Betrisher
Well-known member
- Jun 3, 2013
- 4,253
- 177
- Parrots
- Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
Well! Today, we took our new dog, Roxanne, and Dominic the Galah to visit our nice Vet. Rox still has some problems with her ears (left over from them being flyblown before the rescue got her) and Dommie needed his nails clipping for our ongoing health and safety. Our appointment was for half-past three, but we were significantly late on account of Rox carried on like a pork chop when Matt tried to put her harness on and then Dommie had an attack of coyness about going into his travel cage which, in another life, was a mouse cage and I've a feeling he's superstitious about that for some peculiar reason.
Rox travelled fairly well, but Dommie spent the whole ten-minute journey with his hat at attention and his bill firmly embedded in my sweater through the bars of his cage.
When we pulled up at the Vet's office and disembarked from iVan, our trusty chariot, the first thing that happened was a flock of SC2s flew overhead and set Dommie off screeching like all the hammers of Hades. People looked at me as if I were torturing the poor bird (which of course I was not)! The next thing that happened was Rox got a fit of 'OMG, I've never been here before and there are other dogs and a cat and a rabbit!!!' Immediately, she stood on her hindlegs and began to yodel at the waiting room in general. The noise was deafening and when a gigantic Rhodesian ridgeback and his Great Dane friend joined in, I beat a hasty retreat outside so Rox could compose herself. That turned out to be not much help, as a lady with a Maltese terrier was just coming up the path. The Maltese nearly wet itself at the sight of Rox' welcoming song and dance and so I felt it wise to retreat back inside. Luckily the Ridgeback and the Dane had gone in for their consultation, so Rox barely contained herself by sitting, poised on the tips of her claws and ready to leap at the first hint of anything New.
That would be the rabbit, which emerged from the consultation room bandaged on its hindleg and hopping morosely along beside its owner (a minute, sparrow-like little woman who clearly had not the strength to pick up and carry the whopping great jugged hare. I mean, rabbit. Rox went into overdrive and it was SO embarrassing! She was doing donuts on the end of her lead and all I could imagine was her slipping out of her harness and enjoying the rabbit for arvo tea!!! I needn't have worried, however, as Kim picked up the rabbit and swiftly bore it out to its car and safety from the now-drooling Roxanne.
Just then, the Vet hove into view and indicated with his chin that he would see Dominic first (there was no conversation possible at that point, since Roxanne's loud and compelling mezzo-soprano filled the tiny waiting room completely). Poor Kim got to hang onto Rox while Matt and I went in with Dommie.
The Vet is really pleased with Dom's tumours. His weight is good (425gm) and he's allowed to have a very little seed in his diet now. Dom will be ecstatic! Of course, when it came time for his trim, Dom just opened his bill and stuck his hat straight up in the air. The Vet got out The Big Glove, a massive great leather gauntlet which I felt was far too large for poor Dommie to cope with, and promptly grabbed him by the neck. Dom made a big fuss and after a bit of rummaging around, I wound up holding him in my bare hands with my fingers resting on his lower jaws. He sat perfectly still and permitted his nails to be trimmed with no fuss whatsoever. When we were finished, he bit the Vet by way of a cheery goodbye and I really couldn't blame him for that.
When Rox came in she was still belting out her operatic aria so the Vet gave her a pig's ear to chomp on. She liked that and so it was very simple, then, to do her checkup and have her inoculations. The Vet reckons she might have ongoing problems with her ears and so I have to clean them every single day in order to prevent infections and allergens getting in. We spent a huge enormous sum of money on medicines and earwash and eventually managed to shovel Rox and Dommie back into iVan for the trip home.
On arriving in the kitchen, Dom immediately flew from the mouse cage to his fridge, raised his hat and gave a territorial sort of bellow as if to announce that the King was home. Roxi had a big drink of water and sat down in front of the fan heater to toast her tummy. The humans had a much-needed cuppa and that was the end of our Vet visit. Whew!
Rox travelled fairly well, but Dommie spent the whole ten-minute journey with his hat at attention and his bill firmly embedded in my sweater through the bars of his cage.
When we pulled up at the Vet's office and disembarked from iVan, our trusty chariot, the first thing that happened was a flock of SC2s flew overhead and set Dommie off screeching like all the hammers of Hades. People looked at me as if I were torturing the poor bird (which of course I was not)! The next thing that happened was Rox got a fit of 'OMG, I've never been here before and there are other dogs and a cat and a rabbit!!!' Immediately, she stood on her hindlegs and began to yodel at the waiting room in general. The noise was deafening and when a gigantic Rhodesian ridgeback and his Great Dane friend joined in, I beat a hasty retreat outside so Rox could compose herself. That turned out to be not much help, as a lady with a Maltese terrier was just coming up the path. The Maltese nearly wet itself at the sight of Rox' welcoming song and dance and so I felt it wise to retreat back inside. Luckily the Ridgeback and the Dane had gone in for their consultation, so Rox barely contained herself by sitting, poised on the tips of her claws and ready to leap at the first hint of anything New.
That would be the rabbit, which emerged from the consultation room bandaged on its hindleg and hopping morosely along beside its owner (a minute, sparrow-like little woman who clearly had not the strength to pick up and carry the whopping great jugged hare. I mean, rabbit. Rox went into overdrive and it was SO embarrassing! She was doing donuts on the end of her lead and all I could imagine was her slipping out of her harness and enjoying the rabbit for arvo tea!!! I needn't have worried, however, as Kim picked up the rabbit and swiftly bore it out to its car and safety from the now-drooling Roxanne.
Just then, the Vet hove into view and indicated with his chin that he would see Dominic first (there was no conversation possible at that point, since Roxanne's loud and compelling mezzo-soprano filled the tiny waiting room completely). Poor Kim got to hang onto Rox while Matt and I went in with Dommie.
The Vet is really pleased with Dom's tumours. His weight is good (425gm) and he's allowed to have a very little seed in his diet now. Dom will be ecstatic! Of course, when it came time for his trim, Dom just opened his bill and stuck his hat straight up in the air. The Vet got out The Big Glove, a massive great leather gauntlet which I felt was far too large for poor Dommie to cope with, and promptly grabbed him by the neck. Dom made a big fuss and after a bit of rummaging around, I wound up holding him in my bare hands with my fingers resting on his lower jaws. He sat perfectly still and permitted his nails to be trimmed with no fuss whatsoever. When we were finished, he bit the Vet by way of a cheery goodbye and I really couldn't blame him for that.
When Rox came in she was still belting out her operatic aria so the Vet gave her a pig's ear to chomp on. She liked that and so it was very simple, then, to do her checkup and have her inoculations. The Vet reckons she might have ongoing problems with her ears and so I have to clean them every single day in order to prevent infections and allergens getting in. We spent a huge enormous sum of money on medicines and earwash and eventually managed to shovel Rox and Dommie back into iVan for the trip home.
On arriving in the kitchen, Dom immediately flew from the mouse cage to his fridge, raised his hat and gave a territorial sort of bellow as if to announce that the King was home. Roxi had a big drink of water and sat down in front of the fan heater to toast her tummy. The humans had a much-needed cuppa and that was the end of our Vet visit. Whew!
