AnchorMommy

Vet Adventure 2009

June 25, 2009 by Shannon

It’s never easy to take our Bernese Mountain Dog/Border Collie mix anywhere other than our backyard. Enzo is 85 pounds of lean, mean muscle mass and he’s been known to pull a grown man right off his feet. I’m pretty sure he also has secret nuclear rocket launchers in his legs. He goes from zero to 60 in about two seconds, especially if there’s another dog around.

Enzo and Mia (our cat) were due for checkups a couple months ago, right when I was in the thick of my work/home transition. So the task quickly fell to the bottom of the to-do list. 

But I was spurred to action by two recent discoveries: a tick lodged in Enzo’s neck and yet another tick out for a stroll on Michael’s arm, which I took as signs that I shouldn’t put off the inevitable. 

I only have one word for what I was feeling during the drive to the vet clinic — dread. The loading up process was just too easy. The cat didn’t go in her kennel without a fight, but she didn’t sink her claws into me either. Kellan didn’t protest having to walk away from his favorite Super Why cartoon. The dog jumped right into the car, sparing me the 10 minute ordeal of trying to coax and coerce him. Plus, we were running ahead of schedule. That never happens. So I was quite sure some kind of embarrassing, stressful or even painful event would unfold at the clinic.

What I envisioned:

• Enzo bolting into the surgery room in an effort to engage drugged up dogs in a game of chase.
• Kellan sneaking out of the exam room and going who knows where (the busy street???) while the staff and I wrestled Enzo for shots/blood withdrawals.
  
• Kellan getting bored and/or whiny. Or worse, throwing a tantrum. (I simply didn’t have enough hands to bring toys along too.)
  
• Being told one or both of the pets need more intensive treatment for some sort of condition. Heartworm? Periodontis? Bulimia? (Mia definitely has a problem with binging and purging. But she’s been doing it so long, the vet and I agreed that she’s pretty much a lost cause.)
  

What actually happened:

• Enzo bolted. However, I wasn’t holding the leash at the time, so I didn’t get dragged along. And the vet’s assistant intercepted him before he could turn the recovery room into a romper room.
  
• Kellan didn’t try to escape from the exam area. He just sat and watched the wrestling match with a mix of fascination and worry.
  
• No whining! Kellan was plenty entertained by Enzo’s leash. He draped it around his neck and connected it to the doorknob a couple times, but I figured he couldn’t really strangle himself with me right there. At least I hoped not.
  
• Both animals checked out fine. But I still had to part with $275 bucks.