308 - The Big Dog

The Big Dog got her annual shots this past weekend. She's been doing well since I've had her with them. No reaction that I can tell other than being a little on the less energetic side. This time it all went seemingly well. I had papers drawn up for licensing and registering her with The City of Ottawa. There's a time crunch since shes a special breed. I'm not quite sure about the details of the time crunch but I'm sure I'm on the late side of things. I just hope I get it all done in time. Maybe time is on my side. Maybe not. We shall see. Ill get more information and see what that is all about.

9 am on Saturday is when we went to the vet to get her shots. I readied the back seat and let her in. She's always excited about car rides. Something about sticking her nose far out of the window to catch a plethora of scents that I cant even imagine. Then again I'm sure there are some that Id rather not be witness to. We went out for a walk before the car ride and again just before going into the animal clinic. Its better she get her energy spent outside than inside with other animals.

She's a good dog but she gets excitable easy. That's what happens when you get a really friendly dog. The only problem is when you have a friendly dog to which people are a little wary of. Maybe a bit more cautious around. Its always nice to see peoples reaction when they see her walk closer to them. There's a hesitation. A straightening of the back and a careful eye kept on her. To see if she will attack or do anything not normal for a dog you would instantly coo over.

She'll wag her tail long before she gets to you. Shell sniff from your toes to your fingers. I'm lucky that shes not a crotch sniffer like some other dogs. After the initial hackles being raised on the persons side. Once they see shes friendly and really quite sweet. There's a melting process. A smile. A chuckle at how silly they were. A comment about how friendly/cute she is. Then there's the kisses that The Big Dog dispenses without any thought. Me on the other hand? I'm a little pickier about who gets to share my kisses.

I wont go into detail as Ill just be running my mouth and don't want to insult people or offend anyone. I just want to point out that its any dog that has the capability of biting. Not just this breed. This breed just has more strength.

Back to the point of this post. At the clinic. The Big Dog usually gets 3 shots. She's never been boarded for any reason since I've had her but I still get them to give her the vaccine for one called kennel cough. Usually its 3 shots that she gets. This year she got 2 by way of needle and the third one was given to her by way of drops. In her nose. Which I thought was strange. I wasn't sure if this was something new they were doing or if it was just something that had the option of being given.

I've heard that they were supposed to have phased that way of administering kennel cough vaccines last year. So I thought that maybe they were getting rid of old stock? Or maybe the vet made a judgment call and decided to go that route instead. I asked him after he gave The Big Dog he drops what it was that he gave her as it was news to me. He told me what it was and I mentioned that was new to me as shes always gotten it as an injection. He said it was better absorbed into the system that way. Which puzzles me because the fastest way to get into any kind of system is to put it right in the system. Right? I mean I'm not a vet but that to me seems simple enough.

I didn't think of that again I trust this vet though it wasn't The Big Dogs regular vet. After paying the just 100 fee for the shots and the consultation The Big Dog was given treats by the staff and got some comments form the Vet who gave her her shots, the staff and some other people at the clinic waiting. They all commented on her demeanor and her friendliness. How its unusual to see a dog of her type so calm and serene.

Which made me think that the owners who have dogs that may have less than attractive manners don't usually take time out of their day to go to a clinic and get shots and take time to socialize their dog with other dogs. Those owners keep out of the public eye and keep to themselves. Those are the dogs that you hear about on the news reporting an unfortunate incident about bites and confrontations. .

OK tangent again. Back to the point of this. The Big Dog and I had a regular evening. I returned from an outing and noticed that she wasn't as eager to go out and walk. That she wasn't as energetic as usual. I thought maybe it was because I woke her up and she was a bit off. So I didn't think much of it.

The next day I slept in and The snow came. We went out and she took care of what she needed to take care of and wanted to come back inside as soon as possible. That's odd as shes usually the one who wants to go go go. I noticed that she was favoring her right hind leg when doing anything. I asked her to sit while waiting for the elevators and I could see her understanding of the command and I saw her try to lower her bottom half but would do so about an inch or two and then lift back up to stand.

I thought she was just being stubborn and I tried again, repeating myself a little stern. More oomph. I got the same reaction. Lower an inch or two and then back up. She wasn't doing anything else just looking at me and I let her stand. I was just puzzled. Inside the apartment I removed her leash and collar and brought out a treat that she likes. She followed me to the kitchen and I held it out and said 'sit' She did the same thing. Lower an inch or two then straightened back up. I was looking at her straight on and that's when I noticed she was favoring her rear left side to stand on. So I checked her nails maybe I had to trim her nails? No that wasn't it. Maybe it was the road salt on her paws? No that wasn't it.

By accident I touched the are that she got a hot. She whined and moved my hand away with her nose. I thought OK maybe a bruised area? That's what it seemed. I thought of the vet and rolled my eyes. her muscle looked a little soft on that leg. she didn't want me to touch it. It was obviously not comfortable when it was touched even softly with the back of my fingers.

She was more and more lethargic than I expected. To the point of her just lying in the middle of the living room floor watching with her eyes only me walking by. I stopped to watch her for a moment and noticed that her breathing was off. shallow inhalation and a slow exhale. The inhale was broken and Id never seen her so out of it. I checked her food and water. Not touched since our walk. Strange, she always eats and drinks after a walk. Refuel.

I checked her gums and it was pale pink/whitish. I was a bit worried and I tried to get her to stand up and move around. I tried to get her to sit but she still wouldn't do it. I called the vet who is not open on Sundays. They had a number for an animal hospital on their voicemail. I called them instead. I told them what shots she just had how long ago and what I thought was important, like the sore area, the lethargic behaviour and the pale color of her gums.

There is a 24 watch for side effects of the shots that she recently got. Id never seen her react to them so it was strange to me and I told her that if she didn't get better in a couple of hours that I would bring her in. I kept an eye on her and took her out to see if she would do anything outside. It was good to see her moving around as well.

It was good that I noticed the changes in her attitude. I worried myself and thought of a lot of things that could happen. The Big Dog just needed to rest and get her energy back. The Vet must have hit a muscle which made her sore and uncomfortable doing normal things like sitting.

She's fine now. Her appetite has returned with a vengeance. She's back to her usual playful energetic self.

She gave me a scare that's for sure. I've been told that her breed doesn't live to the late teens like smaller dogs do. I'm still not sure how long Ill have her in my life and I don't like to think about that so Ill just continue to enjoy the time we have. Time flies and there's no better time to enjoy the present than now.

Note to self. Don't forget to get her registered. I'm debating on if I want her to get micro chipped. We shall see.

Ill have to do it in the new year. Darn.