Poor puppies were already for their first swim in the ocean when I loaded them up in the car and told them we were going “CERF ‘n.” In fact, we were heading to the Ophthalmologist to make sure that no one had any heritable eye conditions prior to sending them to their new homes. Cataracts, distichia(lower eyelid lashes-not normal for dogs) and progressive retinal atrophy(a disease leading to blindness ) are examples of conditions one may see.
It was the puppies first journey off the “ranch”. I had been feeding them individually in crates as well as placing a crate with soft cushion as a resting area in their pen to associate crates as a “good place”.
I also had stuffed little kongs with cheerios and peanut butter for the trip and they were well acquainted with them. I had enlisted the help of friends to help meet me at the clinic to help shuffle pups during the exam. I only heard an occasional whimper and would toss bits of kibble in the crate to keep them content during the drive.
With incompletely developed immune systems and only their mother’s antibodies to protect them, we wheeled them directly into an exam room and they were not put on the table or floor. They were quite intrigued at the world beyond central ave but I could see them all starting to fall asleep as we waited for the doctor.
Dr. Budelsky and staff handily got each puppy through the exam without a fuss. As a matter of fact, he had to wake several of them up so he could see past their eyelids. Good news-all were clear and our first road trip was a success.
Orange greets Dr.B