'll know more then. we except that she'll have to be put on a daily medication for the remainder of her life. according to the doctor, she could easily have 5 great years left. he doesn't see much beyond that and explained that something could even happen before then. she's only 4. it seems once boxers start having these types of spells, they will more than likely have more and they could get worse. one spell, without warning, could be too much for jules to recover from.

michael brought her home and she shook her butt when she saw me. she's been a little less energetic, but has the ol' jules look in her eyes. i pray that we get to spend many more years with her. it was painful enough to think something might happen to her today.

i love that baby girl. she is absolutely an important part of our family. i'm so glad to have her home today...Jesus keep her in your hands.