Our usual policy is to wait about two months before the meet and greet with our beloved vet. It allows us time to assess the new recruit, issues, eating habits, all of the things important for a health dialog with the vet. On May 4th, Roman will have been with us for THREE months, so it WAS past time.
This afternoon as Roman dressed to make the short drive and go for his visit, White Dog briefed him on what to expect. He seemed excited at the prospect of an outing of his own but was nervous that he might be abandoned. We reassured him...and the others, equally concerned since Sachi left us, whenever one of us leaves alone that they might not return. We promised all would be fine.
Roman stayed in a perfect "heel" at my side and was very well mannered to Dr Julia and her nurse. "Finally, one of yours that I can actually touch," she laughed after Steve removed Roman's muzzle so she could look at his teeth and scope his eyes.
"He has very good teeth," she said and guessed that between 2-3 years was his age. She felt down his game leg and made mental notes. Listened to his heart and lungs. We replaced the muzzle to go into the back where there were other dogs and especially, cats, to which Roman has a severe reactive trigger. "Better safe..." I insisted.
In the back room, while we waited, they drew blood for a complete workup including heartworm, lyme and tick diseases...especially in light of the hurricane and living ferally for all those months in Texas. We are going to check thyroid, enzymes, and organ issues that could potentially be a medical cause for some of the behavioral challenges.
When they returned, Dr. Julia could not say enough good things about how cooperative and well behaved our boy had been. He wagged with delight at her words. "Positive reinforcement," she said, "these guys need LOTS of that!"
Dr. Julia carried a tablet and called up the X-rays they had just taken of Roman's hind leg. the hips are just fine. The joints equally so. The break was below the knee joint and was slightly out of alignment but had "healed pretty straight." Dr. Julia asked about his use of the leg and walked him down the hallway to note his galLOP step galLop gait. "He is using it. He should heal completely enough as to be normal with a slight limp. The break is in a spot that won't cause joint arthritis which is good. Let's put him on the herbal muscle maintenance and add a bone supplement. I would like to see the bones heal nice and strong."
Behaviorally, she agreed with the steps we were taking and cautioned that it would be a long term process. "If at any point you think he needs medicinal help, we can always prescribe Prozac, I needed to do that for one of mine for a while. It need not be forever but if you hit a point as he sorts through his stuff, let's reassess. Try to integrate him with muzzle on and supervised in relaxing situations. Don't stop him from growling; that is his warning signal but when he does remove him or distract him to break the focus. If anyone can make a difference it is you guys."
Roman turned toward Steve adoringly and I blushed at the compliment which held great weight coming from our healer.
"I will call you Thursday," Dr. Julia summed up giving Roman's head furs a ruffle. "I will have the blood work and extra test results. He is a healthy boy, young, with the ability to work through his problems. I can tell he loves you."
We did not tell the rest of the WDA when we returned of the extra stop...to Sonic...to celebrate great behavior and good health. The plain hamburger and the lickings from Steve's Strawberry sundae cup sent our message of pride better than any words could.
1 comment:
What a wonderful visit you all had with Dr. Julia. We are happy that Roman is healthy and happy, and that he is exactly where he needs to be. With the WDA! :)
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