Last Updated on: 23rd April 2017, 12:14 pm
So, here’s a lesson, courtesy of Jerry Douthett. If you notice that your toe is swelling, so much so that you can’t wear shoes, and it smells, go to the fucking hospital, would ya? Don’t wait, because if you do, your dog may do an in-home amputation for you. This case is pretty much like the case of Linda Floyd, except Kiko, the tarrier, is being credited with saving Douthett’s life.
I guess a few months ago, Douthett got a sore on his toe that he thought was a sliver. He picked at it and thought he got it out, but the infection got worse. It swelled and he couldn’t wear shoes. It smelled and dogs were sniffing at it. He still wouldn’t go to the doc. Then his wife, a registered nurse, saw it and said “Good god, you need to go to the hospital! You might have diabetes!” He hadn’t wanted to find out if that was the case because his brother had died from complications from diabetes and he didn’t want to face that. So he would rather just die in ignorant bliss instead of getting things taken care of. Ok then. Moving on.
Finally, he said he would go to the hospital, but after he had some booze, and booze he did. He came home, passed out on the bed…and woke up with his dog Kiko, and without most of a big toe. Mmm!
When he got to the hospital, what was left of his toe had to be removed because the infection had spread to the bone, and his glucose level was uber high, so guess what, Jerry Douthett? You have yourself a diabetes diagnosis. They say the nerve damage that he’d already suffered to the toe probably had more to do with him not waking up than all the booze.
He thought about euthenizing the dog, but says he won’t unless it has rabies. He’ll just wear shoes to bed.
This got me to thinking. In the link to the old Linda Floyd story, and Floyd is also a diabetic, there’s a mention of another diabetic fellow who got his toe nommed off by his canine. Hmmm…should all diabetics who have pooches keep their shoes on when sleeping?
