The first appointment the vet had was at 3:30 in the afternoon, so I took it (even though I would have rather had one first thing in the morning). When I was getting her ready to go to the doctor, I noticed things didn't look quite so "tidy" (I'll be vague in an attempt not to gross you out) as they had that morning. So I was already a little peeved that they didn't pencil her in earlier in the day since I knew what she was in for. This was our third vet visit in about as many weeks. Craziness.
So we get to the vet's office and Mercy is not amused. She doesn't like riding in cars, she doesn't like riding in cars and then realizing our destination is the vet's office, and she doesn't like kids. This made for a very bad combination as there were two very young and boisterous kids in the waiting area.
She's not an aggressive dog, but she is a nervous dog. And when she gets nervous or feels threatened, she will defend herself.
When we first got there, I stood at the receptionist's desk and waited for the lady to ask my name and sign me in. In the meantime, Mercy was on her leash, staring longingly at the front door in a quest for sweet freedom (she has learned that if she pushes her nose against it, it opens!). She was shaking and freaking out, but she was keeping to herself.
In the meantime, there was a mommy with a dog that was about as hyper as Butter (super-duper hyper), plus about a 2.5 year old child and about a 1 year old child. She had absolutely no control over any of the three. The dog was jumping all over the place, the baby was in her lap flailing and squirming and screaming and trying to get down, and the older kid was running around the clinic unattended. I didn't know he was in there (apparently he was back in the operating room when I got there or something) until he kicked a sippy cup at Mercy and hit the door in front of her. That didn't make her any less nervous, to say the least. So eventually he ran, skipped, and jumped over and got in Mercy's face to retrieve the sippy cup. She had had about enough at that point and she snapped at him and growled. I yanked her back and told her to stop as soon as I saw it happen, and he wasn't bit, but it was a close call.
All of the exam rooms were full, so I had to sit in the waiting room with them for probably 10-15 minutes. All the while, the little boy was running around doing whatever he pleased while the mom yelled, "Luke! Stop that! Bring me the sippy cup! Thank you!" Mind you, Luke wasn't bringing her the sippy cup (And why would he? He knew she was busy with little sister and the dog and she wasn't going to get up and make him do whatever she was asking). She just had a bout of wishful thinking, I guess. But the baby screamed the whole time. The little boy yelled and ran around the whole time. The mommy screamed at the baby and the little boy the whole time. It was like a poorly run day care. Mercy = basketcase.
Then we each got put into exam rooms. That was slightly better--at least she had the kids contained in a small space and there were walls to separate us, but the kids were apparently throwing themselves against the wall that separated us the whole time and the screaming didn't stop.
Every time an assistant came into our room, they would apologize for the ruckus and tell Mercy they didn't blame her for being so upset.
They attended to the lady's dog before they got to Mercy (thank goodness!)and it must have taken her 15 minutes to leave the building after she went up front to pay. I can't imagine why. All you have to do at that point is pay and walk out the door, but it took forever. The last thing I heard her say was, "LUKE, NO! DON'T EAT THE DOG'S MEDICINE!" The vet assistant and I looked at eachother and he said, "You don't hear that every day!"
When the vet came in, I told him I had to leave to get my tubes tied.
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The part above was written Thursday afternoon about Thursday's veterinary adventure. Today it's Friday and we've already been back! She decided she didn't like having a drain and promptly started pulling out stitches. We went back today and had the drain put back where it's supposed to be and more stitches added. She's having a GREAT time with her new Billy Shakespeare-like collar. (No, that's NOT a smile on her face.)
She's still a little loopy from the morphine, so she keeps getting the collar caught when she tries to walk through an open doorway (she just walks too close to the side of the door instead of through the middle) and she just stands there like, "Whoa! This is weird. I think I'll just stand here and think about how weird it is for awhile." This also happens she she turns around and catches the collar on the wall. I shouldn't laugh at her, but she's a funny drunk.
7 comments:
Awww...poor Mercy. Did I ever tell you she looks just like my dog Mocha- only a bigger version?
Poor puppy. My dog, a golden retriever, had to wear a cone for several weeks because he kept biting at a sore, and he was not happy. That's the saddest I've ever seen him. Plus he kept bowling us over with the thing every time he walked by. I'm glad he's rid of it.
Yes,she keeps running into me and nearly knocking me over. I am not sure if she even loves me anymore. She's giving me the cold shoulder. I'm counting the days until we can have it taken off (Tuesday).
you sorta have to feel sorry for the mommy who had to take her kids to the vets with the dog.
Poor Mercy, too.
Pamela-
Yes, I felt sorry for the mom and the kids. I mean, those kids had to be bored out of their heads. They didn't have any toys to play with or anything.
What a beautiful girl Mercy is!! Poor thing; only one more day, mama, and she'll forgive you, I'm sure!!
I used to have a dog that looked just like Mercy! She's so cute and sweet-looking. I hope her recovery goes well. And on future visits to the vet, I hope she doesn't have to encounter those kids and their flying sippy cups. Egads.
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