I'd like to be witty and funny, but I don't have a funny way to convery my worry or saddness. I figure the best way to work through an emotion is to write, so blog I shall!

Yesterday was the first day back to work for teachers in our school district. I left the house at 7am, gave Hardy a pat on the behind and a kiss on the nose. He smiled his corgi smile and I know he was waiting for the invite to come with me since we were inseperable all summer.

Due to a variety of surprises in my class schedule, I stayed at work until 8pm or so. When I got home, my husband was on his way out the door. He told me that he was going to leave the dogs in the kitchen and he would explain when he got home.

As soon as I walked in the door, my daughter rushed over to me. She told me that Hardy was "sad" all day and stayed in his bed. At 5:00 he had thrown up. When she fed him at 6:00 he refused to eat, and it took him about 45 minutes to eat his food. (and he, a dog who I think sucks the food up his nose because it is usually gone in seconds.) He did not come to greet me at the door: He just lifted his head, looked at me and put his head back down.

My daughter informed me that he had thrown up again just before I got home. I checked with her to see how his potty business was and he was "business as usual".

I tried to give him a cookie, which he didn't get up for or "sing" for. He politely took the cookie, placed it on the floor and pushed it away with his nose. I knew something was horribly wrong.

I called the doggie ER line and the answering service assured me that the vet would call me in a few minutes. The vet called me and I explained everything that was going on. The vet had me check to see if he was bloated, and when I was checking for bloat he attacked our border collie when I was on the phone with the vet. It wasn't a contact attack just flashing teeth and frenzied barking. No bite wounds etc. (The vet was concerned that I was getting bit so I had to explain how my sweet little corgi uncharacteristically attacked the other dog but not me.)

The vet said that there were no indications that a trip to the ER was necessary but if I wanted to he would go in to look at the dog. (My normal vet was closed, and I don't know this vet.) He said I could give some peptobismol if I wanted to, but he might throw it up. He said not to offer any more food and to give him ice to lick.

We decided that we wouldn't run him to the ER and that we would just keep him with us, since the vet didn't act like it was a huge deal...just that he ate something that didn't agree with him. He went to bed with us and stayed between us all night. (Usually once we are both asleep he goes under the bed)

When we got up and lifted him to the floor he hobbled (stiff legs) to the living room and took a poop on the living room floor. It was runny and red with blood. My husband immediately picked him up and brought him outside. There was a trail of blood droplets on the floor and his poor little bunny butt had blood on it.

I called my vet. It was an hour until they opened (and it would have taken me about that long to get to the ER) and left them a frantic message. They called me back 45 minutes later, told me that the vet wasn't due in until 8:30 (yet one more hour wait) but to bring him immediately. En route to the clinic, they actually called the vet and the vet was there waiting for me.

She took his temperature, which was normal, but was concerned that the thermometer was covered in blood. Since I couldn't get a solid stool sample to carry with me, she did the finger scoop poop method and told me that they were immediately going to test him for Parvo. (There was a lot of blood in his little butt)

10 minutes later, the good news was that he didn't have Parvo. The bad news was that he was very dehydrated, and that they wanted to keep him and connect him to an IV. They are also going to give him some tests and monitor him.

They are testing to see if he has a GI problem and doing a tox screening to see if he was poisoned. She sees some signs that are consistent with poisoning from rat poison (we have no rodent poison anywhere on our property, and he's not an outside dog). Also she said it feels like there may be a blockage. She assured me that she would call me at lunchtime and let me know his status. I am a complete mess.

I am kicking myself for listening to the first vet last night. I should have just brought him to the ER and I am beating myself up over it. My vet assured me that I did the right thing and that she wouldn't have been worried either last night.

I'm going crazy not knowing how he is doing. He is the best dog that I have ever had and brought so much love and light to our home--He is the most amazing dog that I could ever ask for. I feel like I failed him.

If you're reading this, please don't flame me for making the wrong choice last night, I can't handle that. I may have thick skin, but it's not thick enough to take being verbally beaten up for not rushing to the ER. However, kind words are welcome! It would be nice to know I'm not alone. :(