Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Saturday, March 27, 2010

MONEY WHEN IT IS LIFE OR DEATH

The first and greatest fear was we might be facing a life or death situation. The second underlying fear was what this was going to cost. Certainly there would be x-rays and blood tests and probably several nights in the hospital, the veterinary hospital.

Slim had suddenly lost the use of her back legs. She managed to get on the couch but she could not get up after that. We had to wait until morning to get her to the vet and Ron and I both felt overwhelming concern. Slim is 4 1/2 and this was our first medical emergency with her.

I had looked on the internet and researched various things that could be causing Slim's symptoms. Rabies was ruled out because she had her shots. Worms ruled out because we give her medicine and she is checked regularly. Lyme disease was partially ruled out because we dose her once a month with Advantix. We wondered if she could have been hit by a car the day before when we were at the grocery store. She is usually good about staying off the road but a deer or coyote on the other side will often cause her to break the rules. Since it came on so suddenly, we thought she might have had a stroke.

The doctor and his aids were wonderful. The vet put her at ease with his soft touch as he searched her body for signs of the problem. Slim seemed to know we were all there to help her. She did have a fever and the doc mentioned one of my fears, Lyme disease. But, he went on, she definitely had pain in the lumbar region and first he would try a shot and some medications. We were to take her home and check back with him on Monday. If she wasn't better we would pursue further with x-rays and blood tests. The shot alone made it possible for Slim to walk out of the clinic.

We are supposed to keep her in and quiet for 48 hours. She has improved so quickly that she spends her time looking out the window, barking about her unprotected cats, chickens and guinea fowl as she feels her call to duty.

The dollar total $68.00. The end result, priceless!

20 comments:

  1. Marvelous!!!!!! I am so glad!!!! Slim is so much a part of your family!!!!!!

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  2. Whew!!! What a relief....

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  3. So glad it was nothing serious. Hope recovery continues at a fast pace. It is such a worry when our pets hurt and can't tell us where. Blessings. Stella

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  4. Thats is very scary and he is so young to have something so serious..I would have been scared..my little Ozzie gets seizures sometimes ..its very common with Bosten Terriers..and its scary too..!hope things keep going well...hugs to you all..!

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  5. i worked in vet clinics for years... hopefully slim just has a minor back injury that can be managed with temporary confinement. good luck.

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  6. Glad that Sim is okay. It's worrisome when you don't know exactly what it is you're dealing with. Hopefully she'll be out running her world again in no time.

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  7. What a relief that Slim is better! Next to a child, worry about a beloved pet is anxiety-causing/heartbreaking!

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  8. Yay! I hope it was just a pulled muscle and all is still well when the shot wears off.

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  9. I know that's a big relief for you! Hope she continues to improve.

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  10. Glad she's doing better, and hope she makes a complete recovery, Annie!

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  11. Yep, I guess active dogs can injure themselves just like atheletes do. I'm glad it was nothing major.
    My brother is a vet and I know it would help if the animals could answer just a few questions. It takes a special person to understand.

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  12. I love the last part about Slim barking out the window - she is running her operations from inside. Hopefully that shot did it - what a great sounding vet clinic.

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  13. I'm so glad it ended well for Slim (I wasn't sure where this was heading)...and yes, $68 if nothing compared to those results!

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  14. Sounds wonderful to me that vet charged "only" that much and gave Slim relief. Sounds like a good guy. Fingers crossed for Slim.

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  15. Oh she is in good hands I'm sure and yes...on the road to recovery.

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  16. You are right about the end result being priceless!!

    My cousin had a dog that would catch Frisbee's in the air and leap and do all kind of crazy jumping to catch them. One day he couldn't get up at all. They watched him and in a few days he was fine. They figured he had just hurt himself with a jump or turn. He was right back to catching them again!!

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  17. Thank you dear friends for your concern about Slim. Today we report back to the vet and it appears we will be telling them that Slim is 100%. We probably will never know what caused this sudden ailment but at least we won't be as frightened if it happens again. Rachel, your guess might be a good one. Slim runs and jumps and goes at life with great gusto. She thinks that she can fly and sometimes we believe she can. She is our kid and as much as we want to keep her safe, we have to let her do her thing or she wouldn't be the happy girl she is. Thanks again everyone!

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  18. That's good news. So heart breaking when one's pet is really ill.

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  19. That is wonderful news!!

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