Old age sucks!

I've been feeling the signs for a long time now, but last Wednesday it really hit me. During the night I threw up. Mom woke up, said something in the human language which I'm pretty sure was very bad, cleaned up a bit, and sent me to the living room in order to get some more sleep. She was not alarmed, since I sometimes do that.

When she woke up next morning, there was more to clean up: I'd had an accident. Mom said more bad words but again, but still she was not alarmed, since I do that more than sometimes due to my condition.

On Thursday I didn't eat anything. By Thursday night I was wobbly, groggy, and could barely stand on my feet. Now mom was alarmed. She woke up at 4am on Friday morning, saw me in a pitiful state, and then she got *really* worried. She got up and started digging up emails to find a recommendation about a vet she had received some time in the fall.

She found Dr. Koko's contact information and since she was up and going out of her mind anyway, went ahead to do some research. Dr. Koko's name showed up in a couple of vet lists and book reviews. That was a good sign.

At 8am on Friday morning, she dialed Dr. Koko's number. As the reference had said, Dr. Koko speaks English. Mom explained that there's an emergency. Dr. Koko asked about the symptoms, and then proceeded to giving mom advice.

- Dr. Koko: "you do x y z, and if that fails, then I'm afraid that you'd have to take him to a vet"
- mom (puzzled): "but, um, that's why I'm calling you?"
- Dr. Koko: "ahah I see...well ok, then you do as I said....[long explanation about the possible causes].....but again, if everything fails, you will have to take him to a vet".

By that point mom was totally confused - maybe she had dialed the wrong number? but how did this guy know so much?. To cut a long story short, it turns out that Dr. Koko had assumed mom was calling from another country. When mom explained that she's in Plovdiv, he was surprised, but continued giving her advice.

Mom was very touched. In her experience, no vet who has never seen the dog would give advice over the phone, mainly out of fear of being sued, of course, but also, why bother? Now, some people may have mixed feelings about a vet taking the liberty to give such advice over the phone, but this guy sounded like he was sincerely trying to help. He did not give hurried suggestions but long and detailed explanations about what may be going on. Mom had her doubts before calling, but now she was sure that this was the right choice.

After finding out (in an unpleasant way that I won't get into) that I have temperature, mom gave me some fever medication upon Dr. Koko's advice. That made me feel a little better but not too much, so this morning she took me to Dr. Koko.

Dr. Koko's clinic is very modest: one examination room, one small storage space in the back stacked with cages (for boarding purposes, I suppose?) and a supply room. No waiting room, no high-tech tools, no secretaries. Yet, the place was full of love. The rescued cocker-spaniel puppy (named Barbara - that caused some confusion) jumping on Dr. Koko's legs was the living proof of it. Dr. Koko examined me patiently and concluded that there's something wrong with my head: brain tumor, in the worst case scenario, or, just vestibular syndrome. There is no way of knowing for sure since there is no MRI for animals in Bulgaria, but most likely it's the latter, as it is not uncommon on older dogs (arghhhh). In either case there is no definite treatment, so not much to do.

On our way out of the clinic we met a cute yellow lab who was in heat. I revived immediately and was ready to prove to everyone that I still have the heart of a puppy (as well as some other parts), but my cruel mom took me away, again.

The rest of the day was a bit better for me. After Dr. Koko's antibiotic and antipyretic injections I was able to eat something, although I still walk like I'm drunk and almost fall down when I shake. But I definitely look better and mom is very relieved. The phone-call consultation with my vet in Philadelphia helped, too (Have I mentioned what a great vet she is?). Please keep your fingers crossed for me!