His sister didn’t miss a beat. “Anterior or posterior?”
“Posterior,” Russell provided. “Closer to his rump.”
“Good. Lower risk it hit an artery,” she said. “Dosing a dog can be tricky. If he’ll let you remove it without anesthetic, it would be safer for him.”
Russell raised his brows at Jake, who nodded. “He’ll hold.”
“Do you have a muzzle handy?” the vet asked.
When the paramedic looked to him again, he gave his head a sharp shake. “I can use his leash, but he won’t bother you. Not as long as he knows I’m here.”
“Better use the leash, in case. Never know how an animal in pain will react,” Russell’s sister said, her tone gentle, but firm.
Jake leaned in and pressed his forehead to Max’s for a moment. “This is only to make them feel better. I know you’re a tough guy.”
As if he understood, Max raised his head enough for Jake to wrap the leash around his muzzle twice.
“Okay, we’re secured,” Russell said into the phone. “Remove the glass?”
“Yes. Treat him like you would a human patient from here on out. Let me know if you think he’ll need stitches.”
The man pressed a pack of gauze into Cass’s hands. “I’ll need this to apply pressure.”
“On it.” She tore into the sterile pack.
“Okay, here we go,” the medic said, meeting Jake’s eyes.
“Don’t think about it too much. Get it out,” his sister advised. “If by chance the bleeding doesn’t slow or looks to be arterial, use the leash as a torniquet.”
To Jake’s relief, the man didn’t hesitate. Max let out a sharp keening whine when Russell plucked the thin shard of mirror from the wound, subsiding the moment the dressing was pressed against the wound.
“Doesn’t appear to be too deep,” the medic said. “Three millimeters, maybe?”
“If the bleeding slows on its own, clean and dress, wrapping the bandage snug around the leg to close the wound. Meet me at the clinic, and I’ll take it from there.”
This time, Jake spoke directly into the phone. “We have no idea how long we’ll be here.”
Max blew out a billowy breath, the picture of patience and forbearance. Jake chuckled, rubbing the dog’s ears as he removed the strap from Max’s muzzle.
“We can’t bring him in right now, Jeannie. He’s a detection officer and we’re at an active crime scene.”
There was only a moment’s pause on the other end, but the timbre of the vet’s voice told him she understood what wasn’t being said. No doubt, she’d seen or heard some of the news coverage by now. “Send me a couple of pictures before you dress the wound,” she instructed Russell. “He should be okay. Dogs are remarkably resilient. No doubt Max is humoring y’all at this point.”
Jake chuckled at her fairly accurate assessment. “I like being humored.”
The whooshing sound of a text being sent jerked him back to reality. He looked over in time to see Russell reapplying pressure with the gauze pad. A second later, his sister spoke again. “Looks okay. Wash it out with saline or Betadine, cover and wrap it. If he’s in too much pain, call me back and we’ll figure out what you can give him. No anti-inflammatories. Call me when y’all wrap up and we’ll take a closer look.”
Jake blew out a relieved breath as Russell started pulling supplies from his bag. “Thank you both.”
“My pleasure. Catch me up later, Russ,” she ordered. Then three short beeps indicated the end of the call.
“Well, she was handy,” Jake said as he watched Russell cleanse the wound. “Glad you were nearby, Russell.”
“Me, too.” The other man shrugged but didn’t pause in his work. When he was done, he ran his hand soothingly over Max’s flank. “And this guy is a trooper. Maybe I won’t be so offended the next time Jeannie calls me a dog.”
Chapter Fifteen
Cassidy watched as the officers from various agencies filed back up the hill. Colonel Aronson brought up the rear of the reluctant retreat. She stroked Max’s soft fur as the dog lay panting over a collapsible bowl filled with fresh water. As far as she was concerned, the golf cart was all his. Bad knees and bunions were no longer a valid excuse; Bud would have to hoof it for a while.
