When Wayne and I went on our vacation to Alaska, we boarded Murphy in a “pet resort.” A neighbor watched the cats for us. (She graciously offered to watch Murph, too, but we didn’t want to overwhelm her. She has four kids, school had only started the week before so they were still getting back in that groove, plus she has two dogs –one of which is a new puppy with potty training problems– and a cat of her own. We didn’t want to add having to walk Murph four times a day to her To Do list.)
Separation Anxiety
Aimee once wrote about the separation anxiety she experiences when she has to leave her pets behind. I can totally relate. (Like I’m sure many of you other pet owners out there also can.)
I was especially concerned about leaving Murph this time, because the night before we took him to the kennel I found a huge lump on his belly. A trip to the vet would have to wait until we came back from vacation, though, because there just wasn’t time to get him in before we left. My neighbor tried to assure me it was probably just a fatty tumor, but I couldn’t help but worry.
The Message
I called the kennel to check on Murph while we were gone and they assured me he was doing fine. They never called me…until the day we were flying home.
However, we were in the air the entire day. My cell phone was off. It wasn’t until the next morning as we were heading to pick up Murph that I saw I had some messages. One was from the kennel.
“We just want to let you know that Murph took a little tumble and hurt his leg. We don’t think it’s broken, but he is still limping around.”
Needless to say thank heavens there were no speed traps en route because Wayne floored it as we zoomed to go retrieve our boy.
The Hitch in His Getalong
Murph’s front right leg was bandaged (pictured above) and he was hopping as best he could on his other three paws. Even though he had an owie leg, it didn’t affect his attitude. He was all wiggles and tail wails and big sloppy kisses when he saw us.
Still, because his paw was swollen twice the normal size, a trip to the vet was in order. X-rays revealed nothing broken, but the swelling was concerning. The vet prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a lot of rest. Hopefully he’ll heal fast. (She also checked that lump I’d found and confirmed it was a fatty tumor. Phew!)
Murph’s swollen paw
Then There’s Mr. Meow…
The night we got back from vacation I dropped my bags and immediately began petting the cats. That’s when I discovered a huge lump on Mr. Meow’s hind leg.
When he first came into our lives he had a bump similar to that in about the same area. That time the vet thought it was a tumor but found out it was a hernia.
I’m not sure what it is this time, but we’ll be going back to the vet next week to find out.
Yep, it’s official. Vacation’s over. Back to momma duties.
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