“I understand. And you can still do that. We’ll write out a plan for how much of his dog food you can split into three meals a day. But only give him dog food. Table scraps are bad for his pancreas, some foods are toxic to animals, and overfeeding him will ultimately shorten his life.”
Mrs. Klein winced. “I thought I was giving him love, and instead I’m hurting him.”
He saw the tears well in her eyes and wished he hadn’t been the one to put them there, but here at his clinic he had to be Dr. Jason Callum, veterinarian, and that meant his primary concern was for the animals in his care.
“Do you take walks?”
She nodded. “Around the neighborhood. It’s so lovely this time of year. My friends and I like to see all the flowers.”
“Take Buster with you. He can use the exercise and it’ll help get his weight off faster.”
Her face brightened as she smiled. “Oh, he’ll enjoy that. I’ll be sure to do that every day.”
As he walked out of the exam room with Mrs. Klein and Buster, he put an arm around her. “I know you love him. You and Buster can do this.”
She looked down at her waddling dog. “Of course we can, can’t we, Buster?”
He looked over at Casey, his tech. “Set Mrs. Klein up on the low-cal dog food and a three-time-a-day feeding schedule for his weight, including when and how to offer some allowable treats.”
She nodded and walked away with Mrs. Klein.
Jason went back into the hallway and stopped to review some lab reports that had just come in. He was particularly interested in one for a ten-year-old mastiff he’d seen a couple of days ago who presented with a sizable lump on his belly. They’d removed the lump and taken a biopsy. From the looks of the sample it hadn’t appeared to be just fibrous or fatty tissue, so they’d sent it off to the lab.
He was relieved to read the report and discover the cells weren’t cancerous. Jose and Teresa would be relieved to know their dog was going to be okay.
Joe, one of his techs, came over to the desk. “We have an emergency in room five, Dr. Callum. And the woman specifically asked to see you.”
He worked with two other vets, so typically whoever wasn’t busy with a patient or in surgery would take any incoming emergencies. But if someone asked for a certain veterinarian they also tried to accommodate the request.
“Be right there.” He left the rest of the reports in his inbox and washed his hands, then made his way to the exam room, surprised to find Erin in there holding on to a mess of a puppy that couldn’t be more than six months old.
“Hey, Erin.”
She stood. “I was driving down our main road and this little girl dashed away from my car. I stopped to check on her. I think something’s wrong with her leg.”
“Okay. Let’s take a look.” His tech Joe had come in with him, so Joe set up a towel on the exam table and took the pup from Erin’s arms to place her on the table.
Erin stood up there with them.
“I didn’t hit her, Jason.”
At her worried look, Jason offered up a smile. “I didn’t think you did.”
He felt around the pup’s body, looking for swelling or fractures anywhere else. He didn’t find anything that felt out of place, fortunately. He took out his stethoscope and listened to her heartbeat, as well as other parts of her, hoping he wouldn’t hear anything out of sorts. Everything sounded good, too. Her three uninjured legs were fine, so he concentrated on her front left paw.
The puppy cried when he tried to straighten her leg, and Jason could tell from feel that there was something off.
He looked up at Joe. “Let’s get an x-ray.”
Joe nodded, scooped the pup up in his arms and carried her out the door.
Erin chewed on her bottom lip and cocked her head to the side. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?”
“Other than the leg, she seems fine. A little undernourished, which isn’t a surprise considering where you found her. People dump unwanted animals on country roads all the time.”
Erin frowned. “Those people are assholes.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“She’s so sweet, Jason. She just laid in my lap the entire way here, snuggling close to me like she didn’t have anyone to love her.”
He saw her eyes shimmer with tears.
Shit. He stepped in and put his arms around her. She laid her head on his chest, her hands pressed against him, and all he wanted to do was make this all right for her.
He took a step back and looked down into her incredibly sad green eyes.
“We’ll fix her, Erin.”
“I know you will.”
“I’m gonna go take a look at those x-rays. Take a seat, take a breath and I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded and he escaped the room and leaned against the door so he could take a breath, too.
Something about being so close to Erin always made him feel so . . .
Hell. He didn’t know how he felt, but she messed him up in a way he couldn’t explain.
He went over and read the x-rays, grimacing as he examined them closely. He’d thought maybe it was a sprain, but it was more complicated than that.
He walked back into the exam room. Joe had brought the pup back in so Erin was cradling her against her chest. She looked up.
“What’s the verdict?”
“She has a fracture of the radius and ulna.”
“Okay. How do we fix it?”
“I’ll have to do surgery and realign the break, then put in some screws and plates to make sure the bones don’t move.”
“Oh. Will she be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. It won’t hinder her mobility, though whoever fosters her during her recovery will have to limit her mobility some while she recovers.”
Erin cuddled the pup closer. “Someone will foster her?”
“I’m assuming she was dumped on the side
