A Delay & Re-Route For Pooch
Well, we’ve ended up staying in the little town of Edna, TX a little longer than expected. A few days back our pooch, Polly started getting sick. At first it didn’t seem like much, dogs being prone to little upsets now and then, but after a full night of vomiting followed by a morning of bright red diarrhea we knew we weren’t going to be moving the RV for a while. I’ve got a fair number of home remedies that I use, and am pretty good at being able to diagnose and heal general minor issues in the animals, but I also know when it’s time to pack it in and see a vet, and this was one of those times.
Bright red poo, medically called hematochezia, signifies something is irritating the lower intestine, and it can be caused by a number of issues. My thought was it was likely either something she’d eaten outside or some kind of parasite she’d picked up. So, we googled the nearest vet, rang ’em up and went in for an afternoon appointment. The vet (as with most vets we’ve used on the road) was a lovely gentlemen and he agreed with my initial thoughts. So, it was onto medication for 3 days while hoping the thing cleared up (or we would go back for more tests).
So, here we’ve been. It’s always heartbreaking when your animals are sick especially since they can’t really tell you what’s wrong, but we were definitely not going anywhere until Polly got better. Thankfully on day 2 of the medication things took a turn for the positive, and we’re hopeful she’s over the worst of it, but it does mean we’ve had to re-route our trip somewhat. So, instead of heading 3 days to boondock down in Padre National Seashore, we’re going to cut across directly to San Antonio/Austin and pick up our original itinerary from there.
These things do happen, and thankfully we can be flexible and work around them. We’ll enjoy our surroundings, relax and sleep things off. It’s beautiful here, in it’s on way, and there’s no rush to see the next thing or even to see it at all.
If pooch is under the weather, we’re all under the weather so we’ll stick together until the skies clear.
Sorry to hear Polly isn’t feeling well. Hope she gets over what’s bothering her.
On our last outing to Hunting Island, SC Kudah our Black Lab tore his ACL on the second day we were there. So it was back home to our Vet.
Good Luck,
Jon
Ouuuchhhh! A torn ACL! Yes, that’ll definitely put a stop to the vacation. Nina
I completely agree with you on the Pouch. Jake (our first dog) is a bit moody when things don’t go his way. For example, all rainy days make him go into a funk. We used to think he was sick. Now we know the difference. When they are really sick you are sick. I agree! Hope he is doing better.
Hi Big Canoe, Yeah, she seems to be doing better today, but she’s such a finnicky dog so it’s hard to tell sometimes. I’m keeping fingers and paws crossed. Nina
I hope that Polly is doing much better now.
And as this is Spring Break in TX, you are probably better off away from Padre, even the north end.
I’m enjoying reading of your travels, especially now that you are in my home state.
Maggie, You know you’re probably right. Maybe avoiding Padre was a bit of a blessing in disguise. Spring break has been crazy everywhere here in TX. Can’t wait for it to be over 🙂 Nina
Hope your furry baby feels better soon. And so cool to hear such positive things about out of town vets – it’s one of things we are worried about!
Overall we’ve had only good experiences w/ out-of-town vets. I tend to do one of two things when we look for a vet. First, I google and check if there are any on-line reviews. If there are, I choose the most positive one. If there are no reviews (like the one we chose in Edna…very much a “country” vet) I always ask the office how long they’ve been in business/practicing. If they’ve been around for many years in the country, you know they’ve got to be good. Country vets are a “jack of all trades” and they’ve got to be decent to have staying power way out there.
Nina
give polly a big hug and wet kiss for me…..glad she is on the road to recovery..
Jil, Thanks…the big wet kiss is much appreciated 🙂 So far so good. Polly seems to be doing OK, but you never know with these things. We’re hopeful she’s on the right track. Nina
My new mottos has become, “Hope for the best and deal with the rest.” Sounds like that might work for you right now. I’m hoping for the best outcome of this for Polly.
Great motto, Linda. I like it!! Nina
Sorry to hear about Polly but glad you diagnosed the problem and found a vet you are happy with. And it’s great that you CAN stay put for a while while she recovers. Travelling isn’t any fun for anyone when they are “under” the weather.
Lot’s of love & attention, little food and time to sleep peacefully will do Polly wonders – we hope she is back chasing sticks by the end of the week. Keep us posted … we enjoy hearing about your stops thru Polly’s eyes too !
Candace,
Thanks for the kind thoughts. And it looks like the loving and resting paid off. She seems to be back to her crazy self, thank goodness!
Nina