Eventful

That is how I describe last week.  We spent it at the SSB - what a surprise that it was eventful.  Normally we leave once or twice while there, but this time we were on the road all but two of the seven days.

The trip up was a normal trip with the exception of the heat.  That isn't a problem except for stopping for lunch.  That was the real beginning of the problems.  It was HOT, HOT.  When a hurricane goes east of us, all moisture is pulled from the air and all the heat is added.  The place we stop (fast food naturally since we eat in the truck with the animals) has no shade.  SO it was really hot.

Finally I told G that we had to start the engine to turn on the a/c because I could see Simone was really suffering.  He did.  She seemed stressed the rest of the way - which is about 2 more hours.

We got there, and the first thing she wants is water.  That is because she is so stubborn she won't eat or drink on the way.  I gave her the remainder of my water bottle - in HER bowl obviously.  That was gone in 30 seconds.  So I gave her more water - probably too much.

When she decided it was time to bark because I knocked on the table and she was going to protect us from someone coming in, she then got sick.  Well we are used to that.  But this was different.  Usually she can vomit - even just water.  This time she couldn't.  She just paced and paced - drooled like a faucet - tried and tried to vomit.  It wouldn't come.

Then I looked at her abdomen.  It was swollen.  Not. Normal. At. All.  I know large dogs can have a condition that is the stomach flipping.  It sure looked like that to me.  And of course, we really have no internet there (and that's another story - for tomorrow).  So I got my handy dandy cell which normally won't access the internet there.  I googled twisted stomach, and wonders of all, it came worked.

The solution is, you guessed it - get her to the vet.  Now it is 6:30 PM.  We are 45 minutes from any town, and they are small and smaller.  I called neighbor for a vet referral.  They were closed, and the vet most people around us had a busy line.  We looked in the yellow pages and found one that said it was a 24 hour clinic.  No, they had a vet on call.  But he told us that we should go into Littler Town for that vet.

So I called.  They would stay open.  In the mean time, the site I found said that anything with simethocone (think that is spelled wrong but ...) like Gas X might help.  So she got two, and we hit the road.

Naturally when we got to the office, she was better.  Still not perfect, but better.  She was examined, another problem was suggested, but advice was given.  Plus, they said if anything changed - call them at home.

The next day was ok, not great, but ok.  Thursday, she was down again.  So we called the office.  It was early afternoon.  By the way - they are distant relatives.  No kidding - almost everyone there is!  The son was with his wife having a baby, and the dad had a pasture call (we are in the sticks remember).  If we got there at 5, they would work us in before the pasture call.

She got a benedryl shot with instructions to follow up with 3(!!!) more every 4 hours as needed.  Also we need to get her in for a abdominal untrasound because he really believes that her mast cell tumors are back and internal this time.  They kill dogs.  So this afternoon, she goes to our vet for the ultrasound.

Our other travels were to the grocery store - which is normal, to church which is when we can, and to visit cousins who have taken on the project of restoring the 100+ year old first house down at G's grandparent's house.  This is where the great-greats lived.

So we bought a lot of expensive gasoline.

Tomorrow - the internet adventure!

Peace.