A Visit to The Newport Animal Clinic

After all that secretarial work, I really didn't do anything of consequence. I made a blueberry cobbler, some beef stew, and some french bread, and then Rebecca and I went to pick up Zeus. When I talked to the receptionist and told her who I was and that I was there to pick up Zeus, she said it would be just a few moments and that it would be forty-four dollars. Now, the pound was supposed to pay for his neutering, so I asked what that price was for. Then she handed me two bottles of pills, one tiny and one huge, and I had to ask her what they were for. I think she thought I was stupid because I asked her so many questions, but at that point, all I knew was that Zeus had been castrated and his leg and lump looked at. I didn't know if Dr. Westbrook had actually found anything. Anyway, we finally were called back into the examination room. There was Zeus, wearing a big, dopey, dreamy expression on his face. He slept on the floor while the Veterinarian explained everything to me. He said the lump on his side was just an injection-site reaction to his rabies vaccine, but that he gave him a shot while Zeus was still under to make that swelling go down. Zeus's leg though, was the result of some canine hip dysplasia, which was both genetic and injury-related in origin. Basically, some injury had occurred to his hip joint, which became inflamed, and then the ligaments tightened up, and then secondary arthritis set in, and then the cartilage began to break down. The pills he gave us would help with the condition, but it would take a very long time to cure. So, Rebecca and I brought Zeus home, and just as soon as he got out of the van, he peed for five minutes (I guess that area was tender, so he was being delicate about his actions). Zoey wanted to play, but Zeus wanted to lay down. And now he's fine, and he's shortly going to be receiving his post-surgery antibiotic, his joint supplement, and his pre-natal vitamin (it's what the Vet recommended for a canine vitamin without paying high prices for a 'canine vitamin'). He'll be easy to treat, though. All I have to do is stick something in front of his mouth and he eats it.