Messaged a clinic (Animal Medical Group-Nassau) on FB Messenger before they opened, based on comments in a google review on the clinic. Got an autoreply, and then a response within the hour that they could see her at 1 pm, which was perfect because we would be docking a little after 12. They got all of our info and asked us to bring a urine sample. Found and booked a marina that is a 7 minute walk from the vet.
I got Hattie to drink some water while I sat with her and we were underway. I put some water on my finger and she licked it off. Did this for a few minutes and she stood up to drink some water on her own after and perked up a little bit. She just seems sleepy and out of it.
Nassau Harbor Hotel Club and Marina is on the waterway between Nassau and Paradise Island. Nassau Harbor is a main port for the cruise ships, so a lot of smaller boats run through the harbor for various excursions, causing lots of waves, on top of the actual wave, current, and wind conditions. It reminded us of New York Harbor when we anchored by the Statue of Liberty!
Docking makes me a little nervous. Ben always has it under control but my mind likes to play the what-if game, especially when the current and waves are kicked up. Initially, Ben wanted me to follow Hattie around with a ziplock bag to collect a urine sample rather than helping to dock, but I had Bear sit with her in the cabin instead, freeing me up to help with the lines. Three guys were on the dock to catch lines and pull us in. Our slip was between a dock and a cement wall, and the guys were tying us to the dock, but the boat kept drifting closer to the cement wall, requiring lots of loud spoken suggestions from Ben while the guys were communicating with each other about how to best pull and position the lines.
Once we were tied and the engines were off, Ben and I walked Hattie to the vet. We still didn't have a urine sample, so we brought the ziplock baggie and a small Mason jar that Ben sterilized in the microwave before we left. Ben's job was traffic-watching and safety, my job was Hattie-watching and urine-collecting.
Most of our walk was through a shopping center and its parking lot. Each store front had a security guard on door patrol, opening the door for patrons. That made me uneasy, but we kept walking. As we rounded the DQ drive thru, I told Ben I had spotted the vet. I was pointing it out to him and he stopped walking and noticed that Hattie had squatted. I quickly shoved the ziplock under her and collected quite a bit before Ben put the mason jar under for a cleaner catch. I was shocked that Hattie kept going while we were both there under her. His hands were completely dry after, while mine had a few drops on them. I was just excited that we finally were successful in getting the sample, only a tenth of a mile from the vet's door!
When we got to the clinic, we had to ring the doorbell and get buzzed in. I believe this method was in place of the door security person. We were seen by the nicest vet and vet tech. The vet asked how we found his clinic. I told him Google reviews that Claude searched for animals with a UTI, but that the selling point was a reviewer who said they have someone who replies to Facebook messenger after hours, so we could ensure we would have an appointment and not have to wait until 9 am to know.
Hattie had the most thorough exam (including x-rays, ultrasound, urinalysis, and bloodwork) and we, gratefully, got so much information back about her. It took quite some time, understandably, for all of it to process, so some naps were taken. He suggested a few things to follow-up on when we got back home, as well as a few things to just be aware of- based on what he saw. I was given 3 types of medication for her- a dewormer (given only 1 time when we got back to the boat), an antibiotic, and an anti-inflammatory. Before we left, they gave her an injection of the anti-inflammatory, so we will start the pill version of the same thing tomorrow.
While we were gone, Uncle Paul, Moose, and Roo made friends with a man named Honesty sitting on the cement wall by our boat who was cutting coconuts on his day off. He had a small boat full of conch shells that he caught and told them he sells them to anyone but the markets because he doesn't want them making money off of his hard work. He cut open a coconut for Moose, who said it was the best coconut water he has ever had. (He had only tried boxed coconut water once before this. 🤣)
Moose and Roo wanted to swim at the marina pool, so Aunt Denise and I took them for a while. Bear got a little burned on the back of her legs while snorkeling yesterday, so she wanted to stay out of the sun, especially since we will be at Atlantis tomorrow. Uncle Paul helped Ben do a few things around the boat.
After swimming, we came back to the Cartermaran. Ben, Moose, and Uncle Paul went to the grocery store for a few things- mozzarella, milk, and some snacks. We made some pizzas for dinner. When the dishes were done, we walked over to DQ for some cool treats before calling it a night.
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