The Vet

The other day I had to pick up some pain pills for Andy. The tramadol supply went out so he needed more. He gets Deramaxx and tramadol for his arthritis pain. Those drugs work well in tandem. We could double down on the deramaxx but too much of it could hurt his GI tract and kidneys. In Abby's penultimate vet visit, her BUN and creatinine levels were high indicating her kidneys were going bad. We don't want to burden Andy's kidneys any more than we have to, but we need to effectively address his pain from arthritis. This drug tandem seems to work well.

So, I'm at the vet. The people are nice enough. The vets know me by name. They know I love my dogs and care for them and appreciate my love for my pets. Despite all that, I now hate going there. Everytime I go there, I think "this is the place Abby was put down." I know the place she was given her shot. I also know that one day, Andy too will have to face that moment. If I'm in school, I may not even be able to accompany him on his last trip. That day is coming and right soon. Maybe in months, hopefully a year and if I'm lucky, in two.

Andy has a check-up next Tuesday. The number of vet visits for him can probably be counted on one hand. This will be a routine visit. But at his age, I can't help but to think of what is coming.