Today was Willow’s first visit to the veterinarian since we brought her home on January 2. Willow is our eleven-week-old Great Dane puppy. My grandson came along with me so she would have someone to sit with in the car. Otherwise, she would probably be in my lap.
When we arrived, I had her sit on the scale, curious to see how much she had grown in the last four weeks. She was thirteen pounds when we picked her up in Ocala, but weighed in at twenty-four pounds today! We were told she would double in size each month, but seeing is believing.
One of the vet techs saw Willow and immediately came over and sat down for snuggles and kisses. She has two Great Danes of her own. I asked, “How big are they?”
She said, “My female is one hundred and twenty pounds, and the male is one eighty.” So that is what we have to look forward to!
We were one of the first appointments of the day, so another tech took us back to an exam room right away. I took the leash off and she eagerly sniffed out every corner of the room. I let her sample the array of treats on the counter, and she loved every one. Most of our dogs turn their noses up at the vet’s snacks, but Willow devoured them all.
Willow was her wiggly self as the tech and vet examined her. She thought it was all a game as they peered into her ears and mouth, listened to her heart and lungs, and got a temperature via the ear (thank goodness). We only needed one injection today, and Willow didn’t flinch. We only bought one heart worm and parasite pill, since she’ll be in the next weight class next month. And we made an appointment for a booster in a month. The veterinarian gave me some advice on spaying, and we were out of there.
As we left, I realized that the exam room was the same one where we said goodbye to Samson, our shepherd/lab mix, exactly seven months ago. Since Willow’s coloring is the same as Sam’s, I’ll catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye. She’s got big shoes to fill. But given the size of her feet, that shouldn’t be a problem!
Waite for it... 