Sick puppy

Yesterday, I knew I needed to do laundry. My favorite sweater was covered with a sticky Gatorade type substance from holding Cooper, my roommate’s puppy, while the vet for the cows at the hacienda tried to squirt it into his mouth. Of course he puked it up (as I knew he would) and finally we began giving him fluids and vitamins subcutaneously. I have never been this involved with an animal’s sickness. Even when my own dog Luna was sick in this manner, when her situation became this grave she went to the vet’s and stayed there until she was out of the red. Here, there is not that option. Between Luis the vet, Luis the owner, and myself, we read the directions for the cows, try to adjust it for a dog, use all of our strength to hold this poor little puppy down who is tired of being messed with, and hope for the best. Today is the first time I feel sure he won’t die. The perrito negro next door died on Monday, his sister was also very sick (but now is fully recovered), and Jota Jota has been missing since Sunday- the day the other dogs got sick. No one knows what it is, but a virus is suspected. Cooper has been vomiting for four days now, and as I looked at the aftermath of another night, I knew action had to be taken. I hauled all of the woven reed mats outside and was shocked by the amount of catzas, these June bug type insects that fly at the windows at night, were dead under them. I hauled the cover off the couch, and flung it into a pile with my dirty clothes. After the stone floor was swept and mopped, I went to find Rosa to tell me how to clean the mats, and how to use the lavendaria a piedra. She looked at me quizzically, as I have access to a normal washing machine, but only when it is not in use by the hacienda. She showed me how to turn the faucets on using a spoon, how they put all the dirty stuff in a tub with soap, and then rub it on the stone as the water comes out to rinse it, and then she left me alone. An hour and a half later, back very sore from bending over, I was done, and everything was hung on the line. Then it started to rain.