What could possibly go wrong with a 3 year old chocolate lab running around on a boat full of fishing gear? šš
June and I share a pillow at night and have been known to share the occasional fork. (Donāt judge... I've seen some of you kiss your pets right on the lips in an exam room.) I'm also pretty certain she played a part in hanging the moon š She brings me 100 loads of joy everyday... not including last Christmas when she made a snack out of my Christmas tree ornaments. (Somebody remind me of that when I start looking at lab puppies for sale.) She loves to hunt, run, and will be your fishing partner for hours. Swimming is her absolute favorite thing to do. June is a girl on the go, which isnāt a problem until you need her to STAY. She understands commands like āgo, sit, no, shake, stay, etc..ā but is a lab really a lab if it isnāt stubborn?
Her latest fishing trip ended in a surprise visit to NAAH because believe it or not, she didnāt listen. As she roamed the boat scanning the water for a dead fish to bless the deck of the boat, she spotted a shiny, plastic fishing lure connected to two treble hooks instead. Ignoring every āNOā and āSTAYā, she dove off of the deck and bit down onto the biggest lesson sheās learned in a while. Luckily for her, I clock in every week to an animal hospital full doctors that have dealt with far worse. Dr. Bonner was the lucky savior of the day this time (hopefully for the last time š
.) Seeing my sweet ābad dogā as I always call her, in such a stressful situation was hard. Iāve been with my NAAH team for almost a year. Itās not always puppies and rainbows in āthe back.ā Weāve worked through some not so fun things in the short time Iāve been a part of the team. We have helped numerous pets and their owners through their own emergencies, and I think knowing what to expect played a significant part in how I handled my own pet's mini emergency. I knew she would have to be under sedation in order to cut the hooks out. I knew the medications she was given for sedation. I held off her vein for Dr. Bonner to administer them. I ran her wet ears through my fingers while she was snoozing and I talked her through the entire process. I told her next time to maybe be smarter and that real fish donāt have any hooks connected to them š¤£š¤Ŗ. She got a couple sutures, a week's worth of antibiotics, and a couple cans of food for her sore mouth. The entire visit lasted 30 minutes max.
Initially, as soon as I saw her frantic eyes I panicked. Then I realized that I donāt need to because I know I can trust our staff and doctors. Crazily enough, I kept thinking throughout this hook cutting, smelly, wet dog mess of a situation that I am so fortunate for this to have happened under these circumstances because I am able to calmly stand with her from start to finish. I thought of every big or small emergency that Iāve been a part of at NAAH. To me, the hit by car, or attacked by dog appointment is a typical day to work through. Bring it on, letās fix it! Whether those pet owners were existing clients or people we had never seen before, they chose our staff with their pets care when they were in a panic. After dealing with my own situation, I can appreciate how difficult it is to hand over their pet to us when they are so full of worry and uncertainty. Maybe they are familiar with all of our faces or maybe they've never laid eyes on any of us before. Either way, Iāll always ask āIs it okay if I take your pet to our treatment area and have a doctor look at them?ā Usually the answer is (sometimes reluctantly) yes. We may sedate, x-ray, or shave and clean puncture wounds on your pet... all while you wait worriedly in your exam room. Maybe you also share a pillow and the occasional fork with your pet. Maybe you wholeheartedly believe they hung the moon and gave the reluctant āyesā when I asked to borrow them. In some circumstances, we may have had to keep your pet overnight or even for a couple nights. Whatever the case, we understand. We understand the worry, the questions, the phone calls asking how Fluffy is doing every hour, and the anxiety that can come with having a sick or injured pet. We always will treat them exactly as we would want our own to be treated because most likely, they did help hang the moon ā¤ļøš¶š±.
Initially, as soon as I saw her frantic eyes I panicked. Then I realized that I donāt need to because I know I can trust our staff and doctors. Crazily enough, I kept thinking throughout this hook cutting, smelly, wet dog mess of a situation that I am so fortunate for this to have happened under these circumstances because I am able to calmly stand with her from start to finish. I thought of every big or small emergency that Iāve been a part of at NAAH. To me, the hit by car, or attacked by dog appointment is a typical day to work through. Bring it on, letās fix it! Whether those pet owners were existing clients or people we had never seen before, they chose our staff with their pets care when they were in a panic. After dealing with my own situation, I can appreciate how difficult it is to hand over their pet to us when they are so full of worry and uncertainty. Maybe they are familiar with all of our faces or maybe they've never laid eyes on any of us before. Either way, Iāll always ask āIs it okay if I take your pet to our treatment area and have a doctor look at them?ā Usually the answer is (sometimes reluctantly) yes. We may sedate, x-ray, or shave and clean puncture wounds on your pet... all while you wait worriedly in your exam room. Maybe you also share a pillow and the occasional fork with your pet. Maybe you wholeheartedly believe they hung the moon and gave the reluctant āyesā when I asked to borrow them. In some circumstances, we may have had to keep your pet overnight or even for a couple nights. Whatever the case, we understand. We understand the worry, the questions, the phone calls asking how Fluffy is doing every hour, and the anxiety that can come with having a sick or injured pet. We always will treat them exactly as we would want our own to be treated because most likely, they did help hang the moon ā¤ļøš¶š±.
June slept like a baby when she got back home and woke up the next morning like nothing ever happened. She is sharpening up on her listening skills and is very thankful for Dr. Bonnerās help and will be more careful in the future.
-Emilee, NAAH Veterinary Technician
June (L) and Walker (R) Poor June!
-Emilee, NAAH Veterinary Technician
June (L) and Walker (R) Poor June!