Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Its tough being a Dog


Man oh man. Now there are lots of people out there that own animals. We for example own three border collies, Keeper, Wrigley, and Fly. I also further understand that not everyone in the world interacts with their companion animals the way we do. I also would note that there are people out there that are crazier than we are about their animals. We love our dogs; two of them share a bed with us at night and we would love nothing more than the third one to join us. She has some common sense and sleeps under the bed where it is cooler, I would join her most nights, but I don’t fit. Our dogs get taken to the park nearly 95% of the days of the year. You will have to trust me on that one, I did the math. Our dogs play dog sports. Our dogs go with us everywhere they can; we know every place in town that allows dogs on their patio so we can take the dogs out to eat with us. On the weekends in the summer if we are in town, we take the dogs to the flea market for a walk and then to the lake for a swim. I say all this to prove that we are crazy dog people.

Well this morning, the oldest dog, Keeper,5, was not her usual self. By that I mean, she did not hop into bed with us first thing this morning, she did not want to go and play ball with her mom as mom dried her hair… and stop the press, the dog did not eat this morning. I thought Armageddon was upon us, this dog is a chow hound and usually consumes all her food by the time I have fed Fly and put the lid back on the food container. Something was wrong with her. As I hear these symptoms mount up, I rise out of bed way earlier than need be and start trying to assess this situation.

We were both very concerned about her, so I assure SC that I will call the vet first thing. I actually called at 720 knowing they did not open till 8, hoping someone would answer. They actually open at 730 but the doctor would not be in till 8. We are way past making a long story short, but the dog went back to the vet this a.m. they determined she was having an allergic reaction to the vaccinations that she received yesterday. She got an IV of fluids, a steroid shot, and was sent on her merry way. What in the blue hill does this have to do with anything? A lot!

We were panicked over our dog this morning. How will this translate to another human life? I haven’t gotten too far along in all those books from the library this weekend, but I am fairly certain that it, the little one, will not be able to communicate well for the first few years. When I awake and have a malady, I share it with SC and then pick the appropriate professional medical provider that accepts my insurance and go to visit them to get a remedy for malady. When a kid is sick, how do you know? I am sure it will cry but that is less than a scientific way to determine what the affliction is. In the past I have vowed not to be the parent that runs their kid to the doctor when it sneezes three times consecutively, but I am rethinking that; especially after this morning.

This morning, our dog was noticeably sick and we both were extremely concerned, I have no doubts it will be equally if not more pronounced when it’s another human life. Man, I think having all these questions is a good thing, but it makes me worry. I am the type that wants to fix things when they need to be fixed. I think that is something that many of us with the Y chromosome do. We all live imperfect lives, but and this will journey will be no different. However, I would like to keep the number of hiccups to a minimum and do the best by this new life form that may be entering into our lives.

By the way, the dog is fine; she is asleep under my feet right now. That doesn’t mean that I have stopped worrying about her, or that more questions have jumped into my brain. DC

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