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Posted on Fri, Apr 22, 2011 : 10:31 a.m.

The importance of knowing and trusting your dog's veterinarian

By Ronald J Wiedbusch

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An x-ray of Storm from his vet visit recently

Ronald Wiedbusch | Contributor

Whether you relay on a service dog to help you in daily life or you have a beloved pet that is a irreplaceable part of your family, it is important to take the time to find the best veterinary care for your companion.

Just like marriage, animal ownership is in both sickness and in health, and when sickness comes, everyone should already have someone they can rely on to help his or her dog though it. I found a wonderful veterinarian for my assistance dog, Storm, and just this past week, I was reminded why I did so.

As many of you may know, I rely on my assistance dog, Storm, to help with my daily mobility. He is the foundation that keeps me moving and working. Recently, though, Storm was injured in an accident, and it has made thankful that we have so many wonderful animal care services in our community.

Just the other day I was shopping at a local market picking up a few things, and, as always, Storm was with me while we went along with our daily activities. As we were going down an aisle, another shopper ran into both me and Storm with a fully loaded shopping cart.

We are not very hard to miss, being a large man and big white dog, but it did happen, and, the next thing I knew, I was admiring the tile job on the floor of the store. As I was getting up with the assistance of Storm, I noticed that he was not looking his best. Moments later he was walking with a limp to let me know he was not OK.

This tore me apart inside because I am very attached to Storm as a friend and also due the fact that I rely on him so much to be able to help support me.

This is where the wonderful people that I have meet over the years that help keep Storm in top shape really came to the rescue for the both of us. I immediately took Storm to the vet I have been to a number of times, and they had us back into a checkup room faster than any local ER ever could.

After running a battery of tests on Storm, they finally came to the conclusion that when we were hit by the cart, his paw was run over, and it suffered deep muscle damage. This was lucky news for us, as a larger injuries could have easily happened from the incident, and this would have changed both our lives for a number of months. I was give some anti-inflammatory pills for him and a four legged walker for myself, because for the next few weeks he not allowed to do any heavy lifting at all.

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Storm just holding my glasses, the most work he is currently allowed to do.

Ronald Wiedbusch | Contributor

Storm is doing just find now. He is still taking it easy for another week to heal, but spends time in our family pool to get his work out in. I’m sure he is enjoying a little bit of a vacation after the busy time we have been having.

If you can take anything from a story of an injured animal, I ask you to first think of how unnecessary this injury was. In this current age we are all quite distracted with the always connected world, but please do make sure you're watching what is going on around you as well. I don’t know anyone who wants to be hit by a shopping cart or have a door shut in their face.

The second is everyone who owns an animal and is responsible for its health should know where they are going to take their pet for medical care. Make sure your beloved animal gets his regular checkups, find a veterinarian you can have a good relationship with, and just as for anyone else in your family, make sure you know where you will head in an emergency.

Ron Wiedbusch is a regular contributor to AnnArbor.com's pets section and works in the community to raise awareness about Assistance and Therapy Dogs and the Americans with Disabilities Act with his certified Assistance, Service, Rescue and Therapy Dog, Storm. The pair can be found at various places in the community throughout the week, and each day patrolling the area around Ypsilanti Public Schools as part of the Safe Schools Program. Ron can be reached via email.