Starting the New Year

 

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I took Olive for her routine physical exam by the veterinarian in early January. The vet detected a heart murmur. That did not concern me too much as Smokey, the dog I had as a kid, had a murmur for years and lived to be almost seventeen. Murmurs are rated on a scale of 1-6; the vet initially gave Olive’s murmur a 2, which could require medication. To be certain and help get a more accurate evaluation, the vet did recommend a special type of scan, called an echo cardiogram, which would be three-dimensional and show more than a simple x-ray. I agreed and set an appointment for the following Monday.

As instructed, I dropped Olive off at 7:30 a.m., then headed to a nearby café for coffee and a bagel. From there I poked around a home improvement store for a while until around 10:30 when I had been told that the procedure should be finished. Back at the vet’s I used my cell phone to call and ask about Olive (this vet is still being cautious in the wake of Covid and not allowing people to accumulate in the waiting room). It turned out that Olive was just finishing up. I said I would be right in. I should have added that I was right outside the door, as the receptionist was startled when I walked in. She apparently thought it would take some ten or fifteen minutes for me to drive to the office.

In any event, the murmur turned out to be slighter than  the vet had feared, level 1. No medication was required, just “monitor the situation.” That was a relief.

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On Christmas Eve, after my Holiday entry was posted, I had family at my house for Christmas Eve dinner. My one-year-old grandniece was there and took delight in seeing Olive catch her ball. My sister, the child’s grandmother, took a short video.

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Some dog humor I have collected over the past few months.

Well, even border collies need to relax and socialize.

Okay, so she took a shortcut.

Well, I can't survive without a border collie.