Buster

It has been a wild weekend.

Buster had been not eating much for a few days, and just generally not himself (lethargic, not wanting to go to the park, etc) so we decided to take him to the vet on Friday. We thought it might have something to do with the snow, as he is very sensitive to weather changes and the wind.

We went to our normal vet office. His regular vet was not in the office because of the snow, so we ended up seeing another vet I had never met before. She decided he might be suffering from pancreatitis and wanted to get some blood and urine samples, so we left him there for a few hours. We picked him about 5 p.m., and the technician said they had also given him a shot of something called "Cerenia" which is for nausea and vomiting. I wasn't sure why they had given him this, because he had not vomited even once. But at that point, he seemed fine, although he still wasn't interested in food when we got home.

He got up on the couch with me and proceeded to sleep and sleep. About 4 hours later, I decided to go to bed, so I tried to wake him up to go outside. He was unresponsive. Literally. I picked him up and he was limp like a rag doll. I kept yelling, "Wake up, Buster! Wake up!" and shaking him. He finally opened his eyes, but he still just lay there.

Of course, I was freaking out, so we called our vet who was closed. Then we called an emergency vet place, and they said to bring him in. By this time, he was a bit more alert, but still his legs were not working at all. The emergency vet looked at him, and said he was obviously extremely dehydrated and maybe he was having an adverse reaction to the shot. She said he should stay overnight so she could give him some fluids. So we left him there, and I was thinking, he just needs some fluids, and he'll be fine tomorrow.

Imagine my shock when I called the next morning, and the doctor said although he was a bit more alert, his legs still weren't working. She told me he might have any number of problems like a brain tumor, meningitis, or encephalitis. She was not at all encouraging, but she recommended he see a neurologist. So where do you find a dog neurologist on a Saturday in a city that has just experienced a major snowstorm? Chances were pretty slim, and we might have to wait until Monday to see someone. But she said she would make a few calls, and see what she could find. In the meantime, all we can do is wait.

I'm a basket case at this point. So is Hub.

About an hour later, I got a call from another vet hospital in Lynnwood. She said they had been contacted by the other clinic, and they had a neurologist who could see Buster at 1 p.m. So we ran to the first emergency clinic, picked him up and drove to the other clinic about 40 minutes away. This place was really nice, like a hospital for people with a beautiful lobby, nice exam rooms and operating rooms, etc.

When we met the neurologist, we knew that this really was the right place. She was wonderful! She examined Buster and said his x-rays and blood work looked pretty normal, but from the physical exam she was getting some mixed signals as to what was wrong. She said it seemed like his eyes were moving like he was dizzy and also his back was sore when she pressed on it. So in order to get a definitive answer she should do an MRI. We left him there for a few hours while they did that.

When they finally called us to come back it was about 6 o'clock. Hub and I were holding our collective breath, not knowing what to expect.

The doctor told us what she saw on the MRI...Buster had both an ear infection AND a pinched disk in his back. So, he wasn't eating because he was dizzy and nauseous. And his legs stopped working because of the disk problem, probably exacerbated by the anti-vomiting medication which is a central nervous system depressant.

She started him on antibiotics for his ear infection, and she said we would take a wait and see approach with the disk.

This morning, she called me and said that he actually stood up briefly in his cage, and ate something, and was much more alert and perky. Hub and I went and visited this afternoon and got to sit with him for about 20 minutes. He seemed so happy to see me, and although his back legs are still really weak, his front legs seemed almost normal and he actually stood up briefly while we were there. He enthusiastically ate a dog biscuit that Hub brought, and I just laid on the floor and cuddled him for most of the time.

So Buster is going to be okay...WHEW!

...but I am also SO PISSED at our vet. She did almost no exam of him, and just gave him a shot for nausea even though the shot is specifically for "extreme vomiting," and Buster was not vomiting at all. And she obviously didn't even check to see if he was dehydrated, because there is no way he would be normally hydrated at 4 p.m. and on death's door from dehydration at 10 p.m. I don't think we will be going back to that vet.

He might come home tomorrow, or Tuesday, depending on how quickly he continues to recover. I don't know that we will ever really understand exactly what happened but...considering that on Friday night and Saturday morning, we thought he was going to die or need to be put down...we are thrilled and relieved and so grateful.

(If you live in the Seattle area and you ever need emergency care for your pet, this is the place to go. They don't do normal vet work, just specialty care like neurology and oncology, and emergency care, but it is comforting to know there is such a place.)