It Seemed This Puppy Had No Chance To Live, But At The Very Last Moment The Vet Thought To Take A Closer Look (3 of 3)

It turned out that the symptoms — the lethargy, the loss of appetite, even the little cough — weren’t caused by a fatal illness at all. Daisy had picked up a nasty reaction to a type of grass that left tiny spines lodged in her paws. It was painful enough to make her stop eating and moving, but completely treatable.

In minutes, he was working with a nurse to gently remove the tiny barbs, one by one. Daisy whimpered at first, then relaxed as the pain began to fade.

By the end of the hour, she was sitting up, licking my hand with that same curious spark I thought I’d never see again.

The head vet explained that cases like this are rare but not unheard of — and that sometimes, in the rush of a busy clinic, things can be missed. “Always look twice,” he said, more to his staff than to me.

I walked out of that clinic with Daisy curled up in my arms, alive and safe. The relief was so overwhelming it felt almost unreal.

That night, she curled up on my chest and fell asleep, her paws bandaged but warm. I just kept staring at her, thinking about how close I’d come to walking out without her.

And all because someone — at the very last moment — thought to look a little closer.