Welcome happy morning age to age shall say

Opening words to an Easter hymn we  members of the Junior choir sang in the Episcopal church in
Burlington, Vermont when I was a teen.
And who would not still, welcome a happy Easter morning. 
This morning those words are especially appropriate for me.

I was up a large part of last night with my dear old Hannah.  The evening had passed uneventfully
for her.  My daughter , Terry, was here.  We had subs and an Easter treat she made and watched
a movie.  Before leaving, Terry took Hannah outside for last chores.  I got ready for bed, gave Hannah her goodnight biscuit, which she gobbled down.  She went to her bed.  As I was crawling into my bed, she began to whine.  She came rapidly into the bedroom panting and trembling like a dry leaf in aNovember
wind. Supposing she just had to go out one more time, I slipped back into the wheelchair, attached her leash, and out we went to a lovely crisp evening.  Large bright moon sailing through the band of twinkling stars.
Hannah looked about and headed back to the door.  But instead of settling down, she became more agitated.  She trotted back and forth through the tiny apartment space, panting-whining.  This is how she behaves when there are storms in the vicinity.  She sat in front of me, her large eyes anxious, looking into my face, so obviously trying to tell me what was wrong.  "I am only a human", I told her.  "I just don't understand".  I gave her a dose of Rescue Remedy , an herbal liquid which helps the t'storm issue.  After a half hour more it had not helped.  I had her lie down and palpated her belly, fearing a possible twist in her
intestine.  Her abdomen did not feel distended and she gave no indication of any painful area.  But she is
very stoic.  I decided to call our Veterinarian.  Got the answering service which I expected at that time of
night.  What I did not expect was the woman's response.  "They do not take calls after 10pm" (it is now
1:00am) but I can leave a message and someone will call you in the morning".  I asked if there was an emergency service in the area and was told there was one 45 minutes away.  Alone, in a wheelchair, in the
middle of the night, with an ailing dog!  I have a car.  It is seldom driven and I would hesitate to set out at night. 
So I decided to resort to my emergency shelf.  I have a bottle of 12mg Ace Promazine which was prescribed for use in storms.  I broke one tablet in quarters, wrapped the small piece in a bit of peanut butter and poked it into Hannah's mouth.  She is very easy to treat and pill.  She swallowed. It took 40 minutes, during which time I held her close to my side, talked and petted.  At last the tremors ceased.  She drank a bit from her water bowl and went to her bed where she fell asleep.  I stayed awake even after heading back to my bed, for another hour.  Then we both slept.
We woke this morning at 7:00.  Hannah's third eyelids were still in evidence.  She seemed quite herself, if a bit groggy.  We went outside.  She performed her chores with normal results (hurray--not a twisted gut!)
No panting or trembling.  She ate her poached egg and about half her kibble, returned to  her bed and is
"sleeping it off".
So welcome happy morning.

The Vet did call at 8:00 am.  We went over everything and she had no idea what had happened. Said giving the Ace promazine as I had done was the right answer.

As for my emergency shelf:  There are a few things I always keep on hand for pet emergencies.
Hydrogen peroxide--cleans wounds, but more importantly will induce vomiting if your dog swallows something toxic
Benedryl- liquid or capsule  for any allergic reaction as bee stings etc.
An antibiotic ointment
Artificial Tears
Vet Wrap- a self clinging bandage --
Vaseline   can be used to alleviate constipation.
Rescue Remedy-available in pet stores and at Chewy.com
cotton balls
cheap hair spray for tick removal
If your Vet will give you a few Ace Promazine tablets, they are good to have on hand.  Just don't use them
unless it is very necessary.  They are a prescription drug.

Anyway, may you all have a lovely Easter. 

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