all squared up: One sick puppy

Remember phones with speed dial? That list of about 10-15 numbers that we called all the time - family, friends, work, etc. If we were really super organized, we added the doctor's office, the veterinarian and then if we were about the smartest pet owner ever, we added the emergency vet's office. I could have used the emergency vet on speed dial this last Saturday morning.

Our dog ended up getting acute gastroenteritis, and it went from not that bad to very bad in such a short amount of time. In fact, except for the diagnosis of a cracked tooth, Molly's regular vet saw her within a day of her health taking a turn for the worse, and since dogs are good at faking good health, she didn't catch what was brewing in Molly's gut.

One of the reasons dogs can get acute gastroenteritis is "food indiscretions." Another is stress, and another is cold weather. It was the perfect storm for Molly. Not only did she get into a bag of dog food in the garage, and then wanted to sleep outside in the near freezing temperatures because her stomach hurt, she was under a case of the "oh no, the suitcases are out again." Molly hates seeing us pack for a trip, and she had just seen my husband pack a bag to go visit his ill mother. I was prepping for a quilt show, and so I had even more suitcases out. So a bloated tummy, very cold weather and thinking her pack was leaving her (along with possibly the cracked tooth pain and only Molly knows what else) she got very sick. Very fast.

I recommend this if you own a pet.

Find out the nearest emergency vet
Put the number in your phone under Dog, Vet, Help, Sick Puppy & AHHHHHH!
Put the name, address, phone number and directions on your refrigerator
Take a dry run in the car to the ER vet to see exactly where it is
Input the directions on any GPS devices you have
Put a hard copy of the map in your car in case your devices are all dead and you forget where the refrigerator is
Leave a trail of crumbs...no wait, my dog would eat the crumbs.

I had a vague idea where the emergency vet in our area was located. Very vague. And when Molly went from bad to worse and would not even get up, I bungled my way into getting the information I needed. But a sick dog that can't tell you what's wrong suddenly makes a grown adult lose all Internet skills, and I found myself on the phone with the vet just asking "OK, I'm coming from Highway 50 like I'm going to South Lake Tahoe, can you please tell me turn for turn how to find you." I have a feeling they get a lot of that.

They were amazing! If you live in Sacramento, you need to put VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center on whatever sort of modern equivalent of speed dial that works for you. I walked in - and this is the protocol for everyone, every pet - and the reception person intercomed "TRIAGE" and a staff member came and assessed Molly immediately. She said her vitals were good. Great. I should have asked the woman to check my vitals.

Once we got into the exam room, Molly was done. She plopped down and didn't get up for her exam. Not even when her vet listened to her heart, one of Molly's greatest pleasures, she just loves a vet with a stethoscope. Her vet said what Molly needed, and needed quickly, was an IV. She had most likely been having bloody diarrhea in the yard, and I didn't notice it. There is a special sort of guilt reserved for unobservant dog owners, and I had a bad case of it.

There is no way I could have nursed Molly back to health at home. She was refusing to get up, she was refusing her favorite treat of all, which is bread, and our normally fastidious dog had let her paws become caked with mud and dirt. When my husband came home, he found bloody diarrhea and holes in the yard. Ugh, more guilt. But she got what she needed, which was fluids and drugs, and she has recovered well. It's going to take me a bit longer.