I set out to write a recap post for newer fans who’ve only known Lilly since her adverse rabies vaccine reaction happened (now some 19 months ago). Our canine heroine — long famous for dangerous medical scrapes — cheats death pretty often. Except, when I added up her many health scares, I realized we’re at #9 … and it made me worry.
Rather than suffer trauma-by-TV, Lilly and I went for a hike Sunday, September 11, 2011. It’s our version of praying, I suppose you could say. It has been a HUGE snake year with many sightings nearby, so I’m ever-vigilant … constantly sweeping the trail ahead with my eyes. Look what I found:
We began our latest tale of veterinary drama Friday, with Lilly calmly at my feet in the exam room. I asked her to join me on the bench because I wanted to be sure I could find a pea-sized lump in her neck / shoulder when our veterinarian joined us. What I found instead was much scarier.
Here, at last, the story of Lilly’s recent snakebite. While unraveling what must have transpired before that Thursday morning when Lilly woke up with a swollen cheek, our best guess is that a snake got her sometime Tuesday or Wednesday of that week. The fact that she suffered a bite a couple years ago may explain the delayed, less-severe response this time — almost like the first bite “vaccinated” her to the venom (at least a little).
