Oswald "Ozzie" Lewis' 1st Thanksgiving

I FINALLY GOT MY PUPPY! Say hello to my little Ozzie! :)

From what we've gathered from numerous people and online research, Oz is a double dapple dachshund.  He has one blue eye and one brown eye, and he is the sweetest puppy ever, but bless his heart, he has had a rough life so far!

Since Helen has been retired, she has become very chummy with our neighbors, and had mentioned to our across-the-street-neighbors, Danny and Paulette, that I have been looking for a puppy.  Danny, a former vet tech, suggested a few places and breeds, and that was that.  That weekend, my neighbors went to visit family in southern WV.  They were winding down the roads when they noticed something in the ditch.  They quickly turned around and found Ozzie, scared, cold, and skin and bones.  He ran into a drain pipe, where he had apparently been living for the past few days, and Danny had to coax him out.  They brought him home and cleaned him up, and called Helen!

I had originally been planning to go see some terrier puppies, until I learned that they were $225, and I am just not paying that! I was back to square one, and extremely disappointed when I received a picture via text from Helen of little Ozzie.  I went to Danny's the next day to meet him, and as soon as I picked him up he buried his face in my neck.  There was no way I was leaving without him.

I took Ozzie to the vet and he got his shots and medicine, and I thought we were home free, until Tuesday morning when he vomited (on my bed -_-), but he acted fine after, so I assumed it was something he ate (little did I know what that was)! Then the next day he did it again!  I called the vet and they told me to bring him in immediately for a Parvo test, and I was worried to death.  The test came back negative, so the vet did an X-ray and found a fairly large object in his stomach, although we couldn't tell what that was.  She said they would have to do surgery immediately to remove the foreign body.

Freaked out.  I don't know if I've ever been so worried in my life.  Hours went by and the vet finally called to tell me that she removed a piece of glass, about an inch long on each side, from his stomach.  I have no idea where it came from, how long it had been in there, or how the heck he got that thing down his throat!?  But I am SO glad it is out!

The ladies at Valley Veterinarians have been absolutely fabulous!  One of the nurses sent me a Facebook message on Thanksgiving morning to check on Ozzie, and another nurse called me this morning to see how he was doing.  When I came to get him they hugged me and gave me step-by-step instructions on how to care for him, as well as phone numbers in case of an emergency.  They even let me cut the bill in half, so I can pay the remaining amount on his next visit!  I am just so thankful for all of them!

I am also extremely thankful for my parents!  Over these past few days, my dad has REALLY helped me with taking care of Oz.  While I was having a mild panic attack, he was calm, cool, and collected.  I don't handle these types of situations very well!  He and Helen took shifts watching Oz on Thanksgiving so I could go to all of the dinners I needed to attend!  I definitely have the best roommates EVER.

I am happy to report that Ozzie is better than ever!  I think we were mistaking his illness for shyness because he is as spunky as can be!  My Mamaw told me that God didn't send me that dog for nothing, and she was right!  I know he may be just a dog, but there were a lot of prayers said for that little puppy, and God came through for me, as always! Very thankful for Ozzie, my family and friends that helped take care of him, and all of the workers at Valley Vet.  This Thanksgiving is definitely one for the books!