The Coughing Terrier

I think if I were ever to open an old-timey pub in a place like Williamstown or Salem, Mass, I would name it The Coughing Terrier.

My life has been completely derailed by my 11.2 pound dog and her coughing fits.

It started, as these things always do, in the middle of the night. I was soundly asleep, and was awakened by Bridge coughing pretty violently for a dog of her size. Even in my sleep-befuddled state, I sprang into action, grabbing her, and sticking my finger down her throat, to check for obstacles. It really did sound like she was choking on a piece of rawhide chewy or something.

Naturally, there was nothing there, and she was more than a little annoyed that I had disrupted her coughing with the whole finger-down-the-throat thing. As I came into a greater state of consciousness, with a terrier-spit covered finger, I went from scared to annoyed to concerned.

She continued hacking Friday, and Saturday morning I called the vet, to ensure that her Bordetella (kennel cough) shot was up to date, as she was boarded for a day while I was in Oklahoma City. The vet tech said she was current, and I made an appointment to bring her in on Monday.

The weekend was spent thumping a small back, refilling water bowls and saying things like, "there, there".

I dropped her at the vet this morning, and she (the vet, not Bridge) called around lunchtime, to give me the prognosis. It could be kennel cough, it could be bronchitis, it could be allergies or it could be collapsing trachea (normal for small dogs). Bridge is going to get antibiotics, in case it is kennel cough or bronchitis. If that doesn't clear it up, I now know how much children's Benedryl she can have (not very much). If that doesn't work, the vet suggested giving her cough syrup every night before bed. I am really rooting for the antibiotics.

About 2 hours after this 20 minute conversation with the vet, I get back to my desk and there is another message from the vet stating, "She didn't get a hold of rat poison, did she? That could also make her cough."

I know that having a pet isn't like being a parent, but, I am pretty sure that I would mention, in the course of conversation about my dog's health, WHETHER OR NOT SHE ATE RAT POISON!!! And I damn sure wouldn't wait until Monday to bring her in.

I must run. I have to sit in traffic to pick up the Muffin before the vet closes.

I don't know which is more disturbing, the cough syrup, or the rat poison.