Olive to the Emergency Room!

 

Olive has been low energy for the past week and was not eating. Two visits to the vet got us nowhere. Last Saturday (yesterday) I noticed some limping and took her to the vet again. This time an X-ray indicated that she had a ruptured disc in her spine. I was directed to Pieper Memorial, an animal hospital in Middletown CT (about a half hour away) and took Olive straight there.

After getting to the hospital around 8:30 a.m. I had to wait with Olive in my car for what seemed a long time. Finally, I got a call to bring her to the entrance (the hospital is following strict Covid precautions) and returned to my car for more waiting. A general vet called me on my cell phone and informed me that a veterinary neurologist would be looking at Olive.

I was not about to leave my girl, so I moved my car from the emergency spaces to a space further from the building. Along about 1:00 I decided I should eat something and took a run to a nearby Dunkin Donuts for an egg & bagel sandwich and a small decaf coffee (I was already on edge; I did not need any caffeine). I drove back to the hospital and ate there in the parking lot. To pass the time I texted some friends who I thought would want to know what was happening.

Finally, I got a call from the neurologist around 3:00. I could take Olive home for the night and was directed to bring her back on Monday evening where she will stay for the night and get an MRI on Tuesday morning. After that the best course will be determined, likely to include surgery.

I was given three medications to make Olive more comfortable: prednisone (an anti-inflammatory), Gabapentin (a pain medication that some humans take for back pains), and Omeprazole (a stomach medicine).

When I got home, I first ran out to the deli for some roast beef to hide the pills in, then gave Olive her first round of pills. She gobbled the roast beef rollup immediately, then a little while later ate more food than she had eaten all day Friday. So far, Olive is back to eating normally and a bit more active.

As Nanne and others advised, no more jumping for Olive. I hate to think that she cannot chase a Frisbee anymore, something she loved doing, but it may be necessary to take measures to keep her calm and quiet. At this point she seems to know that she cannot run and jump as she used to. A little while ago, however, I had a friend on speaker phone asking about Olive. My friend made a remark that Olive was now an “old lady”. At that it looked as if Olive was laughing. “Old lady? Who are you talking about” she may have been thinking? Nonetheless, her jumping days are likely over.

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No cute pictures of Olive being Olive this time. Sorry that this post is not as upbeat as usual, but I wanted Olive's friends and blog readers to know what is going on. So many people have been very supportive and encouraging.

I have heard nothing except high praise for the Pieper memorial veterinary hospital. It seems to be the premiere place in Connecticut for pets. I, of course, wouldn’t want anything less than the best for Olive.