Roxie Gets Admitted

Nate leapt out of bed to help me, asking what I needed. I informed him that I had to take Roxie to the emergency clinic because Dr. Warren’s office was closed. He responded by going directly to my room gathering the dog crate, carrying it downstairs, finding the keys to the car, and placing the crate in the back seat. Meanwhile, I followed with Roxie in my arms wrapped up in the blanket. She was moaning away, but I could tell she knew I was taking action. She dropped her body down in the crate and closed her eyes. I adjusted the rear view mirror so I could watch her as I drove to the emergency pet clinic, which was less than a mile from our home.

When I arrived at the pet clinic, I was frantic with concern. I decided to leave Roxie in the car so I wouldn’t move her anymore and cause her any more suffering. It was clean and quiet inside the building. A young, professional woman behind the front reception desk queried about my plight, and I fervently explained to her what had been going on over the past twenty-four hours, taking care to note that I thought my dog needed urgent care. The woman sprung into action; the next thing I knew there was a different woman ushering me out to the car to retrieve my sick little doggie. 

The nurse calmly followed me out to the car, asking questions about Roxie the whole time, reassuring me that every effort would be made to help, while also being clear that she wasn’t making any promises. After a couple of seconds, seeing Roxie’s weakened posture and glazed look in her eyes, the nurse carried my weary pet inside the clinic, asking me if I wanted her to provide fluids. This I affirmed.

The next hour was filled with questions and answers, both for admittance purposes and for assessing Roxie’s condition. As I filled out the paperwork, the nurse periodically came out to inform me about my dog’s progress, as well as ask more questions, always returning quickly to communicate my answers to the veterinarian in charge. I could feel the sense of urgency as she went back and forth from the emergency care part of the pet hospital to the waiting room. I felt assured that my dog was receiving excellent care, but I was extremely worried that I was going to lose her. All I could do was impatiently wait for updates, which really weren’t that reassuring. She was still ejecting blood from both ends. 

I ended up spending the entire morning and the earlier part of the afternoon before it was clear that Roxie could be saved, but it became evident that she was going to be admitted for observation and ongoing care. The doctor didn’t know what was wrong, but wanted to provide treatment for a condition called, Hemorrahagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). She was immediately given an anti-nausea agent and put on intravenous fluids.