July 30, 2020

White Dog came in followed by Steve. "I think you better call and see if we can get a vet appointment for Pearl," WD told me. I raised an eyebrow. Steve answered, "She still is just not right. She eats and then there is an explosion. Then she won't eat. It seems to be a cycle. I just cleaned up a huge mess that she considerately left on the sun porch instead of the carpet."

Pearl does not travel. Period. Sitting in the van in the driveway is enough to make her ears flatten and her heart race. She cannot drive to the end of our street without trembling and emptying her bladder. And if the ride is longer, she exhausts her bladder and her bowels in nervous excreting. And she is an emotional wreck.

For that reason Pearl has always seem Dr. Spohn, a mobile vet, who comes to the house. Her office, however, is quite a distance away in the foothills. I called, but I already knew that mobile service had been suspended due to the pandemic. "We were just meeting this morning," I was told, "we have so many clients who need this service and we are trying how to do that safely for all." I understood. They agreed to send Pearl's records to Dr. Julia and to work with her to make sure Pearl was brought back to health. Pearl would still have to go for a ride but Dr. Julia is only seven minutes from home without too many turns or stops.

I called the number I know by heart and asked if there was any way Dr. Julia could see our Little Gem. "Jackie, I am not asking for favors and if you are slammed..." I told her the situation as she pulled up the schedule. "Let me take down her usual vet's name and number, having the chart will save some time. Can Steve bring her at 2:45 and be patient?" I covered the phone and asked. "Yes," I told her. "Friday probably is worse for you, right?" "Yep. And Mondays are the worse, not that we should leave this go over the weekend. Come in."

Poor Steve had to wait in the car in 101 NM heat while Pearl was taken inside and put through the paces. Periodically, Dr. Julia or one of the nurses would call him with an update or questions. We cheered when Steve phoned home to tell us the blood work was all good. But our spirits sank with the news that the X-ray showed a problem. "Let's stay calm and not jump to scary and probably wrong conclusions," White Dog cautioned. "You know Dr. Julia does not tease.

Jackie called Steve about 3:20 to come in to talk with Dr. Julia. He was glad to slide into the darker cool waiting room and went directly into the Exam room where Pearl and our vet were waiting.

"You NEVER throw anything normal at me, do you?" Dr. Julia said as she called up the X-ray. "See this?" Puff's colon was stretched and widened. It was empty but the vet said it was painfully full of air.

"It is mega colon," she told Steve. "Cats get it but it is rare in dogs." She chucked Pearl under the chin. "Maybe you think you are a kitty?"

"So what is the treatment?" Steve asked her. "Metoclopramide and Metronidazole," was the answer. "And I will want to see her next week for another X-ray."

"I knew you are going to ask. We think it might be a genetic thing but there are lots of potential triggers. Most of the time in cats it is just called idiopathic. And I KNOW Sue will ask," she sort of chuckled. "Yes, there is a human version; there are two main forms, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease. I looked that up just for her." 

Pearl was so glad to be home she did not even mind being held in my arms while the Army made sure she was all right and while Steve tried to coax the medications down her throat. "You were a VERY brave girl," I told her. "I am so proud of you." 

My exhausted Pearly Pearl headed off to catch a pre-dinner nap and Steve out to pick up the soiled blankets and air freshen the van.