Reka, my dog, is sick.
Last night Reka was 100% ok. No problems that I could see whatsoever.
This morning Reka was acting a little sluggish, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Nothing major, she just wasn't her usual bouncy self when I took her for her walks. She gets like that sometimes so I wasn't at all concerned. We got back to the house, I filled up her food and water bowls, gave her a bone, and left for a bit.
When I got back home and opened the front door I was surprised to not see a dog looking at me. I looked around the room and saw Reka laying on her bed. She wasn't really moving and there is no chance she was asleep because she would wake up if a feather fell to the floor. I hurried up the stairs and she looked at me without moving anything other than her head. The bone was laying next to her, uneaten after several hours.
Her fur felt odd. She was warm. She didn't seem to mind when I lifted her lips and poked at her teeth with my finger. That's the foolproof way to see if she's just being sleepy or isn't feeling well. She isn't fond of being poked at and the fact that she did nothing made me worried. I called a 24 hour vet hospital in Vienna and took her there.
The normal temperature for a dog is 101 degrees F.
Reka's temperature was 105. The human equivalent would be 102.
I knew it would be high before the vet tech told me what it was because of how she took Reka's temperature. Reka *hates* rectal thermometers (who doesn't). Until today she's only ever had one used on her. The second time a vet tried it took 4 of us to try and hold her still and the vet ended up giving in and using an ear thermometer.
Tonight, I was able to hold Reka still. She fought for a moment and then just gave up. She had no strength at all. I sat there with her afterwards, her head resting in my palm.
A bit later the vet and I spoke and I decided to admit her. She's getting blood work, being given fluids to rehydrate her and bring down her fever, a battery of tests, and being observed. With any luck she'll be fine in the morning and this will have been just a random bug that was beaten down by fluids, rest, and some initial antibiotics.
This morning Reka was acting a little sluggish, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Nothing major, she just wasn't her usual bouncy self when I took her for her walks. She gets like that sometimes so I wasn't at all concerned. We got back to the house, I filled up her food and water bowls, gave her a bone, and left for a bit.
When I got back home and opened the front door I was surprised to not see a dog looking at me. I looked around the room and saw Reka laying on her bed. She wasn't really moving and there is no chance she was asleep because she would wake up if a feather fell to the floor. I hurried up the stairs and she looked at me without moving anything other than her head. The bone was laying next to her, uneaten after several hours.
Her fur felt odd. She was warm. She didn't seem to mind when I lifted her lips and poked at her teeth with my finger. That's the foolproof way to see if she's just being sleepy or isn't feeling well. She isn't fond of being poked at and the fact that she did nothing made me worried. I called a 24 hour vet hospital in Vienna and took her there.
The normal temperature for a dog is 101 degrees F.
Reka's temperature was 105. The human equivalent would be 102.
I knew it would be high before the vet tech told me what it was because of how she took Reka's temperature. Reka *hates* rectal thermometers (who doesn't). Until today she's only ever had one used on her. The second time a vet tried it took 4 of us to try and hold her still and the vet ended up giving in and using an ear thermometer.
Tonight, I was able to hold Reka still. She fought for a moment and then just gave up. She had no strength at all. I sat there with her afterwards, her head resting in my palm.
A bit later the vet and I spoke and I decided to admit her. She's getting blood work, being given fluids to rehydrate her and bring down her fever, a battery of tests, and being observed. With any luck she'll be fine in the morning and this will have been just a random bug that was beaten down by fluids, rest, and some initial antibiotics.