Smaller Is Better

The beast is often a bundle of joy and we are all very grateful to have him in our lives. He warms our feet, cleans our dishes, alerts us when someone is at the door and when the squirrels have moved in the trees. Yeah, we don’t always need to know when the squirrels move through the trees but he sure thinks we do.

I have only ever owned two beasts in my life and I have been very fortunate that, though they tend to weigh more than they should, they have not had many health issues. I have been fortunate.

This morning, as I walked the beast for what feels like the hundredth time over the last week, something unusual happened. That which left his body was not fecal matter. It was pure blood.

Now I am not usually bothered by the bright red liquid. I have raised children who seem to have a fondness of leaking blood on a regular basis. I also work in a school and hand out bandages at least once a week. Blood does not bother me. Blood coming out in place of feces however, yeah it was not a good morning.

So, I did what any good woman on her last day of vacation would do. I texted the human, “The beast just **** blood.”

Human: “***”

Me: “Should I call the vet?”

Human: “Yes, ***.”

You see, it’s that time of year when the money doesn’t seem to be flowing into the bank account and the idea of going to a vet is not just adding stress because we worry about the beast, it’s the thought of how much it will cost.

We used to go to a big chain pet store and saw the vet inside. We used to pay around $400 to $500 just to be on their plan. We paid more when the pets actually went to the vet. We used to do that until one year when they tried to take money out of my account without my permission. Now we go elsewhere.

Our new place is incredible because of things I expected from my children’s pediatrician’s office but never got in the old place.

1. Same people at the front desk every time we go.
2. Same doctor every time we go.
3. Someone who gives the beast treats and talks to him as though he was the best and only pup in the world.
4. A doctor who goes above and beyond and treats me as if I am quite adequate as a parent.

The best thing about this visit?

Knowing (or at least being reasonably sure) the problem is not catastrophic and is easily treated with medicine and it cost less than $100 for the visit and the medicine.

I am so glad I have a small town veterinarian now because it is true, smaller is better.

About Marie T

I love gardening and magical beings. My profile is a garden ready to be created,

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Tagged with: pets, stress
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