Tim has been in Ohio for a few days so the dogs are missing their (many times) daily trip to the park. I decide to take them to the dog park to let them run.....to let Oregon run, Glamis sniff around and Summer to stick to me like glue because I just might sneak away. There is only one other dog and he is more Oregon's style. Not long after arriving, I notice Glamis has a very red tongue. His gum is bleeding again. I have him take a drink of water and take a look. He is gushing blood from the gum. The park is right around the corner from our vet's office. Yep - it is 6:30 pm and the office is closed. I decide to wait him out. It did stop on it's own last time. When another dog arrives and is spending a bit too much time sniffing Glamis' face, it is time to leave.
I continue to wait out the flood. Not a whole lot you can do to stop mouth bleeding. I was in the office and suddenly realized I should check on him. Too late, Glamis had been on the sofa with his face up against the arm. sigh.....the sofa is dark brown and only looks wet but a paper towel comes off red. I rearrange all the blankets on the furniture to make sure everything is protected. Around 9:30 I notice that everywhere he puts his head, there is a puddle of blood left behind. I am so uncertain of what to do. Go to the vet or wait it out? I don't need to wait for our appointment in the afternoon. I could drop him off at 8:00 and ask them to look when they have a minute. Let him bleed on their floor. I get on the computer and start looking things up. If nothing else, I need to educate myself. From what I read, there is not a whole lot to do without significant intervention. The main concern is if he is swallowing alot of blood. He may vomit it up. Ok, now I am thinking alot more serious about going to the ER. I do not want blood vomit. Blood puddles are icky enough. To look at Glamis you would think he was a vampire. Blood red mouth - gross.
Around 10:30, I call my vet to see what number they give for emergencies. Dr. Mike was available until 10:00. Now, I need to call the ER in Indiana. My attempt to be patient and not a paranoid, hyper protective mom has not worked to my advantage today. I call the ER and describe what is going on. They tell me I can come in and they will take a look but it is up to me. I hang up and think some more. I can't sleep. Arri guilt is hanging over me. Right after Christmas, Arri was having breathing issues. It was a holiday weekend so the vet's office was closed. I didn't go to the ER. I let Arri wait out the weekend. By the time I brought him in, his lungs and chest were filled with fluid and we did not expect him to last a week. I am learning slowly but when in doubt, go to the Dr....this is strictly for the dogs. When it comes to my health, it is wait 6 - 8 months then think about calling the Dr or head to the walk-in clinic because the Dr's office doesn't recognize you as a patient because it has been so long since you were in.
At 11:15 I check on Glamis again. He has moved to the big chair. His face is on the edge. There is a thin stream of blood from his mouth, down the front of the (thankfully blanket covered) chair and a puddle the size of my palm on the carpet. Seeing that, I am on the phone, letting the ER know we are coming in. I remind them of what the issue is and they say they will be waiting.
I load up all the dogs in the car, not knowing just how long I will be. The ER is 40 minutes away. Glamis and I walk in and the woman behind the counters eyes grow wide. She asks if he did that to himself or did something hurt him. He has blood smeared all down both front legs, chest and jaw. I am thinking 'really, I have talked to you twice in the last 3 hours?' We get checked in and weigh Glamis - he has been maintaining a healthy 80 lbs. The Dr looks at his mouth and her comment is a bunch of scientific/medical language that goes in one ear and out the other with the recognizable word 'tumor' thrown in. So much for trauma. Based on what I found on the internet, I was hoping it was an abcessed tooth but the ER Dr mentioned that only as a passing 'best case' afterthought. She seemed pretty certain of tumor.
With that being said, I ask 'what now?' I am told there is nothing more they can do. They can't do x-rays or dental. Me: huh?????? In my head I am asking why they consider this an ER? What I say out loud is - can you possibly stop the bleeding? She says they will try and take Glamis to the back for a bit. She brings him back after a few minutes with the bleeding stopped. They used a foam type pad and shoved it under the gum. When wet, the foam kind of melts and molds itself in place. It should put enough pressure to allow it to clot. She gives me some extra foam and pantomimes what I should do if the foam falls out and I need replace it to stop bleeding. She says it won't hurt him. Again - in my head - Yeah, right, sure. I am imagining a popcorn husk between the teeth. The foam has to irritate. For the time being, it is doing what it needs to do.
We get home at 2 am. I will call Dr. Mike first thing to let them know I am dropping G off first thing, right away and not waiting until our afternoon appointment.
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