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“Oh my God,” Payton said, her hands going to her face. She figured the woman to be close to her age or so. “I’m such a horrible mother. I had no idea.”
“It’s important to know the things in your house that are harmful to your pets. Do you know how much he ate?” she asked.
“I think there were only eight of those bite-sized assorted ones left. I kind of went on a bender the night before. I suppose that is a good thing.”
“Very,” she said. “The good news is a dog this size, that amount of chocolate, though poisonous, isn’t deadly unless there are more underlying health issues. It says here Jimmy is four and in great health.”
“He is,” Payton said, wiping her nose on her jacket.
She got up and handed her a tissue. “Here.”
“Thanks,” Payton said.
“The other good news is, Jimmy’s body is doing what it should do when it comes into contact with something he shouldn’t have. He was throwing it up and getting it out any way he can. This is a normal reaction to consuming chocolate. He hasn’t thrown up since this morning?” she asked.
“No,” Payton said. “Not since seven thirty. I took the day off because I didn’t want to leave him home alone. I’m glad I was able to get him in so fast.”
It was two right now. “What time did you give him those treats?” she asked, typing in her notes on the computer.
“Around twelve. I’m normally working and he eats breakfast and dinner, but I know he’s hungry. I can see it.”
“I’m sure he is. But I’m going to tell you to not let him eat any food for twenty-four hours. His belly and insides are all inflamed and we want to give them time to heal. He might not be happy, but he will thank you tomorrow.”
“That’s it?” Payton said. “No food?”
“Make sure he’s drinking. You can feed him at noon tomorrow, or if you’re working, then feed him dinner. If you haven’t seen an improvement, call the office and I’ll give you an anti-diarrhea for him. But I’d like to see if his body can do it on its own.”
“I’ll take tomorrow off too,” Payton said. “I don’t want to make him wait until dinner and then if there is a problem you’re closed at that time.”
“I’ve got an after-hour line for emergencies. Since it’s a follow-up with him, you can call me anyway if you want. I’d like to know how he is doing, even if he’s fine.”
“Really?” Payton asked.
“Yes.” Knowing she was the only vet on the island, she was making herself available. She realized most people didn’t bother her unless they were concerned. She appreciated that many would wait until she opened the next day.
“Thank you so much,” Payton said. “If he’s feeling well, maybe I’ll go to work and then come home for lunch and feed him and see how he does.”
“I’m sure that will be fine, but if you notice a change at all tonight or in the morning or more vomiting or diarrhea without him eating, let me know.”
“I will,” Payton said. “Thank you again. I’m so glad Carter pushed for this. He’s always been such a nice guy.”
“He is,” she said.
“Carter and me, we dated back in school.”
“Oh,” she said. She wasn’t going to assume this woman knew she and Carter were a couple.
“Yeah. I was silly and foolish back then. Such a great guy, but you know. No ambitions. We all knew he’d end up taking over the garage from his father.”
She hummed in her throat. “I had to bring my car there. Seems pretty busy to me and doing well.”
“Yes,” Payton said. “He is. I wanted the person I was with back then to be something else. Stupid, I know. He used to get picked on in school because he was always working on cars. The girls didn’t like it.”
“Teens can be mean,” Avery said. She was trying not to grind her teeth hearing this.
“Yeah,” Payton said. “I burned that bridge. I know I did. I fell for the peer pressure and one thing about Carter Bond is, he can write you off fast. Not that he’s mean or anything to me. I bring my car there. But he’s cold.”
“Not everyone likes to be judged,” she said.
