Yesterday Torque had his follow-up appointment with the dog eye doctor who operated on him New Year’s Eve. And something pretty upsetting happened that we want to talk about. The check-up went great. It was the peripheral stuff that went wrong. It’s the time of year that brings weather woes for dogs.
Here in the Chicago area we’ve had some pretty hefty bad weather this month. Lots of cold, some snow, generally not-great conditions. Yesterday when we went, traffic was a little slow and sloppy, but not really bad. The parking lot at the eye doctor’s office was well-plowed, no problem at all. And absolutely covered in ice-melt salt. Torque only lasted about half a dozen steps before he was limping. The wet, chemical-laden pavement was hurting his paws.
If we’d known, we could have prepared and put some boots on him. But we never dreamed that a business catering to animals would have a toxic covering in the parking lot. We guess it’s a toss-up decision; car safety or pet safety.
Not what it’s meant for
Torque is a big boy at 29 pounds. We can carry him, but not for long stretches, especially when he’s squirming. He doesn’t like being carried. So Hope carried him into the waiting room and looked around for help. He was letting out little moans, so she was a little frantic.
Thankfully, there were paper towels available and a water cooler. Although not what the supplies were meant for, Hope took advantage and got to work. We never trained him to do it, but Torque picked up each of his paws in sequence to get them wiped off. He was so uncomfortable he actually cooperated in paw-wiping for a change.
If the supplies hadn’t been available in the lobby, she’d thought to bring him into the rest room to clean off his paws.
What were they thinking?
We’re sure the veterinary clinic has a contract with a snow removal company. And that company probably had a bunch of clients that all needed snow plowing early that day. Everybody was doing their job, but it wound up being not-so-good for Torque.
We were caught off guard, which is why we’re mentioning it. Our winter weather preparations will now include a package of wipes in the car. And an individual packet in our pocket for walks.
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