Trauma

check ups and force feeding

"His name was Tornado when he got here and we kept it but you can rename him, of course. Many people give their pets new names. I guess it's like some kind of ritual for them, completely accepting the new animal into the family. I mean, you'll want to name your child yourself too. Not that I'd say that this dog is like a child to you! I mean, that's nothing bad, but... Like, not everyone wants to have children and that's okay! Dogs are great too, you don' have to see them as children."

"I mean, they kind of are like children that never grow up. Probabaly the nightmare of every parent. Not that it's bad if you don't ever want your children to grow up! This world is cruel, lock your children in. You shouldn't lock your children in! Bad idea! Back to the dog topic! You can keep calling him Tornado, I don't want to force you to do anything or something. Tornado is a great name! Forcefull and all. I mean, he doesn't look forceful anymore but he must have been once. Not that I..." , said the woman while leading their way, speaking fast and with an amazed edge to it. Bucky rolled his eyes at her. He didn't like loud people and this woman was definitely loud. And fast. Like, really fast. Couldn't she talk a little more slowely? This was already giving him a headache. This was not a person who Bucky could ever spend quality time with. But she also was his ticket to the beaten dog in her arms and he didn't have to ever see her again. Big plus and a reason to keep hope up.

"I could carry him too if he gets too heavy for you" , offered Bucky, just to stop the woman from talking. A second of silence was a nice second. And maybe just a little bit because he was afraid of her dropping the dog. It was a big dog after all and a rather small woman holding him. And since she was so concentrated on talking nonesense in a breathtakingly fast pace she probably had a higher risk of dropping dogs. And it would get hard to save him if he accidentally hit his head and died before they even got a chance to try.

"Uhm, I'd rather carry him myself, thank you. I am strong enough even though I may seem small. I've been carrying dogs a lot heavier than him. Really, he barely weighs anything. No wonder knowing how fe he's been eating since he got here. We once had a saint bernard here and he had problems walking, I had to..."

And here we go again.

After what felt like another hundred years of listning to the neverending cascade of words dripping from the woman's mouth they finally arrived at the vet clinic which was part of the shelter.

And Bucky started feeling nervous. Really nervous. What if the dog was in too bad of a shape to be kept alive? Would he beg for this dogs life? He wanted him to live. He desperately wanted him to live. But was it selfish to keep this poor soul alive? Or was it helping him? Bucky suddenly wasn't sure anymore.

A second later they stood in the vet's room, the dog lay on the table and the vet was examining him. Bucky literally crushed Steve's hand in his, needing his support more than anything else right now.

"I am glad to hear that you want to adopt this poor soul. He definitely deserves another chance" , stated the vet, a high grown, slim and black haired man with an impressive beard. Bucky nodded and watched the man force the dog's mouth open to look at his teeth. He pressed his finger against the gum of the dog and waited a second. He pulled at athe dogs skin and waited a second. He took blood samples and checked the dogs temperature. He looked into the dogs eyes and mouth. The dog didn't move, didn't fight the vet. He just lay there, his eyes half closed. There was no life visible in his eyes or his posture. But he had a heartbeat and he took flat, fast breaths. It would be all about keeping the dog breathing.

The vet sighed.

"You turned up just in time. The dog is dehydrated and anaemic. His heart is shockingly slow and his breathing is shallow. I just hope that his organs are okay because lack of food over such a long time can cause organ failure. I can only guarantee that he's okay when I have the results of the blood test. For now I'll try my best to solve the problems at hand. The dog'll need a blood transfusion and an IV to get his hydration up. I'll treat his wounds and clean them. I'll give him some vitamins via injection to strengthen him enough to leave as soon as possible. I'll do my best for him, okay. But if he refuses food today evening you'll have to forcefeed him. He'll die if he doesn't eat soon. And if the blood work shows that he suffers from organ failure you'll have to accept that he has to put down. It may be that his organs are alright for now but will fail within the next two to four weeks. Lack of nutrition is a serious condition for a dog, I am sorry" , he explained, looking all serious. Bucky nodded. He was willing to do anything for this dog. Anything. Even if it meant to let him go.