Dog Whisperer by Nicholas Edwards Read Free Book Online

for about a week and a half.
    Almost the only times she had ever been to the
vet’s office were for Josephine’s regular check-ups, the time they had brought her in to be spayed, and once a few months earlier, when she had gotten an upper respiratory infection. After Emily had made up her mind that she wanted to be a veterinarian herself someday, Dr. K. had invited her to spend a couple of afternoons watching the vets and their assistants do routine exams and procedures. It had been very interesting, and she had always hoped that, when she was old enough, she would be able to get some kind of part-time job in the office, working with all of the animals.
    But this time was different. Now, they were here with an injured dog who she already loved—and he might be too badly hurt to survive.

8
    They sat in the waiting room for what seemed like a long time. A really long time. Since the office wasn’t officially open yet, it was very quiet. The overhead lights were off, which made Emily feel very sleepy, but she forced herself to stay awake. Her mother held her hand, which normally might have made her feel a little babyish, but under the circumstances, she didn’t mind at all.
    Right before nine o’clock, the office manager and one of the receptionists arrived, and were surprised to find people already there. As they turned on the office computers and began to set up for the day’s appointments, an elderly woman showed up with a black-and-white cat who needed his yearly shots, and a stocky red-haired man with a booming voice came in with a small rust-colored poodle.
    The other clients seemed to be nice, but it was hard to wait for what might be bad news in front of strangers. Emily sat very straight in her chair the
whole time, shaking her head when her mother offered her a magazine, and shaking it again when her father suggested going out to get some doughnuts and milk—or anything else that she might like for breakfast.
    Finally, Dr. Kasanofsky came out through the swinging doors. He had changed into green surgical scrubs and looked very solemn. Normally, he always had a big smile on his face, so it was alarming to see his expression so serious. He nodded hello to the woman with the cat and the man with the poodle, and then turned to Emily and her parents.
    â€œWhy don’t we go step into another room to talk for a minute?” he suggested.
    Just hearing that was enough to make Emily’s stomach sink. But she pushed herself to her feet, as her parents stood up, too.
    â€œWould you like to be in there with us, or would you rather have me talk to your parents alone, first?” Dr. Kasanofsky asked.
    â€œIn there, please,” Emily said, without hesitating.
    Dr. Kasanofsky glanced at her parents, who nodded reluctantly.
    He motioned for them to follow him into an exam room. Emily swallowed, knowing that he must
have bad news, if he wanted to speak to them privately. But she took a deep breath and followed her parents into the small room. It was maybe dumb, but she had expected that the dog would be in there on the examination table, waiting for them—only, he wasn’t.
    Once they were inside, Dr. Kasanofsky quietly closed the door.
    â€œWell,” he said, and Emily could see that he looked tired—or maybe just sad . “We’re doing everything we can, but I’m afraid he is not in very good shape. He has several broken ribs, and one of them punctured his lung, although we were able to get it re-inflated. His left foreleg has a compound fracture, and one of his hips was displaced, too. We’re giving him lots of fluids, to try and make up for the blood loss and the dehydration, but I’m very concerned about his kidney function. We have him stabilized, for now, but there’s still some internal bleeding, and I’m going to have to do more surgery to locate the source. But, if the damage is as extensive as I suspect it might be, I’m not sure