After I posted, I called the vet back. They still hadn't heard back from him and his wife had said that he was going to be unavailable, so they told me to bring him in so he would be there should he happen to call or come in later tonight. So, I took him, cage and all, and by the time I got there he had called. They are going to put compression "pants" (they called them - a compression bandage) on him and keep him overnight. He's bleeding - dripping from either a torn stitch or a missed spot - not oozing or smearing.
But, of course it wasn't *that* easy.
See, in order to prepare the sick cage, we had to remove a rat from it. It's a rat we've had since he was a baby and he recently became extremely aggressive to the other rats - and to us. So, difficult child was working on introducing 2 other boy rats to the boy rat that shares a cage with Moose because when we tried to put bad boy rat back in with Armageddon (Moose's cagemate) it didn't go well. So, she was in the bathroom with 2 of the brother rats and Armageddon in the tub introducing them.
It's raining and my car is not in the garage - long story - so I went out and put my purse in the car, unlocked and opened the back door and came in to get the cage with Moose. Jewel is afraid of everything, especially rain and storms. I'm lugging this cage through the house and she is on. my. heels. I tried to get out the door without her, but with my hands full? Not happening. I tried to block her with my foot and she does her panic attack thing where she does this horrible bark/whine/I'mGoingToDie sound while grabbing my foot with her mouth (grabbing, not biting) and moving it out of the way. She charges out and jumps into the car. Fine. She's going, too. Get Moose settled and leave. Had to get gas so I would make it to the vet, and go to get back in the car and Jewel is now in my seat. This mean she's
really freaked out. Push her into the passenger seat and drive to the vet with Jewel trying to get in my lap. She is not ever a lap dog. Get to the vet and it is *packed*. Had to park waaaaaaay in the back behind the office. Leave the car running so Jewel doesn't overheat and get out of the car while pushing Jewel back inside the car. Only to discover I hadn't unlocked the back door. Sigh. Open the front door, push Jewel back in - she doesn't have a leash on because I wasn't prepared for her to be going with me - unlock the back door, push Jewel back in and close the front door real quick. Open the back door, try to gently ease the cage out while Jewel jumps into the back seat. Try to gently ease the cage out of the car while pushing Jewel back into the car with my knee, and simultaneously close the door with my elbow. Managed to gouge my hand somehow in the process. No idea on what. Walk all the way around the front of the building in the rain and fortunately some nice lady saw me, turned around and got the door for me or I might have been standing out there for hours trying to figure out how to open the door with hands and nowhere to set the cage because of puddles. Oh, and I have blood all over my clothes so I look nice and scary. With a one-eyed, twisted legged rat.
Talk to the tech, go back to the car only to find the doors locked.
I'm thinking....I'm thinking words that can't be typed here. It went something like: BLEEP BLEEP BLEEPITY BLEEP!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE BLEEP KIDDING ME!!!!! Jewel is in the
running car, panting, sees me and starts jumping around and whimpering. I'm standing in the rain looking at a locked car with a dog freaking out inside thinking.....this week CANNOT get any worse. I literally stomped my foot with my hands clenched in fists at my sides, while muttering words I can't type here under my breath one second, then almost yelling the next and I'm sure everyone thought that I was certifiable. And by then
I was panting. I was so frustrated I couldn't breathe. I stood there staring at the car thinking that easy child has my other key and he's at least 45 minutes away IF he answers his damn phone and I don't have his number with me and difficult child never answers the house phone and I couldn't remember her cell number at that minute for the life of me. I started to pace and walked around the car and by some miracle the passenger side front door wasn't locked. Oh THANK YOU GOD! The ONLY door that wasn't locked - which means Jewel jumped around on every door and locked them. Which is way better than hitting the auto lock button. I thought I was going to lose my mind right then and there in front of God and everybody.
I haven't had more than 4 hours sleep in one shot in 5 days. And that was only the last 2 nights. The previous 2 nights I didn't sleep at all and got a couple of catnaps during the day. I am taking some klonopin and I am not doing another thing all. night. long. So noone better ask me to.
And bad boy rat who suddenly decided that he doesn't like anything or anyone? He's going to the rescue we got Moose from. I was talking to her about him, too, last night and she told me to bring him to her. I can't work with him because I'm allergic and difficult child is too intimidated to. And I really have enough on my plate and as much as I love animals, I'm really not in the mood to deal with a biting rattie.