Sam goes to the emergency room

After leaving Sam at home for our kayaking trip on Saturday, we took him on a hike to Parc des Chutes on Sunday. We went with friends, so Sam was demoted to the back of the Scion. When he jumped in the back, he gave a little yelp - which was odd, because I've only heard him make that noise a few times in his life. But it was a quiet noise, and he was excited to be going. As the day wore on, he kept making little yelps, but he was still having a great time on the hike. Here he is with S near the waterfall.


By the time we got home Sunday night, he started yelping louder and finally vomited, and around 8:00 PM we headed to the emergency vet, Centre vétérinaire DMV, in Lachine. It's apparently the only 24-hour veterinary care in the Montreal area. We waited a long time, but we couldn't have been happier with the clinic. The vet poked and prodded Sam until he admitted that something hurt - which turned out to be his back. She didn't have a good theory as to why he was in pain - the sensible explanations were for toy breeds or very ill dogs. We went ahead and got the xray - and while you'll admit he looks good ...


.. there still isn't a solid explanation for his condition - he probably pulled something being nutty Sam. We got home between 2 and 3 AM. He has to spend 5 days on strict bedrest - no playing in the yard, no walks ... and he is getting meloxicam each night.