A few weekends ago, our 1½-year-old Bernese mountain dog, Rosie, gave us quite a scare. She started the day just like any other—happy, hungry, and full of energy. But by the afternoon, something changed, and we found ourselves at the emergency vet trying to figure out what was wrong.
If you’ve ever had to decide whether to take your dog to an emergency clinic, you know it’s not always clear what the right move is. This was our first time in that situation, and we wanted to share what happened in case it helps someone else going through the same thing.
A Normal Morning
Rosie had a great start to her Saturday. She inhaled her breakfast, crushed her morning walk, and spent a solid hour playing with a friend at the dog park. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Then in the afternoon, she suddenly didn’t want to get up to go outside. When we finally got her into the yard, she sat down in the grass and refused to move. When we tried to lift her, she acted like her paw or ankle was hurting and didn’t want to put any weight on it.
Trying to Figure It Out
We brought her back inside and laid her on her bed. She wasn’t crying, whining, or reacting too strongly when we touched her leg, which made it hard to tell what was going on.
There was no visible injury—no swelling, no bleeding, no cuts or bites. She’d been inside most of the day, and she was otherwise acting normal. No vomiting, no diarrhea, and she was alert. Just… not walking.
Since it was the weekend, our regular vet was closed. We decided to give it a few hours to see if she improved. Sometimes dogs just pull something or need rest, and we didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
But by that night, nothing had changed. She still couldn’t stand or walk, and it was clear something wasn’t right. So we loaded her into the car and drove to VEG, a 24-hour emergency vet clinic near us.
What It’s Like at VEG
This was our first time at an emergency vet, and we didn’t know what to expect. But the experience was better than we imagined.
VEG has an open layout where you can see animals being treated. Even late at night, the clinic was clean and calm. The staff was friendly and professional, and they made sure Rosie was comfortable right away. They gave her a soft mat to lie on while we waited, and she was seen within about 30 minutes.
Exam, X-Rays, and Meds
The vet noticed some mild swelling around Rosie’s ankle but didn’t see any obvious signs of trauma. They ran through a few possibilities:
- A twisted joint or sprain
- A small fracture
- A snake bite (which we ruled out since she’d been indoors almost all day)
They gave her a small dose of methadone to help with pain and get her relaxed for X-rays. Once the meds kicked in, Rosie was calm (and a little loopy), and I carried her into the exam area for imaging.
We watched through a small window as they gently laid her on her back for several rounds of X-rays. Thankfully, everything came back normal—no fractures, no signs of a major injury.
And then something amazing happened…
As they lifted Rosie off the table, I set her down on the floor… and she stood up. Tail wagging, big smile, just like nothing had ever happened.
The Diagnosis
The official diagnosis? Likely a soft-tissue injury—a sprain or twist—probably from running too hard at the dog park that morning.
The vet sent us home with:
- Carprofen (anti-inflammatory)
- Gabapentin (pain relief)
- Methadone (just the one dose she got at the clinic)
We gave her the pills for three days, but by the next morning, she was walking around just fine. Total recovery time: about one night of solid rest.
What It Cost
The emergency visit wasn’t cheap. Our total bill came to $970.18, including her exam, X-rays, and medication.
Luckily, we had Lemonade Pet Insurance, which we pay $81/month for. It covers 70% of costs after a $500 deductible. Since this was our first claim, we had to meet that deductible first—but they still reimbursed us $182.63, which definitely helped.
Looking Back
We’re really glad we took Rosie in when we did. It’s tough to know when something is serious and when it’s not, but watching her struggle to walk was enough for us to say, “Okay, this needs attention.”
The emergency vet staff was kind, the treatment was thorough, and Rosie got what she needed.
She’s back to her usual self now—chasing leaves, stealing socks, and trotting happily down the sidewalk. Hopefully we won’t need to make another emergency trip any time soon, but if we do, at least we know what to expect.
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