Note to self: Wrestling with a beaver is never a good idea!

So, we're pretty sure Mozart was attacked by a beaver Friday night. Blue had taken him out to the UCA nature preserve for a run that night. Mozart diappeared into the woods as usual. Blue called for him when it was time to walk home but got no response. After quite some time Mozart appeared at the edge of the woods and just stopped. Blue had to call him repeatedly to get him moving and when he finally made it to where Blue was he collapsed. Blue noticed big gashes all over one side of his body. He knew they weren't gonna make the walk home, so he called me to come and pick them up. Mozart hobbled to my car and we drove home. Once we got home he was in so much pain that he wouldn't get out of the car. He ended up spending the night in my back seat. Blue took him to the vet the next morning and he now has four rows of staples on his body to close up the big wounds and several other open cuts that the doctor left alone. This all includes big patches of shaved fur on one side of this body. He was in pretty bad shape right after he got home from the vet. He was dopey from the drugs that they had given him but we managed to lift him out of the car and onto his bed that we had brought into the garage with only a few yelps. He didn't move until around 7pm that evening when we finally got him to stand up and go to the bathroom out in the yard. He's doing much better today. He's more mobile and is eating and drinking now. He's got at least a month long recovery ahead of him before he's back to normal. We're pretty sure it was a beaver attack because we've seen and heard beavers in the creek next to the nature preserve where Mozart likes to swim. We also read that beavers try to drown their victims and Mozart was completely wet including his head when Blue first saw him. Other than this, it's been a good weekend, but man is it hard to see him in such bad shape. He could use any little doggie prayers you've got. Thank goodness he's gonna be okay.