Business Highlight - Places To Take Sick Pets
Deep down inside my secret bunker somewhere in Berks County, I have a great office mate. Her name is Cordy, and she is a 9-year-old boxer. She pretty much follows me wherever I go and is often supervising the videos I shoot. In the last month, she has had a few health scares. She still thinks like a puppy and doesn't quite realize how old she is getting. In a spat of bad luck, I've had to take her to three different vets over the last month: One emergency room, one animal hospital, and one animal hospital specializing in surgeries.
The first occasion was after she misjudged a jump and took a hard landing. She sprained her shoulder and was hopping around on three legs. Fearing that she may have broken or torn something, I took her to the Berks Animal Emergency & Referral Center. This location is a 24-hour animal emergency medical center that serves the Berks County area. While it isn't exactly the cheapest place to go to, as would any emergency room, they are very compassionate and took great care of my gal. They took x-rays, confirmed it was a soft tissue injury, and gave her the needed medication to help her through her episode. Side note, it is HILARIOUS to see a dog on morphine. I've never seen her look so goofy. Additional side note, it is TERRIBLE for a dog to come off of that high, as she wined the entire night and was very disoriented.
About a month later, she suddenly spent two days vomiting up her food and then refused to eat. This dog is a lady who has pretty much never gone more than 12 hours between meals and is always wanting a treat for what she perceives is a good job. This change in behavior raised immediate flags with me, so I took her to the Bernville Veterinary Clinic. They were able to get me in on the same day, and after running some tests, they thought she had pancreatitis. There was a chance there was a blockage somewhere, but they wanted to see if this was it first. They followed up a few days later and alas, she still wasn't eating and had lost several pounds. Concerned, they rearranged their schedule and had me come back in for x-rays. They suggested I get her an ultrasound because if she had a soft blockage (like a towel or stuffing) an x-ray wouldn't show it.
When I asked when to make that appointment, they insisted I take her IMMEDIATELY to get an ultrasound and not wait.
So, that led me to my third location, Metropolitan Veterinarian Associates. This clinic was a very fancy place, and once I told them my concerns when I arrived, Cordy was immediately seen. They did an ultrasound and found her stomach was filled with something, like stuffing. They attempted to get her to throw it up, but they said the only way to get it out was surgery. Needless to say, I was devastated and worried, but they are among the best in the area, so I handed her off to their expert care.
I'm glad I did. The surgeon pulled out of her stomach four socks and more stuffing that I thought could fit in a stomach. I honestly don't know how she got all that stuffing into her stomach or the socks. However, if they didn't operate on that day, there was a good chance my adorable office mate would not be here. Plus now, she'll have a weird scar on her stomach which I'll be able to embellish into a great story.
So, if you are in the Berks County or Montgomery County area and have a sick pet, I highly suggest you take them to one of these locations:
Berks Animal Emergency & Referral Center Bernville Veterinary Clinic Metropolitan Veterinary Associates
Take care friends as well as your four legged friends.
