Veterinary Check – up
We took the puppy to the animal hospital for a routine physical examination and a PCR test for canine distemper and parvovirus. When the doctor heard the seller’s “calcium – deficiency theory”, he couldn’t help laughing and said that this little guy was probably less than two months old.
While waiting for the results, we went to McDonald’s for a meal and hid the puppy in my down jacket. At that time, he liked to sleep with his neck in a rather odd position, as if it was being constricted.
I thought it was quite cute at the moment, so I let him be. But not long after, he vomited a large puddle on my down jacket. I was constantly on edge, worried that he might have canine distemper or parvovirus. My boyfriend and I thought these were symptoms of the diseases, and we were so scared that we rushed back to the hospital immediately. The doctor said it was okay and that he was probably constricted. (Please take this as a warning.)
Later, the PCR test results came out. The puppy had the canine distemper virus, but the value was not high. I can’t quite remember exactly what the doctor said. Anyway, the general idea was that the puppy was too small. We should take it home and take good care of it. If it could survive for two weeks, it would pass the critical period. Once the disease broke out during this time, the chance of recovery was not high. To be honest, we had a certain psychological expectation for this result, but when we actually knew that such a situation had occurred, we still felt very sad. This cute little guy had only been in this world for such a short time and might soon return to the dog heaven…
The doctor patiently explained and carefully instructed us on everything, such as what to feed the dog at different stages, how to feed it, how many meals a day, how much to feed each time, whether it needed to be heated, what symptoms would appear if the disease developed, and when to start vaccination. (Compared to the setbacks we encountered in another hospital when helping a colleague take care of a just – weaned kitten that was diagnosed with parvovirus more than half a year later.) We are really grateful to the doctor at that time. He was really reliable and responsible!
Despite our sadness, there was still a glimmer of hope. We decided to do everything we could to the best of our ability, leave no regrets, and then accept the outcome.
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