Sunshine Follow-Up and Other Stuff

So, after the last post, I was left with a lot of uncertainty.  We weren't able to take Sunshine in to see the vet until this morning, and S and Girl Child took her because I had to stay home to watch the Toddler.  When they talked to S, they told her that if Sunshine's tail was actually broken at the base, it could have caused nerve damage that hadn't developed yet that might render her permanently incontinent, at which point we'd have to have her put down if it wasn't possible to repair.

That... was pretty devastating to hear.  S came home with Girl Child from the vet's this morning a lot earlier than I expected her, because she had to leave Sunshine there, and that's when she told me all this.

A lot of the day was spent being really morose, not to mention physically exhausted (I'm pretty sure I bruised a rib with the wire of my bra when I tackled Sunshine yesterday, not to mention all the other pain I'm in from running like that), and I ended up curling up with Shadow on the floor and crying on him for awhile.

The vet called this afternoon, and they said that Sunshine has no cracks or breaks in any of her bones, and couldn't find the source of her bleeding (she may have peed on my leg and had some blood in her urine from the trauma or bitten her tongue, there's no way of knowing, since I had to tackle her twice to catch her) - but she's going to be fine.  We're not going to have to put her down, and she'll even be able to wag the Tail of Doom again in a few weeks once she's all healed up.  She's just very bruised and stiff and achy.

I'm so relieved.  J and S picked her up from the vet this evening after J's doctor's appointment, while I was baby-sitting the kids (that's a long story all by itself).  The vet gave her some narcotics for the pain (and they had to sedate her for x-rays), and she was wagging her tail at the vet's office, too.  Apparently she's very happy when she's on doggie narcotics, S said she was totally chilled out and delighted to see her and J.  They've got her on prescription doggie naproxen (anti-inflammatories that are chewable and meat-flavored), and she's doing a little better, though she seems stressed.  She's sleeping under the high chair right now, which she's been doing a lot since yesterday - trying to hide under things.  Damn dog thinks she's a cat.  Well, she's the biggest damn cat I've ever seen.

 Here's a picture of Sunshine from tonight.

Sunshine is hiding under the high chair, looking a little stressed, and very pretty.

Anyway, J and S were out for several hours, so I was home alone with the kids, which would have been fine, but.  There's always a but.  Why is there always a but?  The Toddler was an angel the whole time, it was wonderful and refreshing.  He did as he was told, he was as obedient as toddlers ever get, he didn't throw any tantrums or grab anything he wasn't supposed to.  Girl Child, however, started off really nice, then threw a tantrum when I told her to turn down the TV so the Toddler could nap and just gave me attitude for the rest of the day.  God.  If it's not one kid, it's the other.  She's had an attitude adjustment since her parents got home, so maybe that was her way of letting off steam about Sunshine or whatever, but I would really like it if she'd, you know, behave.  At least it's been awhile since she's been like that - we've been getting along great the last few weeks, so that's a huge improvement over how she'd been over the last several months.

So that's my day today.  Emotionally and physically exhausting.  I feel so drained, and so relieved.  I've been mostly giving Sunshine her space, due to the stress I imagine she feels about having had to go to the vet and have her butt messed with so much, so I've only pet her a little bit and taken some pictures of her pretty face.

I just wish I could get the mental image of her being hit by that car out of my head.