When an emergency arises

I have always wondered why pets seem to get hurt on the weekends. Every time one of my dogs was hurt or injured, it was a night, weekend or holiday and my regular vet's office was closed.
The first time I had to use an emergency vet clinic was 16 years ago. The clinic was in the same place it is now, off of Bee Ridge Road in a little strip mall and not easy to find when you are driving from Anna Maria Island at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
Jasper had escaped an open fence and been hit by a car. We, at first could not find him and then he came slowly walking down the road. At the top of the steps he collapsed and a hysterical mom (me) call the clinic where they advised me what to do and to get him there as quickly as possible. He ended up staying all weekend with a collapsed lung, broken pelvis but they patched him back up and on Tuesday when I picked him up, he was good to go. Had they not been there, I would have lost him.
The second time I had to make the visit was not on a weekend, but rather 5 a.m. on a weekday when I awoke to find my 2 year old rottweiler lying in a pool of blood and diarhea. My neighbor helped me get her into the back of my truck but by the time we made it to the clinic, which is now 10 minutes from my house, she was gone. The were so gracious and compassionate at a very sad time and I was glad they were there.
This morning I had no plans to rush Gyspy to the emergency clinic. I had plans to do lots of other things which all got interrupted when she could not walk on her back leg. Her foot was swollen and painful to touch and she growled at me. So I knew she needed to see a doctor because she was in pain.
Between myself and my son, she was loaded into my truck (she is now on a diet) and taken to Sarasota Veterinary Emergency Hospital, where they believed she would need x-rays. X-rays on a large dog require anesthesia so they will be still.
When I returned to pick her up the news was good. No dislocation, no bone cancer, nothing glaring on the x-rays except severe arthritis of the spine and a swelling around her cruciate ligament. The doctorr believes there may be a slight tear and she is on meds and rest for a least two weeks.
While I was there, they were treating a bassett hound who kept vomiting, a black lab who had tried to jump a fence and ended up with a huge gash across her stomach and a schnauzer/terrier mix who had jumped out the window of her owner's car and been hit by the car in back.
I believe all of us were more nervous and upset than any of the dogs were.
Hopefully, you will never have to use their services, but if an emergency arises with your pet, they are located at 7517 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Their phone number is 941-923-7260 and you can check out their website here.

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