I made an appointment for Sweetie yesterday morning, driving into town and stopping at Dr Jackson's office. I get faster results this way than calling in and being put on hold. I got slotted for 2:30pm for today. That was fast! If I had called the Sierra Animal Hospital for an appointment, it would have taken a few extra days AND an additional $90 surcharge for expediency. Gretchen was spayed at the Dr Jackson office and already has medical records there.
I'm slowly moving my business over to Dr Jackson; I get better service there although this also means leaving Dr Jody Moffett, one of the most compassionate veterinarians in Sierra Vista. I wish she would go independent like Dr Jackson and Dr Geiger have gone because all veterinarian offices in Sierra Vista are managed by corporate billing offices who only focus on making a profit.
I hadn't slept well overnight and woke up after sunrise, still feeling groggy. I walked Gretchen solo around the block before letting Sweetie out of the truck, still in a sleep stupor. Both dogs then were tied up outside under the RV until my appointment. They slept most of the time. I know this is not ideal, but until I have a front yard gate installed, this is all I can do. Gretchen will run around the neighborhood barking at all the dogs if I don't tether her.
I left Gretchen tied up out front while I was at the vet office. It was still cooler for her this way than in the 100F RV.
I like the Dr Jackson crew. Jackson himself is now getting old and he walked with a limp and a stiff knee when he examined Sweetie. I asked him about his limp and he said he's still revcovering from recent back surgery.
I requested a blood panel and Xrays. I had to wait 30 minutes for the results of both. I was fine with that as I had nothing else to do.
Valli, a neighbor of mine I met years ago at the Huachuca City animal shelter, was in the office making an appointment for her Cowboy's teeth cleaning. We chatted a bit. She asked about Minnie, and I had to tell her that Minnie had passed. I hadn't mentioned it on Facebook yet. I wasn't ready to post it so quickly after Sadie's passing. I was called back by an attendant to look at Sweetie's X-rays and Valli and I went separate ways.
The xrays revealed a few secrets of Sweetie's health. She has advanced arthritis in the spine AND hips. Oh my. That explains her strained attempts getting up from a seated position. Does it hurt her to walk then ? I don't want to cause further pain by taking her around the neighborhood a mile at a time. She is also developing cataracts. Her blood is normal, although her kidneys are "high-normal." As Dr Jackson said, "she's just getting old!" but is still healthy. He prescribed carprofen for her, 50mg 2x daily for pain for a total of 100mg daily. I still have a month's worth from Minnie's prescription that I can use.
The visit wasn't cheap. It cost me $465, for the bloodwork, xrays, carprofen and office visit, a standard price for an annual check-up. But at least I have some answers about Sweetie's health. I finally left the clinic at 4:20pm.
I stopped at Culver's on my way home, where I had a crispy chicken sandwich and Sweetie had a pup cup. It was our personal time. While I hope to have Sweetie around for a few more years, I've learned that death comes fast with dogs. I will take good care of her in her final years, because she was Kevin's special girl.
Then we drove back home by 5pm. Gretchen was happy to see her pal again.
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