[alyx]

Hi...sorry for butting in...I haven't even done an introductory post yet, lol.

I'm in the UK so things are probably different but I do know where you're coming from. I'm 'divorced' from my family and live several hundred miles away. When I was pregnant (single at the time) I had a collie cross and was so worried about going into hospital to give birth and leave the dog, and I didn't want her to go into kennels. I even fought tooth and nail for a home birth so that I wouldn't have to leave my dog on her own, but that went wrong and I ended up in hospital for 6 days. BUT, I found an agency which looks after animals in their own homes. They will come to your house as often as you like and can often do short notice in emergencies. I had a word with one and they came round to discuss things in case I ended up in hospital, so I had it all in place. Surely you must have such agencies over there? If so, I'd email them with your concerns and have a word with them to see if you could put a back up plan in action in case of emergencies. It's definitely a bit concern and one that I'm sure a lot of people have to face at some stage. Have a google and see what comes up in your area.