WOOF!

WOOF!

Are you a pet lover? Do you share your home with a furry little friend who wags his tail when you come home from work, or who jumps in your lap and purrs? Do you share your ice cream cone with little Rover? Is he snuggled in your comfy chair? Pet lovers will tell you that their little friend is like one of the family . . . Woof! That means that little Rover gets lots of TLC . . . just like the kids! The upside of pet ownership is that no matter how bad a day you have, little Rover will be excited to see you. The downside is that you are committed to taking care of one more creature with aches and pains. In the United States, a doctor who is specially trained to treat animals is called a veterinarian. What’s the matter? Can’t say that one fast? Ha! Neither can most Americans! Because it’s such a tongue twister, most people refer to an animal doctor as “the vet.” We can all say that one!

VET: I haven’t seen little Rover here for quite a while. What seems to be the problem?

LIA: I’m really worried about him. You know he’s always been a very active dog, but lately he seems to be very stiff in the back legs. If he’s been lying down for a while, he has a tough time getting up. When he walks, I’ve noticed that he limps.

VET: Has he had any type of injury?

LIA: No, just the usual running and jumping. Nothing else.

VET: I know he’s a pretty active dog, but hip problems are quite common in that breed. Let me check him out thoroughly. I think we’ll need to get some X-rays to see what’s going on here. I’ll have to sedate him before doing the tests. Is that okay?

LIA: Sure, do anything you have to do. Can you do the tests now?

VET: No, you’ll have to bring him in tomorrow. It will take a little while for the sedative to work, and then he’ll need some time to wake up from it.

LIA: My poor little Rover!

VET: Let’s plan on tomorrow morning, first thing. Is that OK for you?

LIA: Absolutely! I’ll have him here first thing. What time do you open?