Spent over three hours at the emergency vet with Tillie the Lab. Knew something was wrong, but thought she had something lodged in her throat. The good news is that the xrays showed that she has a good heart and clear lungs. The bad news is that she has bilateral laryngeal paralysis, a condition that larger dogs can get as they get older.

The larynx swells, and airflow is diminished. It’s best treated with surgery. For now, we have to keep her calm and not let her get overheated.

Bay Beach Veterinary Clinic, the place where we took her, was wonderful. Everyone there was wonderful. They took such great care of our little girl.

I held it together pretty well, even though I was an emotional wreck, but I’m so glad that I went with my gut and didn’t wait to see if she got better. Dogs with this condition can die from a lack of oxygen.

Thank god that Corey is reachable on this hitch. If I hadn’t been able to talk to him, I don’t know what I would have done. The bad side, though, is that this is just one more thing for him to worry about, and I don’t like piling stuff on him because his job requires good concentration.

I don’t know. Right now, just numb. Will try to write more later.

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