Monday, July 19, 2010

Weather Break and V.E.T.

When we got to our trailhead, the goosebumps on my arms announced the break in the heat wave. I've tried to get outside as early as possible lately to beat the rising temperatures. Today, a light marine layer shaded the sun and kept us cool.
As we reached our first goofy-steep hill, the sun brushed the trail ahead of us.
I stopped to take a picture of Kona, but she was distracted by a rustle in the bushes. . .

. . .that quickly became even more interesting.
I moved us along to avoid a pounce attack. We hiked an empty trail, not running into the other Monday morning "regulars". With her nose high in the air, Kona soon reminded me that we weren't the only ones on the ridge. I'm sure she picked up the scent of a doe. We seem to be running into them more often lately. Kona usually alerts me with her nose, and my (less impressive) eyes find the doe later.
Unfortunately for Kona, we had to head to the vet after our hike for her annual vaccinations. I wish there was something I could do to help Kona with vet trips. I gave her a calming aid before we left, but I have a feeling that she didn't get enough of it because it wasn't as effective as it was during her previous vaccination trip.

The staff at the office know Kona now and asked me if it was alright for the tech to give her the vaccines instead of the vet so we could get out of there quicker. I like our vet because of these small things. Our previous vet's office always took Kona into the back to have a tech vaccinate her. Our new vet does the vaccinations himself and is always in the room with us.

Kona's less comfortable with the tech, but I opted to get out of there as quickly as possible. The tech got down on the floor with me, gave Kona two pokes on the rear and we were out of there 60 seconds later. Yah! Now fingers crossed that Kona's not afraid of me in the morning.

9 comments:

LauraK said...

Kona looks like she's a "head tilter" by the looks of those photos focusing on something in the bushes. She is so cute!

I'm glad you had a quick trip to the vet and it wasn't too stressful on your girl. That first picture is so beautiful!

Stella said...

Kona is learning, and its great to hear how well she is doing. On the trail, at the vet, with you.

Stella and I took a walk to town and she gets all these greetings, accepting them happily and I am so glad for her disposition. Kona will be there soon too, I bet.

Cheers,
Jo and Stella

Barb said...

Hi AC,
I'm loving these early morning shots. I enlarged the first - what a beautiful cloud-cover! Have you ever tried the Homeopathic Rescue Remedy on Kona when you know she must face a stressful situation?

Sara said...

I hope Kona is still speaking with you this morning! Hopefully, since it was such a quick visit, she didn't get too high on her stressometer.

Glad to hear your heatwave has broken. I'd kill for some goosebumps, that aren't the result of A/C. I feel like I'm living in the south this summer.

KB said...

Sounds like a beautiful day to be on the trails. It's like that here this AM. A nice break from the heat.

I'm glad that the vet visit was fast and seemingly OK. K was terrified of the vet as a young dog. Our dog and vet suggested "fun" vet visits where we'd go there, hang out in an exam room, and feed K tons of treats. Eventually, she relaxed a bit about the whole thing, although I still can't say that she's totally relaxed.

To save how many times you have to go to the vet for vaccines, did you know that a lot of vets now recommend vaccines every 3 yrs instead of every year? Apparently, research has shown them to be effective for even longer than 3 yrs but they do every 3 yrs just to be safe. You might ask your vet about it.

Unknown said...

Hope all went well at the vet!! I'm sure Kona will be happy to see you in the morning.
Vet visits are never fun for dogs just like the dentist is never fun for humans!

Kathy Mocharnuk said...

Hope the shots did not mess with Kona too much, sounds like she handled them well. I like when they are nice to the dogs and dont make a huge deal and just do them without calling too much attention to them ;-). You always do the most gorgeous pictures!

D.K. Wall said...

Nothing like a vet who caters to the clients.

Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart said...

Quick and easy! I sometimes worry that Lilly's fears mean she'll get less thorough care in her lifetime, but we do what we have to do. Excellent work!