Shortly after my birthday, I noticed Nolan had some sort of tummy bug. He had developed the trots, so I put him on bland food, and that seemed to help, but it didn’t quite get rid of it. A few days later, the day before I was due to go to Sydney for my grandson’s birthday, Nolan got worse, and started vomiting. I thought isn’t that typical? I have to leave him with a babysitter when he’s not well! Just like having babies again! So I rang the vet and arranged to take him up to the vets in Mudgee. It was a three quarter hour trip so I lined the back seat with towels, just in case, but Nolan got in the car quite happily and slept for the whole trip. When we walked into the waiting room, Nolan seemed his usual happy self, and wagged his tail with enthusiasm. He looked longingly at the assistant, hoping he might get a tidbit, but she apologised to him and said she’d better not in case he was sick again. He looked disappointed, and looked hopefully at everyone that came into the waiting room. The assistant then asked me to put him on the scales. In true Nolan fashion, this turned out to be rather difficult, because he wanted to hang his front legs off the scales once he sat down…so the assistant had to be quick, noticing the weight! I was rather horrified to notice he had lost about 5 kilos….11 pounds.
Then it was our turn to talk to the vet, so he licked his leg in way of greeting. While I was talking to the vet he checked out the room, and found a place where many other dogs have relieved themselves, but we caught him just in time. The vet clapped his hands, so Nolan decided maybe he shouldn’t add to the message list in that spot. The vet checked him over and noticed his tummy was very sore, and prescribed him some tablets, and gave him an injection to counteract the vomiting. He was also to eat nothing for 48 hours, to rest his tummy. However, he was allowed to have a spoonful of porridge, or rice, to hide his tablets in. We both knew he wouldn’t eat the tablets without disguising them.
I took him home, and wrote out detailed instructions for the baby sitter, and my mobile phone number in case of emergencies, and took him round to the babysitters, just before I was to leave for Sydney. I had no phonecalls while I was away, so I hoped I was coming back to a dog that was at least no worse than when I left. I went straight round to the babysitters when I got back, and found a very happy dog. He was wagging his tail furiously and he was obviously better than when I left.
I kept him home from work the next day, just to be sure. When he did return to work, it was with his usual enthusiasm and he greeted the residents with affection, after he’d made his usual detour to the food dish where he found some left over porridge. But it was obvious that he still wasn’t quite right, even with him being back with his beloved “oldies”, and everyone taking extra care with what he ate.
Then over the weekend he was sick again, so I decided I should take him back to the vet. Because the weather had turned hot, I decided seeing it didnt seem to be an emergency I would wait till the vet was down in Rylstone. As usual he performed as though nothing was the matter with him, wagging his tail with such exuberance that he demolished a display from one of the shelves and licking the vet again when he met her. Back on the scales, and the same routine….notice the weight before he hangs his feet over the edge! His weight was still the same….so he hadn’t gained any. Then into the vet! When she attempted to feel his tummy he made it quite obvious he’d rather she didn’t. He didn’t bite her, just tensed up so much she couldn’t feel anything. So arrangements were made for me to take him to Mudgee on Friday. He was to come on an empty tummy, because he would need to be sedated for the xrays and whatever else would need to be done, depending on what the xrays showed. She was concerned that there may be an intestinal obstruction, and said that if one showed up on the xray, they would operate straight away and fix things up, and he would be able to go home after a few days convalescence and observation. She mentioned that there was the possibility of cancer, but we wouldn’t decide on the options unless we really had to.
So Friday came, and I very carefully removed all the food and water so Nolan would go to the vets with an empty tummy. Imagine my surprise after I’d had my shower and discovered he had found the cat’s dish (which still had a handful of cat bikkies). I had thought it was completely out of his reach, but not so! He had found it, put it on the floor, and demolished the bikkies…..argh! So I rang the vet and told them (I got the impression this is not an unknown phenomenon) and they said bring him anyway.
I put Nolan in the car before he could eat anything else….like the cat’s kitty litter….and away we went. He slept most of the way up and greeted the staff with his usual gusto. Back on the scales….and he’d lost another kilo….two pounds. I signed the appropriate paper work and left them my mobile number, so they could ring me when he was ready to be picked up, or the vet needed to talk to me. Around lunchtime, I got a call that he was ready, he had had his x rays, and the vet would talk to me when I picked Nolan up. However, when I got there, they said, no he’s not ready, he needs to have blood tests, and then he will be ready, and the vet will talk to me. The only definite thing I got out of them was he didn’t need any surgery. I took that as a positive result, and went off to do more down the street. By this time I had had enough of Mudgee. Two hours is my limit with any sort of shopping, and it was over my two hours. I was starting to unravel, so I went and got a chocolate muffin and an iced chocolate to drink. That definitely helped, and recharged my batteries somewhat so I could do some window shopping. I had done all the shopping I intended to do. When I couldn’t find anything else I wanted to look at I went back to the vets, prepared to read a book till they were ready, but they brought Nolan out almost straight away. He was very pleased to see me, but as wobbly as all get out, the poor bloke, so we retired to a corner of the room where he draped himself on the floor and went to sleep. About ten minutes later, the vet came out and we discussed her findings. She said nothing untoward had showed on the xrays, which meant there were no obstructions or tumours. That was very positive, we both thought. She had also taken blood, and hopefully the results for that would be back tomorrow, or failing that Monday. She felt if nothing showed in those tests we would have to treat Nolan’s condition as the dog version of irritable bowel syndrome, which could be treated by diet and medication, so in the interim he should stay on his bland diet, and gradually increase the quantity and the different types of food over the next few days.
So….Nolan and I have to recover from the trip to Mudgee, and try to get some condition back on him, and get him well enough to return to work. We also have to get through to the oldies….NO JUNK FOOD FOR NOLAN!!
Mamaroo's Diary 