Thursday, December 16, 2004

animal clinic

I sit in the waiting room, thinking about all the times I have come here, usually holding Franklin in my lap or letting him sniff around on a tight leash. It is always a parade of people and their pets, coming in for check-ups and shots, or for boarding, or treatment.

I cannot sit. He is in the back, somewhere, left for a day of x-rays and examination. When we got there in the morning, he was a bit nervous. Where's my dog?

The doctor finally calls me into an examination room. She pulls out the x-rays and puts them on the wall light box.

The tendon holding his knee into place is definitely torn severely, she says.

I strain to look at the x-ray. It is in a dark area where she points, talking about how much damage has happened. I am the novice, looking at what seems like a black on black painting - the dark hues are all the same to me.

She pulls this picture down and puts up another, showing his hips and legs. The bones are quite clear, from lower spine to legs, and even the cartiledge of his tail. I feel odd, looking at his interior structure, imagining him laying for the picture, imagining these bones moving in one of his quick, jerky running and jumping around.

These are sexy bones, she says. He has very healthy hips. He is such a healthy, well-formed dog.

With a blown knee, I think.

We talk about what happens next. We had already discussed surgery, where the tendon is re-created. But now she says that something interesting is happening. He is not limping. He has compensated in how he distributes his weight. She says we should wait. See if this continues. Give it some time. No need to rush into surgery. I agree. We will wait.

They bring him out, but he is not interested in me. He runs toward the door. I pull him back so that I can pay the cashier. I look down and he is urinating on the floor. He tried to tell me. They bring out a mop. It happens, says one of the attendants.

2 comments:

lemming said...

I'll keep lighting candles. KEEP US POSTED. (hug)

Don said...

Thanks. I hate to see him slow down for a while, but I am also happy not to do the surgery if it is not needed.