My one year old puppy overheated last night. Around 2 am she started panting quite a lot, was really hot to touch and couldn’t settle. I followed her around for a while wondering what was wrong.
When I pointed her water bowl to her, she had a quick lick. Walked away and came back to empty it. So I refilled it. She emptied it again. And after the fourth refill, I knew something was definitely wrong. She’d never had so much to drink in the middle of the night.
Using a small wet towel, I wiped her body with it repeatedly. On her belly, under her armpits, around her neck and on her back. She let me do all of it without fighting back. She seemed to enjoy it. Again another sign that she wasn’t well. She doesn’t usually like water much.
I then opened the doors to the only balcony we have in our living room, and to my relief and disbelief, the temperatures outside where a lot more cooler than I expected. She sat in the fresh air, looking outside and her panting slowly stopped. I also enjoyed the fresh air. Shame it didn’t replace the air indoors.
She still couldn’t settle for a while. And I couldn’t sleep anymore anyway. So we stayed there for a additional hour.
She eventually followed me back into the bedroom, and went to sleep under my bed. I did refresh her fur again before I tried to settle myself.
This sleepless night, reminded me of another. One night, a few years ago now, my son suffered from a midnight sunstroke. Wet towels, lots of water, and regular measuring of body temperatureto make sure they were back to normal. The same ordeal.
And I had to manage it on my own. With a broken foot. In the quiet of the night.
In this stillness, come reflections of what it means to be a mum and how unprepared I was. Be it a boy mum or a dog mum. And how intuitive our senses become to the wellbeing or suffering of our little ones. Despite their best efforts to want their independence, they still need me in their most vulnerable moments.
I am thankful for all these moments where I still feel needed. Where I’m pushing the boundaries of my exhaustion to discover once again the limits to my strength, patience and courage against adversity.
But I do wish for this heat wave to end, so I can get a solid good night sleep without worry or concern.
P.S. This past night prompted me to try and illustrate the situation.
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