SLOW DOWN BRIDGEWATER!
Last night at 7pm, our lovely dog, Diego the wonder dog got away from N who was bringing him from the line in the back yard. Diego ran toward the street and was hit by, or hit a car. The driver didn't even slow down after the thump...
Both N and Diego were pretty traumatized. We took Diego to Anemerge. The vet seemed nice, but ka-ching! Just a 5 minute visit and 2 prescriptions (an antibiotic and a pain med) cost $200 - it could have been ten times that if we followed her suggestion: leave him overnight for tests and stitches on multiple sores. We declined and promised to bring him to our regular vet this morning.
I'm so glad I followed my gut! Our vet, Dr. Sam at All Pets was great! He took us in immediately - no nurse getting preliminary information, just the vet, straight to the point. Dr. Sam brought me into the operating room before he started and showed me Diego's armpit. It looked much worse than I thought. When Dr. Sam said he might need surgery and a drain, I didn't doubt him. It turns out all he needed were stitches and staples, but they did put him to sleep. Before releasing him to me, Dr. Sam showed me all of his x-rays, his EKG and his blood work. He was very thorough and very inexpensive!
Whenever accidents happen - and they will happen - there is plenty of blame to go around. I should have supervised better. N should have been more careful in letting the dog in. The driver should have stopped, even if it was an accident. Although N said the car wasn't going really fast, it probably was faster than it should be on a dark residential road.
Several friends said I should report this to the police. But what good would that do? The police can't chase a car without a plate or a make and model. And if they did, beyond the monetary compensation to cover vet bills (and Dr. Sam was EXTREMELY generous!!!) how do you pay for the real cost: the trauma such an incident causes both pet and family?
I hope this teaches you - and me - to be more careful when driving. It isn't just the deer we need to look out for! It's our pets, our kids and ourselves.
Both N and Diego were pretty traumatized. We took Diego to Anemerge. The vet seemed nice, but ka-ching! Just a 5 minute visit and 2 prescriptions (an antibiotic and a pain med) cost $200 - it could have been ten times that if we followed her suggestion: leave him overnight for tests and stitches on multiple sores. We declined and promised to bring him to our regular vet this morning.
I'm so glad I followed my gut! Our vet, Dr. Sam at All Pets was great! He took us in immediately - no nurse getting preliminary information, just the vet, straight to the point. Dr. Sam brought me into the operating room before he started and showed me Diego's armpit. It looked much worse than I thought. When Dr. Sam said he might need surgery and a drain, I didn't doubt him. It turns out all he needed were stitches and staples, but they did put him to sleep. Before releasing him to me, Dr. Sam showed me all of his x-rays, his EKG and his blood work. He was very thorough and very inexpensive!
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| Diego's home from the vet, but not back to his old self |
Several friends said I should report this to the police. But what good would that do? The police can't chase a car without a plate or a make and model. And if they did, beyond the monetary compensation to cover vet bills (and Dr. Sam was EXTREMELY generous!!!) how do you pay for the real cost: the trauma such an incident causes both pet and family?
I hope this teaches you - and me - to be more careful when driving. It isn't just the deer we need to look out for! It's our pets, our kids and ourselves.
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