187 Miles of Meow

I took the day off from work so I could drive Gracie to New Jersey to visit Dr. Rhodes, a board certified Veterinary Dermatologist.

Dr. Rhodes, has extensive background, with over 27 years in her field, gaining numerous awards and accolades along the way. I was a bit excited to meet her and hopeful she would shed some light on what's wrong with Gracie and how we can help her.

The day was dreary and overcast. I wasn't looking forward to driving to New Jersey. At least I'd timed the appointment to avoid either end of rush hour. Even with that advantage, the roads were still crowded and filled with people driving way too fast on narrow, winding, wet roads-espeically one of my least favorites-the Saw Mill Parkway. That two lane (each direction) road was meant for traffic going about 50 miles an hour, not 80! I had plenty of time to get to NJ, so I just kept at a good pace and stayed out of everyone's way. I noticed that Gracie would cry if I drove over 60 mph. I think it's the sound of the road that hurts her ears, or the feeling of the g-forces from the acceleration. Most of the trip was highway miles, so most of the trip Gracie cried.

Thanks to my trusty GPS, we made it to NJ in good time. I was really excited to get to the appointment, but we were an HOUR early. I hustled us out of the rain and into the graciously appointed waiting room. The walls, painted olive green, were filled with awards, certifications and announcements. There were wide oak plank floors and oriental carpets. What once was the lower floor of an old home, was now comfortable place to relax, along with a huge flat screen TV. This Vet bill was gonna be a BIG ONE! A sign, placed by the glass-partitioned receptionist area, read: "Will Return at 1PM." It was only 12:30pm and the place was silent. They must all be out to lunch.

My tummy was rumbling. Lunch would be nice right now. Thankfully, they had a nice, meticulously clean Kuerig coffee maker thing and I made myself a cup of hot chocolate. Gracie was relaxing in her cat carrier and I let her snoop around a bit.

A gentleman entered with an enormous German Shepherd by his side. The dog was completely submissive. This giant was easily commanded by his "Dad," who told him to sit, which he did right away. I was glad because that dog could have made an easy snack out of Gracie-who had gone quickly back into her carrier when she saw him. The man and I had a nice chat. He'd had shepherds all his life. This dog had a problem with ear infections. A few minutes into our conversation, a Vet Tech appeared and took Zeus (Yeah, good name!) to check on his ears. Two seconds later and Zeus was back. His ears were fine! No problem. I was hoping it would go as easily for my appointment-AND NO CHARGE to his owner, too! If only!

The Tech introduced herself as Megan (which I heard as: Mehhannggan, so I didn't refer to her name until I saw it on some paperwork later in the visit. Ahead of schedule, we were called in to see Dr. Rhodes. This was it! At last we might finally get some answers for Gracie.

Or would we?