Sunday. 2 Legs Down.

On Sunday morning, October 14th, 2012, all hell broke loose.  I brought Charlie (she'll get a blog when she is in the hospital) and Roo out to potty at the parking lot of the marina.

I noticed that Roo was wobbly and walking around like she was drunk.  When she hunched herself up to go #2, she was standing on her tip toes and falling over.  I tried to make light of the situation for everyone's sake and not to ruin the weekend vibe with the dramatics of a crazy hypochondriac dog lady.  On the inside, I was silently freaking out.  A rule that has been hammered into my head about Frenchies, is when you see them stumbling for no reason or favoring a leg, RUN, don't walk your dog to the vet.  I've read about too many cases of IVDD and slipped discs in small dogs leading to paralysis.

I quickly packed up the pups, smiled at the drunk dog jokes, bid farewell to my fellow Boatelers and called a car service to take me to an emergency animal hospital. First, I tried my regular vet, Dr Kuhlman at Gramercy Park Animal Hospital, but because it was a Sunday, my call went straight to an answering service.  From a quick Google search in the taxi, I found VERG in Brooklyn Heights.  By the time we arrived at the emergency clinic's doorstep, Roo had completely lost the ability to move her hind legs.  I can't even explain how heartbreaking it was to see my little dog struggle just to keep herself up.

Within 20 minutes of our arrival, we were seen by a doctor and the torture began.  The doctor began moving Roo's legs around and pressing on her spine. I've never heard my dog scream before that day and I could easily live the rest of my life without ever having to hear it again.  Lucas and I had tears in our eyes, while trying to keep it together and remain calm. We made use of the tissues on display in the waiting room and sat until they could give us some answers.   My snorty little dog was admitted to the hospital that day with the plan of starting her on steroids overnight and an appointment was made with a neurologist and for an MRI first thing Monday morning. I was handed 2 estimates.  One for the Sunday visit, including the MRI.  The 2nd, for her potential spinal surgery.

We had nothing else to do, but return home from the weekend one dog less.