Once the semester is over it is much easier for me to arrive late or leave early from work since there aren't as many meetings and appointments once students leave campus. I use this time of year to make all my own medical appointments since I can be more flexible with my schedule. One appointment I always make before going home for Christmas is Morey's annual vet visit so he can be up to date on his vaccines before we travel.
This was the first appointment with his regular vet since he had his
seizure so as the vet tech got us settled in the exam room she asked if there was anything specific I wanted to talk to the vet about. I explained the situation and the vet tech said "Oh, that was you! I was the one who answered the phone that day!". I apologized for being an incoherent mess when I called and she was very understanding and said she was glad it all worked out ok. She was glad to hear Morey had been seizure-free since the initial episode.
I am thankful to have a vet who understands the importance and unique aspects of a service dog's health. Dr. Oliver willingly gave me a refill for Morey's anxiety meds once she heard his reaction to the airport the next time she went. The emergency vet had given me a dose of valium to give Morey rectally if he had another seizure and I explained to Dr. Oliver that I was concerned about my ability to actually administer it since it involved attaching a needle to a syringe, drawing out the valium, detaching the needle and administering it rectally. Each step involved a lot of fine motor skills I don't have and I hadn't been able to practice since I only had the one dose.
Dr. Oliver brought in some extra syringes so I could see if that was something I would be able to do if no one was around to help. While I managed to draw out the dose, I couldn't detach the needle (using your teeth isn't really an option when you are talking about needles!). She was so eager to help me find a workable solution and we went through a number of different syringe, needle and medication options before landing on Keppra that I could give as an injection using syringes with needles already attached. This only required me to draw out the dose (challenging but doable) and give Morey an injection. She said it might take a bit longer to work to stop a seizure than the valium but it was something I could do on my own if necessary. She wanted me to be comfortable with each step of the process so we practiced several times and then she let me give Morey a saline injection so I knew how to do it. I certainly hope I never need to know how to do any of this but I left feeling much more confident and prepared that I could manage another seizure on my own if necessary. I am so grateful to Dr. Oliver for all the time she took with me to make sure I can take care of Morey!
Morey also had a few lumps and bumps that were new since last year and she wanted to make sure they were all benign. I hate being reminded that Morey is getting older and you never want to hear about the possibility of a cancer. Thankfully Morey's bumps were all benign and he was given a clean bill of health. I am very thankful that Morey is healthy and happy enough to continue in his working role!
