“No, I can do it.” She glanced at the clock. “The kids will be getting home from school soon.”
“Yes, you’re right. If you need anything call me. I hope I did right calling you.”
“Of course, you did, Mary. Thank you. What’s the address?”
BB second-guessed herself all the way to the vet’s office, but in the end, though it was going to be an incredible obligation, she knew she had to try. The tech that led her through the door and into the back of the office seemed excited that BB had arrived.
“I’m not going to lie,” the younger, pony-tailed woman said. “I was tempted to take him but I have classes this quarter. He deserves a chance, though, he’s so darn cute.”
BB was led into an area where it was obvious the medical staff did most of the procedures. The tech called a man over and told him, “This lady is taking the puppy.”
The tall man held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Marsh. Thank you so much for stepping up.”
“BB,” she introduced herself. “It seems like it’s meant to be. I was just thinking about getting another Frenchie. I have one at home.”
The vet nodded, smiling broadly, and motioned her over to a glass cage. “This is Marty. The owner named him but since she relinquished custody to us you are free to name him what you want.”
BB looked into the glass cage and fell in love. The pup was so tiny! He was grayish blue with a little wrinkled gray nose. At two weeks were his eyes even open? Little dude appeared to be sleeping because he was fairly still. She turned to the doctor. “So, tell me what I need to do.”
The man seemed to see the determination in her eyes, because he nodded his head and leaned against the bank of cages. “Well, in order for cleft palate puppies to thrive they need to be tube fed. This little guy is fighting pneumonia right now because he aspirated milk. That’s the problem with these guys. Sometimes the cleft isn’t even noticed until they start to decline. Assuming you get him going again, and I’m reserving judgement that you can, he’s going to need surgery at about three months old to close that opening. It’s in his hard palate, the bony part, so surgery is the only way it will heal completely. Sometimes the soft palate holes can close on their own, but surgery is usually best. I can do the surgery—I’ve done them before—but he has to be in a lot healthier place.”
BB nodded, making sure she took in everything. The doctor did not sound hopeful of the pup’s chances.
“Is he on antibiotics for the pneumonia?”
“He is. We’ll send you home with meds and a recipe for making the formula. We’ll show you how we’ve been feeding him and I’ll give you my cell number in case you need anything.”
That seemed a little out of the ordinary. When she glanced up it was to find him smiling at her in a way she would have appreciated more a few months ago, before Lincoln. “Thank you very much. I really do appreciate that.”
“I’m glad you’re giving him a home. I don’t want to put anything down if I don’t have to. Bad Karma.”
She smiled at him because she agreed with the thought. “Was he the only one of the litter?”
Nodding, he straightened. “As far as we know. She’s bringing the rest of the pups in next week for their first checkups and shots.” He turned to look over his shoulder. “Liz, would you mind showing BB how to feed the little man?”
A dark-haired woman with deep brown eyes came over. “Mary said you were coming. Have you dealt with a cleft palate puppy before?”
BB shook her head. “I’ve rehabbed baby bunnies and a litter of kittens before. Never a puppy.”
The woman nodded kindly and opened the oxygen cage. “We have him in here because he’s got a touch of pneumonia. Not too bad but enough to make his breathing a little raspy. We’ve had him for a day, though, and I can already tell a difference since he’s been on the meds.”
The puppy grunted when she picked him up and handed him over to BB. Sighing with pleasure she took the round, quivering little body, cuddling him under her chin. “He’s definitely a Frenchie but I can feel his tiny ribs.”
Liz nodded. “I’m glad the owner was as watchful as she was and brought him in. Dr. Marsh told you about the surgery, right? I just want you to know what you’re getting into.”
“Yes. I understand. And the surgery won’t be an issue.”
Some of the tension eased from the woman’s expression. BB wondered how many people they had roll through the office that didn’t have the money needed to care for their animals. “Was that why the puppy was turned over?”
The technician frowned. “I think it was more of a time issue. She has little kids and didn’t think she could take on the two-hour feedings.”
BB quirked a brow. “I’m not looking forward to it either but I can do it.”
Damn. He was such a warm weight in her hands, but he was so little. He was about the size of a bag of rice. “How much does he weigh?”
“Less than a pound. He could be double this size for his age.”
She stroked a finger down his downy soft head, fingering his tiny ears. His eyes were barely slitted open.
“I think,” Liz kind of winked at her, “that he might have blue eyes, although it’s a little early to tell. With the blue coat… Let’s go to one of the rooms and I’ll show you how to feed him.”
The process wasn’t especially hard, BB just worried about hurting the little guy. It was easy enough getting his mouth open, she just worried about passing the feeding tube down his throat and into his stomach. He chewed and cried, but the tech assured her that it
