[matese]

9:30PM last night I rushed Cody for emergency visit, my vet is a 24/7 365 day vet, fully staffed. He was lethargic, when he sat his head was hanging inches off the floor, when he walked his head was bent to the floor, he couldn't jump on the sofa or bed. This began about 3:30 afternoon. He eats at 4, he starts bothering me to eat around 3:30, so at this time he is just sitting on the floor, head bent down inches from the floor, once in a while he lifted his head to look at me. I thought it was a new ploy just to eat early, but I never cave in to this pathetic looks. I always tell him "it's not time, you have to wait".

Come 4PM I always say "it's time" in a happy excited voice, he knows it's dinner time, he always jumps up nippy at my finger tips, letting out happy yips and yaps. This did not happen yesterday, no excitement at all, red flag, but he ate, drank water then out to poop.
At 5 / 5:30 I saw he was hesitant to jump on the sofa or my bed, he would look at the sofa then walk away and go to his bed, his head always bent inches off the floor.

His days adventure was trying to capture a chipmunk that was under my free standing deck umbrella. There are 8 channels at the base that chipmunks go into, they can run from one channel to the others. When I let him out the umbrella stand is the first place he goes to, so he caught the scent of prey, usually when there's a chippy under there after a minute or two of Cody running from channel to channel, barking, growling, biting, digging at the base the chippy starts chirping out of fear. Always at that time I bring him in the house to give the chippy time to escape.

Yesterday no chirping, I think maybe a mole or a mouse. Because the crank to open this umbrella is high, taller then I am I have a steel step with a couple of 4x4 wood pieces of wood on top of this step to reach the crank. Well he had pulled the wood off the step, pulled the steel step away from the base which is round and was running from channel to channel. I was watering my flower planters with the garden hose, my back was to him, I heard noise but didn't actually see him moving all these things until I was finished. Then I saw what he had done, this was all in 15 minutes, then I heard chirping, it was a chippy so in the house we came. This was maybe 12:30, when he came in we had to play toss and fetch, he was fine, jumping on and off he sofa bringing back his toy for me to toss again. Then it was nap time, he had to much activity. He woke up close to 3:30. Around the 5:30PM area he was getting worse, 7:30 he is sitting with head inches off the floor like he was staring at something but stayed that way for minutes, then look at me with a plea of mamma help me look on his face / eyes. Was this a case for a vet emergency visit, sometime the receptionist that answers the phone or a tech makes the decision if it's an emergency or not.

In he past with my now passed Matese twice I called I wanted to come in on a emergency visit, twice they put a tech on the phone, she denied me a visit but made an appt. to come in the next day. I had a lot of fights over these denials and reported this tech. On both of these occasions Matese was was kept 5 days, another time 7 days. I haven't seen that tech there for 3 or 4 years, I guess to many complaints against her was filed and my vet let her go. With this COVID the tech comes out to the car to collect the animals, ppl are not allowed to enter the building. Had I called and was denied I would have went anyway and marched into that office, and I would have been hauled out by the state troupers, so I had to think carefully, was this an emergency or could it wait until today. By 9:30 he was worse, I could tell he was in pain, I never had a yorkie look at me with eyes saying mamma,why are you not helping me, if I was denied I would take my chances and go anyway and march right into that office.

When I called I told the receptionist exactly what he did, and the symptoms he had, I have to admit, I did fabricate a lil bit by saying his back was slightly arched, I had to get him in that office that night, who knows, if he ingested a sliver of wood today could have been to late. Thankfully they told me to bring him over but I would have to leave him there over night, that's just what I wanted, professional ppl that know what symptoms to look for. These over night animals are monitored throughout the night with a vet on staff.

Since you only see the tech that takes him from the car I had typed out a note what he did that day and several hours later what his symptoms were.

Driving home all I could do was pounder over what caused this besides to much exercise in one day, more then he is use to. I woke this morning still pondering about this and remembered a few years back he was fence running with a dog on the other side of the fence, I thought it was good exercise and let it continue for 45 minutes before I made him go in the house. Within an hour he was lethargic, couldn't jump on furniture, I called the vet to bring him in on an emergency visit, I knew it was from to much running, he's not use to doing that. I was given muscle relaxer and pain meds and sent home. It took two weeks for his body to fully recover. The symptoms Cody had last night were the same as the fence running only, now he was hanging his head. This morning I called the vets office, asked the receptionist to tell the vet I believe he has sore muscles. Before I called the vets office, I sent my vet an email with the typed note I gave the tech last night but added, now that my mind has cleared I believe he has sore muscles. I know my vet will not see this email until later today or tonight, and reason I called the office.
With-in minutes a tech called me with their findings, he has sprained ligaments in his neck and shoulders, he is on anti-inflammatory meds now. My vet comes in at 5PM today, she is to give him chiropractic treatment, I don't know if he is staying over night, they have to wait until my vet does the treatment and she makes the decision when he gets released. Now I know why he held his head down inches from the floor.

So, shame on me for thinking 15 minutes of crazy activity was good exercise for him since he doesn't get much, now my lil boy is terrified in a cage at the vets. And, because of COVID there are no visiting allowed. I owe my boy big time for my careless behavior in allowing him to have what I thought was fun for him and much needed exercise.

I have to keep in mind that dogs like ppl who over the winter do not get much physical exercise, in Spring we work a little at a time to build up our muscles to heavy duty work again, dogs need the same.
Wanted to add, as much pain Cody had to be in last night, when I put him in his booster seat and drove off, he never once took his eyes off the road, that was the first time ever he has been in the car at night, he seemed to be mesmerized by all the lights lol, I just love this lil guy.