A Little Itch – Part II
Oh hi from the next day of my recoveries n Part II of my story about how I got linear obstructions or the day the Freegles made Mommy crazy! Where was I???? Oh yeah.
Poof she was gone!!! Mommy called and called. She ran inside n got a flashlight, checked on me n ran back outside. MAYA!!! MAYA!!! MAYYYYAAAAAA!!! Nothing. Rain was comin down in buckets. Nick, Paul n Deandra all came to help. MAYA!!! MAYA!! MAYA!!!! Nothing. It was like poof she disappeared. Mommy tried to look under the short deck but since it’s so low to the ground n only the groundhog lives under there she didn’t think Maya could have fit. She shined the flashlight n didn’t see anything but leaves. They looked and looked all over the yard wonderin if she somehow wiggled herself thru the fence. Which, by the way is not a very smart kinda thing to do on a night that the floods r comin. If yur gonna try to have an a’venture best to go when the sun is out n yur belly is full. I guess Maya isn’t as smart as me. Once she grabbed a piece of naan off Mommy’s dinner plate n instead of swallowin it right there Maya decided to bring it back to her bed to enjoy it slowly. Well guess who took it back n guess who got nothing?! My little sister has a lot of things to learn about stealin n swallowin food n also about runnin away!
After a few minutes of lookin in the yard n checkin the fence n gettin soakin, everyone began to wonder if Maya had somehow gotten through the fence n really runned away. Nick n Paul went one way, Deandra n Mommy the other. I stayed inside makin little vomits. Round n round the block callin, MAYAAAAAA, MAYAAAAA. Nothing. Then all the neighbors got involved n all got soakin lookin for Maya. Maybe we should change her name to Houdini, cause she was just gone.
As Mommy began to make panic noises callin MAYYYYAAA all the sudden Nick yelled, I FOUND HER!!” Yur never, ever gonna believe it but she had managed to wiggle n jiggle herself stuck tight under the deck which is only about 6 inches off the ground. She went it but couldn’t get out. So out comed the power tools to un-build the deck. one board, two boards off n there she was all jumbled up in a tiny spot covered in mud n leaves n now had rain comin down on her head in big buckets full. Did I mention she’s not too smart? She was still stuck after two boards but at three boards off Mommy was able to reach in n pull Maya to safety.
She brought her inside and straight to the sink where Maya, still shiverin from bein cold, wet, scared n a little bit dumb, got a bath. She’s had more baths in the few months she’s been with us then Raven ever got! As soon as she was done n dried off she forgot about bein scared n went runnin all over the house shakin water everywhere. That’s when Mommy’s attention was turned back to me.
During all the hub bubs with Maya I made two little more vomits n now they were the smelliest ever. When Mommy realized they now smelled like poop, suddenly everyone was on high alert again. The TV went off, Maya in her crate, someone grabbed the car keys and I was scooped up in a towel and quick put in the car where I immediately made more vomits. Mommy let Paul drive for about three seconds then said to him, “If yur not going to run red lights to get her there, then let me drive.” There was a change in her voice, which made me feel jumpy inside, n suddenly I was scared. Durin the whole ride everyone kept tellin me how much they luved me n what a good girl I was. Mommy was cryin n tellin me to hold on. Please Juno, hold on.
She drove fast, like the wind, I didn’t know where we were goin until we got there n Paul quickly handed me to Mommy. While Paul parked the car she carried my inside, she was cryin. She had called them on the way so they were expectin us. As the nurse took me into her arms Mommy cried out to first to me, ”Juno, I love you.” then to the nurse “Please don’t let my little girl die.” And then I was gone, her cry fadin as I was taken into a bright room that reminded me of the lab where I came from. I was quickly put into a cage and a lot of people were lookin at me, touchin me n talkin to me. I was confused cause Mommy was cryin, I was hurtin in my belly n I just wanted to go home. Everyone was talkin nice to me n sayin what a good girl I was. I just wanted my belly to stop hurtin n the vomits to stop. Someone shaved part of my paw n stuck me with a sharp.
The doctor went to talk to Mommy. I’ll let her tell you what he said….
” Juno is a very sick dog right now. We have started her right away on IV fluids to re-hydrate her. A dog can become dehydrated in a matter of a couple of hours of vomiting. We recommend taking some x-rays since you did say that she vomited a piece of cloth at 3 am this morning. Her heart-rate is very high, 240, extremely high even for a dog who is stressed.” I quickly agreed to the x-rays and again said out loud, “Please do not let me little girl die. Whatever it takes.”
Within a few minutes or maybe it was a half hour or more he came back to speak to us again. There are few places in the world where time stands still. Emergency rooms, be they human or animal are such places. He carried himself in such a manner that I could never tell if he was bringing good news or bad. I wonder if they teach that in veterinary school? He ushered us into one of the sterile exam rooms. It was late and we were the only people there and most of the office lights were out. Apparently, everyone else’s dog had the good sense to not eat something they weren’t supposed to that day. He showed us the x-ray with some concern on his face. He went on for what felt like an eternity showing us Juno’s spine and the beginnings of arthritis, her spleen and heart. I wanted to scream, “GET TO THE POINT!!” But somehow I managed to suffer through his anatomy lesson. Our focus was shifted to her intestines, colon and stomach. Areas of concern for both the Vet and the Radiologist who, for a fee, was rousted from her slumber to read Juno’s x-rays remotely. Ah the wonders of modern technology. He recommended another set of x-rays to try to determine if there was something in her intestines or if it was her colon playing tricks on us.
More waiting, pacing and worrying. I stood at the ER door watching. I couldn’t see Juno but I knew which side she was on. I wanted them to see me each time they passed from one side of the ER to the other. I wanted them to nod reassuringly when they looked at in my direction. They never did. Juno was their only patient so I was reassured that all hands on deck were taking care of my little girl. Still, I was uneasy, after all, no one loves her like I do and no one nodded, not even slightly. At some point the nurse came and handed me Juno’s collar. It was my lifeline to her and I held it tight while I waited.
As the second series of x-rays came out the doctor was a bit more hopeful and reassuring. He did not feel that, from what they could see on the x-rays, Juno had any blockages but they needed her to spend the night anyway. He said they would reevaluate her in the morning with another series of x-rays. I died a little inside worrying what Juno was thinking. Did the clinical setting bring back bad memories for her? Was she as scared as I was? Would she feel as though I had abandon her by leaving her for the night.
They allowed me to see her before leaving for the night. It broke my heart in a million pieces to see her hooked up to the IV, alone, scared and in pain. How I wish I could have taken it all away from her. How could she possibly understand any of it?
He promised she was in good hands. Maybe this sounds silly, but I wanted his reassurance that if I went home that she would make it through the night. He smiled for the first time all night and said he was fairly certain she would still be there in the morning. He’s a doctor, I get that, so he reassurance left space for something I can’t even begin to mention here. I was looking for a 100% guarantee and he wasn’t giving me one. I didn’t cry until I got outside, forever grateful for Paul and his girlfriend, Deandra. There to hold me up, I don’t think I could have gotten through this without their love and support.
The rain had let up as we drove home in silence. At 3 am we arrived home, almost exactly 24 hours since Juno had vomited the first time. I fell into a dreamless sleep willing the universe to let my baby live to see another day.
(to be continued)
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