For The Love Of A Child

For those who know me, and those who do not, Jeff and I don't actually have children, of the "human" kind that is. We do however have our three fur babies and to us they are our kids. I know it sounds silly to those of you who have your own children but we have a bond and I miss then when I travel, they are even referred to as "Grandchildren". Regardless of how crazy this may sound, the events of last night were scary and heartbreaking and emotions were as real as if they were children of the human kind.

It all started with their annual checkup. All three receiving a clean bill of health and then got a distemper shot. I had to laugh because Sadie, who runs the roost around here becomes this timid little bucket of love when outside of her domain. Not as tough as she claims to be. After the shots and Doctors goodbye, we went back to the waiting room and Jeff paid the 4 million dollar bill. Ok so this vet actually gives deals if we bring them all in at once...hehehe. Normally after shots we wait around a little longer to make sure there are no adverse effects but last night we left after only 5 minutes or so and that, sadly, was a mistake.

Just after we turned onto the freeway, minutes after leaving, I noticed Bubba acting strange. Then suddenly he started heaving. I couldn't reach back and grab him from the carrier but I insisted to Jeff that something was wrong. Finally I was able to pull him out and place him on my lap. That is when he proceeded to throw up. It was a nice chunky one and thus, not so messy on my new jeans. I did notice how quickly his demeanor began to change. By this point we knew we had to turn back but all the following exits lead to new highways and it was 5-10 minutes down the road before we had a chance to turn around. I called the vet and let them know, and she confirmed that this was a severe reaction. Sigh.

At this point the poor little guy lost control of some bodily functions, and yes, all over my lap. The little sweety tried to get off my lap just before it happened but I held him there and he was so weak at this point, he didn't fight me. The next 10 minutes or so seemed like eternity. He was fading, his poor little body was going limp and I had to jostle him every now and again just to make sure he was still breathing. I just kept petting him and telling him all would be fine. We hit two stinkin' red lights after tuning off our exit, and I was trying so hard to stay calm.

As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I jumped out and raced inside. As soon as they saw me, they started calling out, nurses, technicians, the works. They were calling out, racing around and whisked Bubba and myself into a back emergency room. I laid his little body on the table and within seconds they were giving him oxygen and shaving his paws in prep for IV's. At this point as I backed away, watching all these people hurriedly try and save our boy, I started to cry. I didn't care that my sweater and jeans were soiled, I just wanted my baby to be alright.

I looked out of the room just in time to see Jeff coming through the front door and waved him back. Unlike myself, he didn't want to be in the room, he stood just outside the door, trying to keep a brave face. Yes we love all three kids, but Bubba is daddies boy and I knew this had to so hard for him.

I'm not sure what all was done to him but he started to come around again. The poor little guy had IV's in both front paws and he cried when they took blood from a hind paw. That tugged at my heart strings but the fact that he was reacting was a good sign. We had to leave him overnight. I called 40 minutes ago but they were unable to tell me how he was as our Dr. wasn't in yet. No news is good news as one technicians told me last night when I called before heading to bed. Our Dr. seemed to feel he would be just fine as I am sure he is. I do feel a little guilty for not waiting a bit longer before we left the vet lst night. Especially since he didn't seem to look right when he curled up in the carrier. But when I poked my finger in, he seemed fine. I should have went with my instincts. I know my kids and when something isn't right. I am just so thankful that we made it back in time. A few more minutes and he may not have made it. I prefer not o think about that. I will add, that Sadie wasn't up to par last night either. But it was just a mild reaction and we kept an eye on her and all seems fine now.

As for Oli, the Doc doesn't feel he needs any tests and that due to his fantastic behavior (a completely changed and playful fellow) she feels he is most likely cancer free! Wooohoo!

Well, grandma and I will hopefully be off soon to pick up Bubba. I'll call in a few minutes to make sure he is ready to come home.

I love my babies.

Sigh.