Attention all Humans!

2015-05-31 Posted By Phoenix

Gather round, sit, stay! I have a tail…sorry, tale, to share with you about my first week in my new home and learning an important lesson about my health - for my sake and my family’s sanity (they're an overprotective bunch!)

It’s been great settling into my new life. Nana has been visiting and Auntie Lia is going to be my roommate for the summer (don’t worry, I put lots of toys in her crate for her, and assure her she’s not alone from my big comfy bed next to her! Ok fine… I’m lying. I’m actually the one in the crate (for now). I just need some more quality eye-to-eye time with Aunt Lia so my melt-even-the-coldest-of-hearts eyes can do their magic - Puss in Boots ain’t got nuttin’ on me! I can already sniff the freshly cleaned duvet!). Oh...Sorry, I got distracted there for a second, which I think you humans call, “SQUIRREL!” which is weird because there’s never a squirrel around when you guys say it (but I’m still learning).

But back to my tale!

Mom, Nana and I had a scare the other day… I’m not going to lie, it was pretty ruff. My mom always preaches honesty on this blog, but what I went through was kinda embarrassing…it had to do with…my doo-doo. Oy, I can’t believe I told you that! Without getting into the messy details, mom quickly realized that things weren’t working the way they should and it was becoming more and more painful for me. But in true mommy-form (well my mommy, anyway), she was ALSO having tummy issues, so Nana was on the job and hurried me to the ER, where mom would rush as soon as she could.

Even though I was in pain, Nana couldn’t believe how calm I was! However, my calmness did nothing for my mommy when she came bursting through the ER door. It didn’t take long before the tears started flowing (mom’s, not mine), which kind of confused me because I was the one in pain... When we were ushered into the exam room, I made a point of being extra calm and cooperative with the nurse while she took my vitals, which I thought would help calm my mommy down. Nope. Somehow it made it worse, MUCH worse, and the sobbing started. “Look how good she’s being!” she cried, “It’s all my fault! I should’ve noticed something was wrong sooner!” I heard Nana tell her to calm down because she was only going to get me more upset, and something about “Welcome to motherhood”? Anyway, the very nice vet came in and very calmly told us that I was going to be fine, they just had to help me deal with a…delicate matter before we left. I was taken out of the exam room and carried into the back of the clinic by a nice nurse, leaving Nana and mommy (looking beside herself). As headed into the back, I heard Nana ask the vet, “Can you give her an Ativan, or something?” For my mom, not me. It was the best idea I'd heard all morning!

So, long story short - the vet lied. This whole process wasn’t as easy as she said it would be. It was all such a blur! First the nurse is drawing me a nice warm bath, I’m getting cuddled, the blockage is dealt with very gently, and then out of nowhere - where does the vet put her pinky finger?! HELLO! Talk about boundary issues! She could’ve at least taken me for a Milk Bone first! Sheesh! Well, that’s where my determination to remain calm ended and my “blood-curdling” screaming began - so sue me! (Sorry - that was rude, but I am the grand puppy of lawyers…).

When I came back into the room, it seemed pretty clear that mom and Nana had heard my…lack or enthusiasm for the vet’s exam. Making sure to keep my tush away from the doc when she came back in, Nana asked her if she could record what the ultimate diagnosis was (which I thought was pretty smart, seeing as how it’s hard to concentrate when someone you love is in distress, or you were woken up by a fire alarm at 6:50am that very same morning and you live on the 18th floor, or, I don’t know, your vet’s puts her pinky where the sun don’t shine!)

After we all calmed down it was time to go home, but I still needed to make one little stop in the parking lot and finish some business. As soon as I started, I couldn’t help but wail from the pain. Nana looked at mom and asked, “Is this what we should expect while she heals?!” Mom embarrassingly answered, “…I don’t know! ...I didn’t ask.” So back to the vet we went. A couple of HOURS later we saw the vet again, but this time mom was a little more calm, a little more confident, and a little more in charge - she realized I was relying on her. She had also spent some time on her Phoenix Attitude Medical & Motivation account so she didn’t miss anything else (hmmm, Phoenix Attitude, what a brilliant and strong name, don’t you think? Especially the first part). At the end of the (second) appointment, Nana and mom were now confident in what they needed to do to facilitate a speedy recovery, and the support they needed to give me for the parts that they couldn’t fix - only time could do that).

Needless to say, mom sat me down the next day and helped me setup my very own Phoenix Attitude Medical & Motivation account (it’s not just for humans)! In it, I have: my doctors names and contact info; my medications I’ve been on during recovery; my appointments (complete with audio recordings and videos of mom learning how to trim my nails and clean my ears perfectly); my symptoms for when something just isn’t right and a mother’s intuition kicks in; and comfort for me and my family when disaster strikes - knowing we have a little sidekick that will help us keep ourselves healthy - mind, body and spirit!

So, get your furry family member a Phoenix Attitude Medical & Motivation account, all the cool pets are getting them

Licks,

Phoenix

P.S. Follow me and Phoenix Attitude on Instagram: phoenix_attitude; Twitter: @PhoenixAttitude and Facebook: Phoenix Attitude Inc. I can't wait to get to know you!