BYE BYE BABIES BYE BYE...

All along, I knew that it was an express condition of adopting any dog from HKDR that the canine had to be desexed if it wasn't already.  Given that meimei had been "fixed" well and proper before she came to us, Juliegirl presented more of a challenge this time round because it was up to me to arrange for the awful deed to be done. 

However, given my obsessive rules-compliance occupational instincts and Her Highness' repulsion towards doggies in heat ("D's dog used to *STINK and bleed EVERYWHERE* [repeat *refrain*]"), not undergoing the procedure was simply not an option for the 3rd and newest b**** in the household (McMacho does not count, obviously).  

That being the case, and despite Bigsta's conspiracy theory-led objections (unparticularized and hence ineffective), I had no qualms about booking her for the operation nor leaving her without so much as a smooch and a chirpy, "bye byeeee Juliegirl!!" on Saturday morning at the vet's...

...that is, until I fetched her in the evening.

Notwithstanding the assurance over the phone that the surgery went ok and that she was awake and ready to go home, my poor furry babe emerged from the clinic looking drained and haggard with her chin soaking wet with her own spit (which happened whilst dozing off the anaesthetic).  Her sorry state probably had something to do with having actually been in "silent heat" (i.e. being in heat without obvious external indications), which meant that she must have undergone more bleeding and a riskier operation.  I was fine with paying the 10% extra that was charged in such situations, not least because I felt so relieved that Juliegirl seemed to fare no worse for the complication - I would rather not have had her undergo the op if I had known.  

Upon leaving the clinic, she pee-d almost immediately on the busy pavement in the course of wearily making her way to the car.  She also had difficulties crawling in.  I knew she was in a bad patch when she paid zilch attention to the barking of a couple of sex-crazed Corgis from one of the numerous pet shops that lined Victory Road. 

Back home, she crept to her usual place at the foot of my bed.  Guessing that she was probably too tired/painful to move much, we brought her dinner, of which she nibbled only a little.  I went to bed feeling quite pained but even then felt only one-thirds guilty and two-thirds righteous - it had to be done. 

Then in the middle of the night, I fully awoke to an unmistakable prodding at my ankle.  In the dark, I could see that it was Juliegirl looking for comfort in her lampshade collar.  As I gently stroked her chin and kissed her muzzle, I saw her tears welling up in her shining eyes - and at that point, so did mine.  It took every ounce of self-restraint not to remove the hideous collar despite the obvious, silent pleading in her eyes, and the exhausting night ended with me stroking her to sleep with a small, flat cushion under her chin for comfort.   

I'll confess that this blog entry might have become a vindication of Bigsta's, "I told you so"  if not for the fact that Juliegirl was positively waggy-tailed and all sunshine and sundaes by the following evening (admittedly not before I indulged her and my guilty conscience with intermittent fridge-raids for blueberries and yoghurt licks during the day). 

Nowadays, you should see her charge at the kitchen door with her new "helmet" at full speed and get stuck, with Her Highness remarking that Juliegirl's vocabulary of motions obviously did not include reverse gear. 

Also, the linked info about the spaying procedure (not for the queasy), why the vets charge "so much" and the horrific consequences of not spaying (1) & (2) (even grosser) should sufficiently persuade those well-meaning animal-rights believers that misinformation aside, desexing IS perhaps kinder and more pragmatic, if not the "fairest" thing to do in this human-run world. 

Tough love - actually, ain't it?

*Juliegirl & one of her "babies" (taken before the operation)- the song is the Bay City Rollers cover from the mid 70's - featured more recently in the movie whose name I mentioned herein :)