The Waiting Room

Husband and I had to rush the Boy to the Emergency Vet last night.

Last night while we were watching TV and the Boy was relaxing in his bed, he let out this screaming yelp of pain. Husband and I rushed over to see what was wrong.The Boy had this painful, scared look on his face. We gave him an all over body check' he did not seem to be wincing or sensitive to any place we touched. He rolled over and let us rub his belly. We coaxed him into an standing position and got him to walk. No limping or favoring any side of the body. Husband said that the Boy was outside while he was grilling a steak. They played the chase game, but nothing strange happended. Also, the Boy had his dinner three hours prior, so I was sure it was not bloat.

Thinking it was a one time incident, we decided to let him go. The Boy jumped on the couch with Husband a few minutes later and once again, the piercing yelp. The Boy jumped down again and lied down on the floor.

I called the ER vet. The person on the phone said that it would be very difficult to tell what is wrong, so we could bring him in or monitor his symptoms. I decided to monitor him for a while since once again, he was walking and not limping in any way.

Finally, around 11:00, as we had all settled into bed and almost asleep, the Boy let out another yelp of pain, much worse than before, Husband and I decided that it was time to go. The Boy, happily got up and jumped (yes, jumped) into car.

Thankfully, the ER vet is only a five minute drive from our house. The Boy walked in confidently, wagging his tail. The vet tech examined him, and in true Boy fashion, he put on quite a show for her, sucking up and giving kisses. The ER vet came in and examined the Boy and checked his spine.

"Your dog has a minor back injury'. she said.

I guess the Boy must have wrenched his back somewhere around T-1. (That's the thoracic spine for those of you are not farmilar with the spine). She gave him a shot of anti inflammatory meds and a five day supply with instructions to restrict his activity.

The Boy, unfazed by the who incident, gave the vet kisses and wagged his tail. Later, he gave Husband and I sloppy kisses as the meds kicked in and made him sleepy. Today, the Boy is doing fine. He is quiet and relaxing as I paint the upstairs bathroom.

Let me just say, I was so absolutely terrified when I heard him yelp in pain. It broke my heart to see the Boy in so much pain and not be able to tell me where it hurt or why it hurt. Some may think it's crazy to be so emotional over a dog, but Husband and I love him so much. He is part of our family. He is no different than a human child to us.

I think the Boy is going to get extra spoiled over the next couple of days. And, I hope I don't hear that yelp again.