September 14, 2021

White Dog sighed. "I know you have been planning this for some time and have sent along a list and reminded Dr. Julia that this will be a challenge but still I worry about Roman and how his vetting will go today."

Roman is a special case because of his PTSD and refusal to wear a lead or be touched. So after two days of talking with him about this appointment and what to expect, Steve loaded Roman into his crate and wheeled the entire crate out to Pumpkin, our van. The crate held a new muzzle to replace the old one and a copy of the instruction sheet Dr. Julia already had. Somewhere in my head I foolishly thought some one at the clinic would confuse my boy with another patient so labelling the crate was important. 

In order to do the exam, take x-rays, draw blood, check teeth, clip nails and mats, and replace his mask  My Boy has to be sedated, put under anesthesia.  It allows the staff to work without fear and removes stress from Roman. I love Dr. Julia and her staff for their treatment of our troubled White Dog.

Steve picked him up a little after 2:30; Dr. Julia was in surgery but Jackie passed on a message that she would call me at end of day to discuss Roman's visit.

"You are not one of those who reuses a name over and over on different dogs?" was how she started the conversation. My puzzled "Of course not, you know all our family" caused our healer to laugh. "Roman was like a different dog. He is not longer even in the top five of our challenges. We sedated him but did not have to put him under and I was even able to lift his gums  through the muzzle to take a look at his teeth. Which are in great shape." "I guess gnawing on the bones of daring veterinarians is good for tartar control," I teased.

Dr. Julia had the list and we wnet through each item. "We drew blood and sent it out to test thyroid. He HAS gained almost ten pounds and with his bad leg it is not good to be heavy. I saw you, too, were concerned especially since he is not eating more or had change in routine. The same draw will give us a status on whether his Lyme disease is active. As well as check all of the usual stuff. We will know Thursday."

"We X-rayed his bad leg, his hips, and spine. The bad leg is starting to show some arthritis but I still think there is no need to consider removing it. Down the road might be a different story but for now let's not fix what we really can't.

"Roman was not happy but we shaved his back half. There were some deep mats and I wanted a good look at his skin. He is so itchy I wanted to take some scraping and see the actual skin. I know he won't let you brush him and we would have shaved more but it was a lower priority at the end of the sedation. Oh, we trimmed his talons as well; he fussed a little over that. Keep up the Apoquel; sensitive skin is a common symptom of Lyme disease. 

"We were all expecting a fire breathing dragon and he surprised us. For such a messed up boy he has come VERY far; you are doing something right. His health is good pending what blood has to say. You are going to need to find a new challenge for me since Roman and I are friends now."

I was delighted and could not wait to share the news with the pack. Romn was sleeping; it had been a big day for him. "Careful what you wish for," I told Dr. Julia. I could tell by her laugh that she wasn't sure I was joking.

There is no place like home.