In the house of broken animals
Rosie Roo has tummy trouble, to the point where I took her to the vet last night. Vet was concerned (apart fom the immediate problem) that she is still so very thin - she has put on a kilo or so since she has been here, but after two days of not eating, that's already falling off again. She just isnt' a big eater, and it's hard to tempt her appetite : her bowl is often left half-full. So, vet said 'OK, we will take her out the back, get some blood samples and give her an antibiotic and antinausea jab'.
Pretending not to be the obsessively neurotic dog-owner that I actually am, I nodded and handed over the lead, and the vet managed with some difficulty to persuade Rosie to come with her. 2 minutes later, I can hear terrified screams coming from the back room, and meet a chastened vet, with stinky anal gland stuff all over her shoes, leading an extremely woebegone Rosie Roo. They did not manage to give her the anti-nausea injection because, in the vet's words she was 'seriously wigging out'.
I think next time I will insist, as I had to do with Az, that Rosie should receive all possible treatment with me and Brythen present. I know vets, and particularly vet nurses, like to take dogs off into the back room because they think dogs are often calmer without a worried owner flapping, but I honestly don't think I flap *that* much, and I'm pretty sure that Rosie would be calmer with a familiar person for company. Also, I am not that confident that the 'calmer without the owner' thing is not actually shut down and fearful. Hum.
She has eaten a tiny bit of chicken this morning, and at least no more vomit or diarrhoea, but she hasn't got out of bed. On the other hand, it's wet and horrible today (although still rather too warm: big thunderstorm last night), and the Salukoids are often reluctant to get up n wet days. Brythen did get up and have breakfast, but he's gone back to bed now.
Pretending not to be the obsessively neurotic dog-owner that I actually am, I nodded and handed over the lead, and the vet managed with some difficulty to persuade Rosie to come with her. 2 minutes later, I can hear terrified screams coming from the back room, and meet a chastened vet, with stinky anal gland stuff all over her shoes, leading an extremely woebegone Rosie Roo. They did not manage to give her the anti-nausea injection because, in the vet's words she was 'seriously wigging out'.
I think next time I will insist, as I had to do with Az, that Rosie should receive all possible treatment with me and Brythen present. I know vets, and particularly vet nurses, like to take dogs off into the back room because they think dogs are often calmer without a worried owner flapping, but I honestly don't think I flap *that* much, and I'm pretty sure that Rosie would be calmer with a familiar person for company. Also, I am not that confident that the 'calmer without the owner' thing is not actually shut down and fearful. Hum.
She has eaten a tiny bit of chicken this morning, and at least no more vomit or diarrhoea, but she hasn't got out of bed. On the other hand, it's wet and horrible today (although still rather too warm: big thunderstorm last night), and the Salukoids are often reluctant to get up n wet days. Brythen did get up and have breakfast, but he's gone back to bed now.