Chloe, Home from the Hospital

It was hard for me to sleep well last night, knowing I had to drop Chloe off at the hospital in the morning. This was the first time in ten years I left her at the vet. My heart was breaking for her because she has always had a fear of the vet’s office and examinations. She's been very nasty with vets in the past. Today she went under general anesthesia to have a benign surface mass the size of a bing cherry removed from her shoulder, a teeth cleaning, and a nail clipping. While I was signing some papers this morning at the reception desk, an attendant took her lead and she toddled off before I could say good-bye. Around the corner I saw her go and I called to her in a soft, but loud enough voice, “Be a good girl, Chloe... I’ll be back later!” I had a knot in my throat the size of a lemon and told the receptionist it’s the first time I’ve left her for surgery in a decade. She understood. I drove to work fighting back tears to see the road.

You know, in a weird way, I think it’s harder to leave your frightened pet than it is to leave your child. Of course, leaving your child tears your gut and heart out, over and above this, but at least you can communicate with them, tell them everything will be OK and the doctors and nurses will take good care of them, and Mommy and Daddy are right here! Even though Chloe and Bella understand most of what I say, there’s no guarantee they understand me when I need it the most.

On the way home, she didn’t care to look out the window at every stop. Too woozy.

Her dental treatment was more complicated than I expected, as the vet found dead and decayed molars and dead, loose front teeth. They were all extracted but she still has plenty of teeth for chewing. I regret not having her teeth professionally cleaned in all her years and I’m going to make sure Bella has a professional cleaning within the next year, or sooner. If you have pets, schedule an appointment. They’ll have cleaner breath in their later years and they won’t have to endure extractions.

She thought we were in the neighborhood and needed to see if it was true! Can I leave my calling card on that hydrant, please? Just pick me up and take me to it.

Bella was all over her, checking her wounds and ID. She was a very concerned sister and sensed that Chloe didn’t need any rough and tumble playing. Poor, insecure Bella was home alone all day. Chloe leads the way for her and I would imagine that she whined for a while after we left this morning and might have stood at the kitchen door all day, waiting for us to come back inside.

Boston Terriers don’t give up on action. She needed to check out the back yard to see if it was still there. The girl is obviously exhausted in this photo, unsteady on her feet, but is afraid of missing out on something.

Thirty minutes after her homecoming, she was snoring in the sun. You can see her incision (Chloe has a red collar and Bella has the black one.) Nurse Bella made sure she was sleeping soundly.

She didn’t miss a tid-bit treat here and there tonight and was still present for her daily dinnertime handout. Those Bostons are persistent, no matter what!

Since her incision is weeping a little blood from her leaps onto furniture, I think I’ll sleep in the family room with her tonight and I may even stay home from work tomorrow to keep an eye on her. We’ll see. Everyone is sleeping right now. That's good.