We had been there for less than 15 minutes when Murray came barreling through the doggy door limping. I checked his foot and discovered that he had snapped one of his toenails in half. It was hanging there and he was in a lot of pain. I convinced my mother to let me take him to the emergency vet (Animal Emergency Center of North Fulton- where he is a repeat visitor) to get his nail clipped off and bandaged. Thankfully, they were not busy! The vet was sweet, considerate, and super helpful with Murray that night. And we are so grateful. The worst part about that night was what we experienced in the waiting room while we were there.

Before we were able to finish up Murray’s paperwork, a brother and sister came in with their cat. The poor baby had been having seizures all day and hadn’t been eating all week long. They were concerned about what tests needed to be performed on their 12 year old cat because money was a big issue for them. We overheard the vet telling them that the prognosis was bad- most likely some kind of neurological thing, probably a brain tumor. We could hear the girl crying and cat meowing from the other side of the office. It was incredibly sad. My family has had a canine member ever since before my brother and I were born and we all know how difficult it is to put an animal down. My mother and I were upset and scared for the cat but mostly felt terribly sorry for the owners. When we went to pay our bill, my amazing tender hearted mother covered part of their visit too. Anonymously.

It was a bittersweet end to a crappy afternoon.

Saturday. Saturday my father and I decided to cut Autumn’s nails. We got one done successfully and then we cut the second one too short. Within seconds blood was pouring from my baby’s nail. All over the carpet. All over my pants. All over my hands. It was so scary, I’ve never seen a dog bleed so heavily. My mother, being the smarty pants that she is, had the styptic powder ready to go within seconds. It was difficult to get Autumn’s foot in the small jar, but we were able to stop the bleeding with pressure and the powder after several minutes. Relieved, I sat on the couch with her for about an hour. The next few things happened so quickly, my memory of them is a bit fuzzy. The doorbell rang. Autumn jumped from the couch and took off to the front door with Jinx and Murray. Neighbors came in. Something something something, we walked into the kitchen and I saw blood everywhere. Autumn had knocked the scab off of her nail and was bleeding again. Luckily for us, the neighbor is a CCU nurse at Emory hospital and was able to help us stop the bleeding and wrap Autumn’s foot with a bandage. I think I owe my parents some styptic powder.

Saturday was super emotional. I spent most of the afternoon and evening curled up with Autumn so she would stay off of her foot. I was so emotionally exhausted I started falling asleep around 6pm. I heard my phone buzz with an email, so I checked it and found out Autumn is on USAToday.com in her new sweater! I was so happy, I must have showed every single person I’ve ever met in the history of the universe! If you guys aren’t keeping up with The Paw Print Post, you really should!

Before I knew it, it was Sunday. I had met a friend for lunch and came back to pick up Autumn from my parents’ house. I bent down to hug her and almost instantly, she jumped up to kiss me. We knocked heads and I thought I was about to fall over in pain. I’ve never in my life met a creature with a skull as hard as Autumn’s. I’m convinced she must be part Terminator. I got everything packed up and was putting the leash on her when she jumped again and busted my lip open. Not only do I have a goose egg on my forehead, but I’ve got a busted up lip to match.

What a weekend.

Cutting your dog’s toenails? Make sure you have some Gold Medal Stop Bleeding Styptic Powder for Dogs handy!

While I’m thinking about it, here’s a list of Emergency Vets in Atlanta:

Atlanta

Briarcliff Animal Clinic
1850 Johnson Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA(404) 874-6394

Sandy Springs

Georgia Veterinary Specialists
455 Abernathy Road Northeast, Sandy Springs, GA (404) 459-0903

Animal Emergency Center of Sandy Springs
228 Sandy Springs Place Northeast, Sandy Springs, GA (404) 252-7881

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VCA Pets Are People Too Veterinary Hospital
4280 North Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA (770) 452-1001

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Alpharetta

Animal Emergency Center of North Fulton

900 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA (770) 594-2266

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Decatur

Atlanta Emergency Vet
217 N. McDonough Street Decatur, GA 30030, (404) 371-9774