A Kid in a Cone

I love my dog.  That’s an understatement actually.  Over the years  Charles has become my life, my love, my reason for everything I do.  I realize that sounds over-dramatic to those of you that don’t really know me or my animal, but if you do know us then you know it’s not dramatic at all.  In the world of dogs, Charles is one of a kind.

And now he’s in a cone.

Out of respect for my animal and the private nature of his condition, I will spare you the details.  It’s not a huge deal though he does have to have surgery next week.  Surgery is surgery and regardless it still makes me a bit nervous.  I know he’ll be fine though.

I was hoping his condition was not something serious (read:not requiring veterinary care) but over the last few days it had worsened.  This morning it got really bad really quickly so I rushed him over to the vet. Thank goodness for my little asthmatic poodle because without him I wouldn’t have had a vet that I felt so comfortable to take Charles to in an emergency.

I arrived at the vet and one of the boys at the kennel asked me to wait a moment so we took a seat.  A few minutes later the vet walked by to get a cup of coffee.  He smiled and said, “Hello.”  I panicked and said,  “Emergency.”  His eyes got huge.  I showed him Charlie’s issue and his smiled and said, “Don’t worry. No emergency. Just wait.” 

Okay. 

We waited for him to take his coffee and cigarette break before he invited us into his office.  By this time, Lee Ann had arrived and my panic was down to a minimum. We piled into his office and he checked out and diagnosed Charlie.  He’s right. No emergency. All is right in the world again. He gave me iodine pads for cleaning, medicine, a cone (which Charlie fought hard against), and surgery was scheduled for next week. He taught us the Korean word a “dog cone collar” which I immediately forgot.  And we taught him the American word, “cone.” Should have taught him “lampshade.” I appreciate a vet with a sense of humor.

Because of the ever present language barrier I Googled (Thank God for Google!) the condition to get more details.  Yep, perfect fit.  Despite my several Google attempts over the past few days I had yet to find this diagnosis.  I agree with the vet. Yes, I have control issues.

That’s really the point of this blog. A lot of people in Korea have animals and haven’t yet made an emergency vet plan. It’s intimidating trying to find a new vet that you can trust and feel comfortable with when you rarely speak the same language. My friend and I both use the same clinic at E-Mart Traders in Wolpyeong-Dong, Daejeon.  There are two vets that work there. One speaks clinical English only, the other is a bit younger so he’s a little more fluent conversationally. Both are great and have helped us tremendously over the last two months with our new additions. If you are looking for a trustworthy vet, I highly recommend them. I trust them completely.  And that says a lot coming from me.

Sidenote: This is also where I kennel Charles when I go out of town. There will be another blog about that. They LOVE Charlie.

Back to Charlie.  He’s okay.  He has medicine and a cone, both of which he has to use for the next 6 days.  Next Wednesday, 11am, my kid goes into surgery.  And gets his teeth cleaned.  If they are going to put him under anesthetic we can at least take care of two birds, right?