Morey on the Mend

After bringing Morey home from the vet (see previous post) he was supposed to be under observation for the next 12-24 hours so I could see whether or not he got sick again. This wasn't too hard as Morey is usually near me when I am at home so the only real difference was that I wouldn't let him go out in the yard and hang out like he usually does. Every time Morey would make any kind of noise (a groan, loud swallowing or sigh) I would jerk my head around to see if he was going to be sick. Thankfully that was never the case!

The vet said I could give Morey a tablespoon of rice and special prescription dog food several times that evening once his anti-nausea meds kicked in. I made Morey a tasty dinner and put one tablespoon in his bowl. Since he hadn't eaten/kept down any food in 48 hours he was pretty hungry and eagerly ate his meager amount then looked at me like "where's the rest?". I felt bad that I couldn't give him more since I knew he was hungry but wanted to make sure he would keep that down first.

He got three more tablespoons that night and eagerly ate them all. The next morning we were still "puke free" and Morey was acting more like his usual self both of which made me breathe a little easier. He got a larger portion of breakfast (but still smaller than his normal meal size) and I packed him more for his "lunch". There are times when it's convenient to have a service dog instead of a pet and this was one of them. Morey had to continue to be under observation so I just took him to work with me like normal. I realize most people with sick dogs would have had to take a day off or make other arrangements. While I usually leave Morey in my office while I have meetings, that day I brought him with me so I could keep an eye on him. I was very happy when 4pm arrived and Morey was officially out of the woods and didn't need a follow up appointment with the vet.

I'll never really know what caused his illness, but thanks to the vet visit I knew what it wasn't. I typically tend to be conservative about illness/medical treatment and have a "let's wait and see" attitude but Morey isn't worth taking a chance on. In the past six months two of my friends have had their young dogs die very unexpectedly after a short illness and that was very much on my mind when Morey got sick. Also in the last month or so, two of the ICAN service dogs that I had worked with while they were in training and had helped match and train their families passed away at age 9. All of these losses have made me appreciate Morey's presence in my life even more than usual and have also made me more vigilant and cautious about his health.

I am very relieved that Morey is feeling better and on the mend! I'm also thankful to have a great vet nearby who understands Morey's special role in my life and helped him get back to his job without too many "sick days" off! And of course, all of Morey's friends and fans who sent him good thoughts and prayers while he was sick.