the beginning of a long relationship...

I knew with 3 Weims that David and I would have a larger than average vet bill. This week was the start of that.
David was walking Gracie last week and accidently stepped on her right front foot. This is nearly impossible to keep from doing as she is ALWAYS underfoot! Anyway, when he got back home, he noticed that her toe was bleeding. On further inspection, we noticed it was inflamed around one of the toenails. I remembered that this was the foot that had been bitten by fire ants so we decided to have it looked at. That was Wednesday. I made an appointment for Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, she began limping on her front left leg. David and I couldn't remember her doing anything to that leg but decided to have the vet check it out while she was there on Friday. I couldn't go to the vet appointment due to a prior committment. I'm sure David was not looking forward to this because no matter how many questions he asks, I've always got a couple more that didn't get asked. $230 later, he comes home with Prednisone, an antibiotic and a receipt for the x-ray of her left leg they did and kept in her file. Her toe was infected but easily fixed with the meds they put her on. The poor little girl had a fever, though! While drilling him with questions, he said we didn't see our vet and that another vet in the practice had worked on Gracie. Automatic suspician on my part. I want anyone dealing with her to have all the info on her background. David gave her the short version and we are thinking she just zoned in on the 'neuro damage' he mentioned. She was all too willing to contribute the limping the neurological issues Gracie has. We were skeptical, since this had come up suddenly, but were willing to give the steroid a try. The vet read the x-ray and said nothing was broken. The film included the entire leg.
On Saturday, I decided to leave the princess at home with her medical issues and took Miley instead to a rescue event. I got home after 1pm and David said the limping was worse and she was spending alot of time sleeping or laying down. Mommy instinct kicks in and the worry level goes up. We agree to wait til Monday and see how she does. By Sunday morning, she is non weight-bearing on that leg. Poor Gracie has enough trouble with weak back legs due to neuro issues, but now she only has one good leg since the left front is hurt. It was pitiful to watch. David noticed that her outside toe was swollen and VERY tender to touch. She did not like us touching it. We left her alone and decided to call the vet back in the morning and let them figure out what to do.
David called yesterday morning and told them all that we had noticed. The vet FINALLY called him back late in the afternoon and said we could bring her back in. David told her about the swollen toe and asked if she would just review the x-ray one more time to be sure nothing showed up. She said, AGAIN, that she hadn't seen anything but that she would look again and call us back. She all but said we would be paying for another office visit, which we felt was wrong. She did seem to bear a little more weight on it Monday so we decided to wait until Tuesday morning. We just kept thinking that if it wasn't broken, there must be a pulled muscle and that only time would heal that. Well, the vet called back and stated that on further review, that Gracie DID, in fact, have a broken toe! She said for us to bring her back in this morning and that they would look at it again and splint it and make sure she was comfortable.
As for how she did this? Not completely sure, but David said he did hear a loud thump and her yelp in the hall earlier in the week. There is a 'doorway' in the hallway that has juts out into the hallway. We are thinking she brushed it with her foot, not seeing it, and bent the toe back. That's our best guess. I'm sure we are in for more of this as she grows. I've always thought about getting pet insurance but hadn't done it yet. Guess what I'm researching this week?

And so our long relationship with Gracie's vet begins...