“What do you need me to do?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. You should get back to work. I’m going to call the vet before I rush him anywhere. He’s conscious, so that’s a good thing.
“I’m not leaving until we know what’s going on. Call the vet. I’ll be here.”
I wanted to argue more, but I didn’t want to waste anymore time, so I stood up and called the vet. Thankfully they answered after a few rings.
“Hi, this is Vera Rojas. I’m calling for my dog, Nyx. He’s not acting like himself and I’m not sure what to do.”
“Hi, Vera. Oh, no. Well, can you tell me what’s been going on?”
Sheila had been my vet since I got Nyx. I was a first time dog mom and had no clue what I was doing, but she was so helpful and understanding. She’d taken really good care of both of us.
“I was at work and got an alert on my camera app, so I went to check on him. He’s been looking a little more tired than normal and sort of looks like he’s having trouble walking? I’m not sure if something’s wrong with his leg or what? I just got home and he didn’t run up to me like he normally does. He also threw up, which isn’t like him. He’s laying down and feels sort of cold. He’s in the mudroom but it’s warm in here.”
“Oh, poor thing. So, lethargic, low body temperature, trouble walking? What do you mean? Is he limping?”
I shook my head. “No. When I looked at the camera, it was almost as if we were stumbling, or swerving? I know it sounds weird, but?—”
“Not weird at all. Is there anything in the house he could’ve gotten into? Mouth wash? A fresh loaf of bread? Any cleaning products?” she asked.
I frowned. “No. He shouldn’t be able to—” I paused, connecting his symptoms to her questions. He wasn’t acting himself and he wasn’t walking right. And I hadn’t cleaned up my mess from last night.
“¡Mierda!” I was so stupid. “I think he might have gotten into some alcohol. I had some friends over last night and didn’t have time to clean up this morning. Do you think he got into that?”
“With his symptoms, that’s what it’s sounding like. Why don’t you bring him in so we can run some tests and know for sure. That way, we can take care of it immediately if that’s the case before things get worse.”
I nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see me on the other end. “Of course. Thank you, Sheila. I’m on my way.” We hung up and I grabbed a blanket to wrap Nyx in before picking him up.
“What’s going on?” Cara asked.
“I’m taking him to the vet. She thinks he might’ve gotten into the beer. I’ll take you back to work and I can get my truck and go.”
She glared at me. “Absolutely not. Put him in my car and lets go. I’m taking you.”
“I appreciate that, but I don’t know how long it’ll take, and you need to get back to work. I’ll be fine. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking, I’m telling you. I’m taking you to the vet. Let’s go.”
I barely let the car stop before I was out of it and in the vet’s office. They immediately took him back and started running all kinds of tests on him. They took us back to a waiting room where I sat and bounced my legs as Cara tried to calm me down.
I appreciated having her there, but I hated the feeling of needing someone. I wanted to handle it on my own, but she refused to let me, and my dog’s health was more important than my ego at that moment so I complied without argument.
It felt like we waited an eternity before the doctor knocked on the door. It probably had only been about an hour or so, honestly.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
“So his labs came back, and he does have alcohol poisoning.”
My face paled and I felt Cara’s hand on my leg, but I couldn’t look at her. I poisoned my dog. I could’ve killed him. I still didn’t know if I was going to or not. I needed to ask.
“Are you okay?” Cara whispered.
I shook my head, looking at Sheila. “Will he be okay? What do I need to do?”
“He’s going to be just fine. We’ll get some IV’s going and flush the alcohol out of his system. And we’ll also give him some meds to prevent vomiting. You should be good to go in a few hours, but just monitor him overnight, to make sure his symptoms don’t come back or worsen. He should be perfectly fine in a day or two.”
“Are you okay?” Cara asked at least twice on the way home. All I could do was lie and nod, unable to make words come out. I just kept thinking about how I almost killed Nyx.
