Casper and Pom Pom went to the vet yesterday for their annual checkup. Other than the usual exam and blood work to make sure they’re okay, they also got their regular dose of required vaccinations. After spending way too many hours at the vet’s office, they finally got to come home and Dustin and I were given paperwork on certain side effects of said vaccinations.
Generally, I glance at the info and keep in the back of my mind – Pom rarely has reactions to things like vaccinations and Casper, being a healthy young man of 4 years, would hardly be subject to these effects.
Boy, was I wrong.
Casper spent the night quite uncomfortably stirring on the ground, and when I woke up this morning, he was asleep but his breathing was labored and his little body was heaving up and down so fast I picked him up as fast as I could to put him on the bed. He spent the rest of the day BARELY moving an inch, and looking at us with his sad eyes with dark circles underneath. What’s worse, he refused to eat or drink, and his body felt so hot to the touch I wanted to put a fan in front of his face!
Naturally I called the vet to ask for advice…everything Casper was experiencing was on their list of side effects, but I thought maybe they could give me some advice on how to make a do with a fever, body aches, and general “uncomfiness” feel better. Their answer? Nothing. Well, I say nothing because all they asked me was whether or not I received my “sheet” of info.
No advice, not even words of comfort that this happens to many dogs…just a “this happens” kind of response that really made me unhappy about going back. After all, this is the same vet office that kept our dogs for 7 hours at the office for a general annual exam, tried to upsell on their health plan packages, and didn’t book us an appointment with the doctor I specifically requested when I was making the appointment on the phone.
This is just so frustrating. As if it wasn’t bad enough that we have to look for a new vet now that we’re in Oregon, but to think that every time Casper has to go through this miserable suffering after returning from a vaccination just breaks my heart. I really can’t stand to see him so sad and in pain like this! And to think, he has an appointment in 3 weeks for a booster…..