Because I hate the uncertainty of “my pet’s sick” stories, let me start out that Julius is doing fine.
I got a call from Mom near the end of my shift that Julius was ‘breathing funny.’ His respiration rate was on the upper end of normal and he did this funny ‘wheeze.’ So I told her to film it if possible, and called our vet.
Our vet informed me they couldn’t see him for at least a week, and if I was concerned, take him to the emergency vet. So I came home, grabbed a bite to eat, and took Julius to be seen. They took one look at him and took him in the back and had a five-minute consultation to take his history. Then I began my four-hour stay.
After about an hour, they brought me into the exam room to talk. Julius was still in the back, so I wasn’t sure how he was. The vet was quick to reassure me that he’s doing okay, and they think he has asthma. To verify this, they need to do X-rays and bloodwork. I immediately agreed to it.
So another two hours pass while they did the tests. And they confirmed that Julius has asthma. So he was treated with steroids and I was sent home with more after another hour. So what comes next is a visit to his regular vet in a week once he’s done with the steroids. At that point we’ll determine what he needs as far as future treatments.
This morning, Julius doing much better. Me, not so much, but that’s another story. He’s bright, breathing easily, and interacting with me and mom. And yes, this is a hefty bill I wasn’t planning for, but he’s worth it.
As for the other two, Sherbert was mad that I was gone all last night and has been glued to my side since I woke up. Popsicle spent the night draped across me. And I was so drained I called in to work. I’m spending the rest of the day recovering so I can head back to work tomorrow.
It could have been worse. Several pets came in while I was waiting that were clearly in worse condition than Julius was. And I’m sure that’s why it took that extra hour to get me out of the clinic. And I don’t begrudge them that at all, because I’m going home with my big boy. They may have not.
So I’m home and I’m snuggling with various fluffy cats. For the moment, everything is okay because Julius is doing fine.