I Knew She Would Make It When She Wagged

    The last time I had seen Roxie at the veterinary care clinic was when she had been carried to the emergency care area from my car. As I waited, I had been communicating with friends and family to keep them informed about her progress. My husband, Brad, a busy CPA in the middle of tax season, thought it important enough to come down to the clinic and wait with me until we knew Roxie was out of danger. After four hours of waiting, which included several conferences with the nurse and a meeting with the veterinarian, we were finally cleared to see Roxie.

    When we were finally reunited, she immediately stood up and wagged her tail. Tears formed in my eyes as I whispered excitedly to Brad, “She wagged!”

     I motioned for her to lay down, and she obeyed. It was a huge sense of relief seeing her looking like she was no longer in pain and on the mend. Brad put his hand in the cage to pet her forehead. “You’re going to be okay,” he stated softly.

     “Maybe. But she needs ongoing care.” The nurse interjected, “She has been very ill, and we’ve been cleaning up a lot of bloody stuff. We gave her pain and anti-nausea medication. Remember... This is a life threatening illness. She’s going to require a lot of care over the course of her stay here.”
     The nurse went on to remind me that their facility would be the best place for Roxie to spend the night so that Brad and I could both get a good night's sleep. Her dialogue caused me to connect with my exhaustion. It felt good to know that Roxie would be in better care at the emergency hospital than at home, where I knew that I would be able to sleep without worry. The nurse made sure we understood if anything bad were to recur, we would be contacted immediately. Looking at Roxie, it was clear that she needed more time to rest and recuperate with medical interventions in place. 

     Not wanting to disturb my pet in her weakened state any longer, I decided it was best for Roxie if I left her at the pet hospital so she could recuperate and not be distracted by my presence. Brad and I turned towards the exit door, and I felt a surge of relief and gratitude for their being able to act quickly and save my dog. It had been a long night and an even longer morning, but now I knew my dog would most likely be okay. I was exhausted and at the same time energized. It was time for me to go home and rest.