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03-07-2006, 09:13 AM | #1 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Louisiana
Posts: 484
| That pooch ate my panties! (an actual article in my local paper today!) That pooch ate my panties! Barkus walkers almost didn't make it to the big parade Tuesday, March 07, 2006 Angus Lind Beignet the Shih Tzu paraded in the Krewe of Barkus with his relatives, Millie and Sammy, and they costumed as the Paw Group, not to be confused with The Shaw Group of Katrina fame. And on Mardi Gras, Beignet and the other two pets were disguised, along with their owners, as animal rescuers. The group carried a sign that read: "1 goldfish, 4 rats, 52 cockroaches," mocking the occasionally overzealous pet advocates. But Beignet almost didn't make it to Carnival season. The 3-year-old Shih Tzu (pronounce it carefully -- it's "shid-zoo" -- that's what the owners say) is the pride and joy of Ashley Melius, a second-grade teacher at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Shih Tzus, a favored pet of Chinese emperors during the Manchu Dynasty of the 19th century, are known for their regal attitude. They are alert, lively, proud and can be stubborn, even though they are a small toy breed. In early February, Melius had a Katrina roommate at her Metairie home. And now the Beignet story begins. "She went in the bathroom and told me she couldn't find a pair of underwear," Melius said. "At first I thought she was joking because the dog is notorious for going into the bathroom and taking slippers and socks." But, Melius thought, the dog only weighs nine pounds. No way a 9-pound toy breed could have swallowed a pair of underwear. "I jokingly said, well, let me see what the underwear looks like. Maybe he did eat them. She held up another pair and I said, 'He probably did eat them.' They were so little, very skimpy. "Well, time went by. I just didn't think anything of it. We had looked under the bed, the sofa, we looked everywhere. And so we just forgot about it." Two weeks later, Beignet became violently ill. So Melius called her uncle, Dr. Brian Melius of the Metairie Small Animal Hospital, and the veterinarian told her to bring Beignet in. "They call us Code 3 patients," she explained while laughing. "That's the hospital's term for people who are paranoid about their dogs. We call at the slightest little thing." Beignet went in, seemed fine, stayed overnight and Ashley was in the lobby about to depart with him when . . . he got very sick again. Another intravenous tube was put in, more tests were run, he was found to be dehydrated and was re-hospitalized. The next day was Valentine's Day and Melius was in her classroom exchanging Valentines and doing some activities with her students when her cell phone rang. "It never rings during the day so I knew it was pretty important," she said. It was indeed. It was Uncle Brian on the phone, delivering some bad news. He told her that Beignet was very sick, that he could feel something in his stomach and they might have to do surgery. "I called her. I told her there was a problem, that Beignet had an obstruction," Brian Melius said. "I was crying, I was devastated," Ashley said. Beignet had been a present from her parents after her divorce a few years back. "They thought I needed another man in my life," she laughed. She named him "Beignet" because she is fond of giving animals New Orleans names. "I just couldn't figure out what was causing him to be so sick," she said. "Then I started thinking and the underwear popped back into my mind, so I called Uncle Brian back and asked him if it could be a possibility that the dog could eat underwear and he said, 'Definitely.' " So an X-ray was taken and showed a mass in there. There are three ways to solve this situation, Dr. Melius said, and surgery is the last resort. Luckily, he said, with some laxative aid, "The dog passed the underwear about an hour before surgery. I was amazed a nine pound dog could pass it." But, the vet said, this is far from unusual. Dogs -- especially larger dogs -- eat and swallow lots of foreign objects, including socks, underwear, pantyhose, stockings, dish towels, anything that might wind up on the floor or is accessible. Dish towels, he said, are a favorite, because after they are used in the kitchen, they can easily smell like food, and people often hang the towels from the handles on refrigerators. One of the vet's more memorable removals involved a dog who had bitten into a can of expandable insulation, used to fill gaps in construction and seal leaks. "It had expanded to the point where his entire stomach was like rock," he said. "It began as the size of a baseball and expanded to the size of a cabbage ball." And at this point, we'll end that story. Ashley Melius brought Beignet back in for a checkup and the staff at her uncle's hospital gave her a hard time. "I was so embarrassed," she said. "I walked in there the other day and they started. I said, 'Y'all, these are not my underwear. Do they look like they would fit me?' " It really doesn't matter. Beignet will always be remembered for one thing -- and it's not getting powdered sugar all over his coat. . . . . . . . Columnist Angus Lind can be reached at alind@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3449.
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03-07-2006, 09:38 AM | #2 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member | I'm thinking there are quite a few Code 3 patients here on YT When I worked at a doctor's office, we placed little colored stickers on charts indicating things....lime green - mom's b-tchy (really), red - don't talk to the ex's to either parent, black - make em pay first, cause they won't after. Some charts had multiple stickers.....hmmmm, lime green with red....now you know why they got a divorce
__________________ Deb, Reese, Reggie, Frazier, Libby, Sidney, & Bodie Trace & Ramsey who watch over us www.biewersbythebay.com |
03-07-2006, 05:20 PM | #3 |
Mojo, LilyGrace & Me Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: cuddling with my babies<3
Posts: 17,329
| That's funny! Yes, I could be considered a code 3 too! Hey, I have often wondered what all of those colors meant on the charts (vets, doctor, etc) - now I know!!!! hee,hee Luckily, my vet likes me and doesn't mind me asking questions - she said that I was a nice one, some apparently are not too friendly.
__________________ Hi I'm Jenn Mom to..... Mojo,LilyGrace & DD Kate RIP Mojo FOREVER in our hearts! |
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