My husband has been wanting a "real" dog for years. Ziva, the Black Mouth Cur, joined us a few weeks ago. She has been so good, so smart, so P E R F E C T, that I kept waiting for something bad to happen. It happened when I took her to my good veterinarian for a check up and a rabies shot. They found a serious hear murmur, "4 out of 6" the vet told me. She patted my arm, "I am so sorry." She said it twice and looked very serious. She said I'd probably have to go to a cardiac specialist, and have her on a special diet and medication for life.
Meanwhile I was falling in love. Hard. This dog was so many things that I wanted. Great with the livestock, smart and cuddly (and WARM!) Laid back yet playful. She rides in my truck like dream, shows early protective instinct when around me, and is pretty well behaved at work.She is a sensible girl, and lovely to look at to boot. The vet told me to come back in a few weeks for a cardiac ultrasound.
Meanwhile, any time she did something that large breed puppies normally do, like fall over clumsily when running and playing, I'd get panicky, thinking she was going to keel over, dead. If she slept a lot, I worried. When she was calm and sweet and precious I was sure it was because she was not feeling well and that I'd lose her soon.
Ditto when she played with her best pal, Trixie. What if the exertion was too much for her?
I dropped her off at the vets office last week for testing at 8 AM. Then I spent the next 4 hours fretting and stewing. I missed having her with me, too. Finally I got the call, and I felt myself holding my breath while waiting for the news. I exhaled hugely when I heard Dr. Lee say, "I have good news." He said he could barely hear the murmur; not at all on one side, and only a wee bit on the other side. He had another vet listen, too, and she agreed. The decided not to even do the ultrasound! They want to take another listen in a month. Meanwhile I am enjoying Ziva fully, no longer afraid she is going to drop dead at any moment. Happy news indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment