Poor Sick Service Dog

Isaac got sick this afternoon.

On our way home from our trip, we stopped at a park.  Isaac ate a lot of grass, which is not so unusual for him, and he went swimming in a creek and guzzled a lot of creek water, which is very typical of him.  Thirty minutes later, as we were driving down our street, he barfed.  Luckily it mostly went on the floor of the van and not on the seat or on any of my luggage or other stuff.

I walked him around a little outside before heading in, in case he needed to throw up again.  He waited until we got inside the front door, then hurled.  And continued to puke about a dozen more times, all over the carpet.

At first I was thinking it was just from eating too much grass/drinking too much creek water too fast.  But after he threw up the tenth time or so, I wondered if maybe he managed to eat something else he shouldn't have eaten at the park.  He was not out of my sight for long at all, just a minute or two as he ran through some tall weeds and brush from the trail to the creek.  But it only takes him about 30 seconds to inhale a cup of kibble, so he could have gulped down something. 

He never eats inedible stuff, with the exception of poop and old food he finds beside the road and stuff like that.  Things he considers food.  But I mean, he doesn't eat socks or underwear or plastic or string or toys or things like that, which some dogs eat and that often cause serious intestinal blockages.  But he would eat a half-rotten burger if he found one.

He's been sleeping for a few hours now.  He did drink a small amount of water and has kept that down.  He has shown no interest in dinner, which is fine because I was not planning on serving him dinner anyway.  Maybe a midnight snack, a very small snack, if he seems hungry.

I hate it when he is sick.  Luckily it is very rare for him to be sick, but I hate it.  I'd rather be sick myself.  He looks so sad and pitiful.

If he still seems unwell in the morning, I will call the vet.  I think he will probably be OK by then, though.

I have an appointment scheduled in the morning, which I plan to reschedule because I want Isaac to stay home and rest and I don't want to leave him alone.  In the afternoon, I am supposed to tutor, and as long as Isaac seems OK, I will leave him home alone for a few hours while I go do that.  But I don't want to leave him home alone for most of the day, so I plan to reschedule my morning appointment.  Of course, if he needs to go to the vet, I'll do that at whatever time the vet can get us in, so if that means changing my tutoring session, that's what I'll do.

It's hard, deciding what to do when a service dog is sick.  Not only do I have to make sure he is being cared for, but I also have to figure out what I can do without him.  Can I go tutor without his help?  I would rather not, but I can if I have to.  It's different than dealing with a sick pet, though.