Well, this week has been a busy first week of being dog parents! We've been giving Cohen at minimum 4 one-mile walks per day, as well as lots of time playing in the yard. He seems to be worn out the other times... for example, right now he is passed out on the couch being adorable. He's been totally spoiled already with bones & chew toys... partly because we'd rather him eat those than our leather sandals. He's getting the hang of "sit" and "heel", and he's going to start puppy training classes soon! He's caught on quickly to the whole concept of peeing and pooping outside, and when he does have accidents inside, he makes them very easy to clean up. He's basically perfect.
So on Tuesday we took him to the vet for his wellness exam, rabies shot, and a booster shot. He was perfectly behaved. Everyone there loved him, duh. He was cute and energetic, and he let the vet play and cuddle with him. We were so pleased at his healthy report from the vet!
And then the next day (yesterday) things changed. He was less energetic, whimpered when we tried to pet him, and cried crazily when picked up. We were worried. Like, really really worried. I called the vet in a panic, thinking that we had already done something to kill our precious pooch or make him hate us. Hillsboro Animal Hospital seriously is the greatest vet ever. Our experiences there have been nothing short of wonderful, and they proved themselves to be incredibly caring yesterday. I called the vet to ask what to do, assuming they'd probably just tell me that I had to come in and couldn't get help over the phone. But instead, they transferred me back to a vet and he talked me through everything. He explained that since Cohen is still a puppy, he is likely having extreme soreness at the injection site. Apparently this doesn't happen to all dogs & puppies, but it's common enough that he said he was "completely confident" that that was what was ailing poor Cohen. I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Oh good, he's not dying. From then on, the whole vet clinic continued to be amazing. He offered to look at Cohen if I was concerned enough to bring him in that day. He said he would mix up some puppy aspirin for Cohen & would have it ready for me to pick up ASAP. I agreed to take time during my lunch break to come and get the medicine. Then, a couple hours later, our vet tech left me a message saying she had it ready & would be there to show me how to administer it. When I picked it up, she was so friendly & helpful, and the vet didn't even charge us for it! Though it was a struggle to give it to Cohen, he started feeling better within a couple of hours. Life was right again.
I empathized with the pooch. I hate getting shots, and I usually feel sore & kinda crummy after getting my allergy shots..... little did I know what was to happen next.
Yesterday I went to go get my allergy shots, as I've done for the past 3 or 4 years. I waited the appropriate 30-minute period, was checked again by the shot nurse, and then headed home. On my drive, I started feeling itchy, weak, and nauseous. I got home and immediately took benedryl & zyrtec and then lay down on the bed. It kept getting worse. My face turned bright red & hot, as did most of my skin, I developed hives up my legs & abdomen. I was hot but shivering. My stomach was in knots. It felt like someone was pushing on my chest. That's when we decided we had better not play around, and Nathan drove (maniacally, might I add) to Vanderbilt ER (per request of the shot nurse when I called & told her my symptoms). They "fast-tracked" me and got me back to see a doctor (this was still not very "fast", but they were totally swamped). They gave me steroids and pepcid, and had me wait several hours to observe in case of a "rebound" flare-up. It was no fun. She thought it serious enough to prescribe me an epi-pen and write me a note to be out of work until Monday (girl don't know what kinda job I got). Nathan was a champ. He was ready for action, and was very gentle and caring all the same. It made me feel infinitely better just having him by my side.
So, yes Cohen, shots
really are the worst.
Moral of the story? Never get a shot, ever. Just kidding. Please, get your vaccinations & medical injections as necessary, people. Just don't shoot gobs of all the things you're body hates directly into your blood stream... cause that sucks.
