It's one of those weeks. Had to rush our dog, Grace, to the vet this morning. She started trembling, couldn't walk and her eyes were darting back and forth like crazy. We have a great vet, Dr. Crook ( This is Rhode Island, where nobody can honestly say, " I am not a crook - even pet care angels like our vet ) ...

Where was I?

I had to carry Gracie into the car, but by the time we got there, she was walking, albeit like a drunk slips out the back door of a tavern. Dr. Crook asked me what had happened, took a look at how Grace was presenting. Gracie has a history of seizures. She's on meds and hasn't had one in about two years. To me, this looked like one. The vet said we could get the million dollar workup, CAT scan ( Or, in our case DOG scan, or PET scan - I'm trying to keep my sense of humor here ) MRI, X-Rays, neurological testing, etc. A " mass " in the brain would be one of the things they'd be trying to rule out. Oh great, I thought. Gracie might have a brain tumor.

This workup stuff, if we chose to have it done, wouldn't be done today, or in her office. She mentioned Grafton, Massachusetts. Grafton?

How much would a million dollar workup cost?

" Around four, five thousand dollars, " Dr. Crook said.

Oh great. Just what I need to hear on the day I'm calling the state to see if they're going to give me the money I've been trying to get for the past three months.

Then the vet looked into Gracie's ears. Said it looked like what she was experiencing was Vestibulitis, which is an ear problem. Fluid build up. The eye thing is symptomatic of this, she said. The trouble walking is related to dizziness. By the end of this emergency visit, it was feeling like less of an emergency. Gracie was given a shot. They gave me some pills. ( For Gracie, not me ) . I thanked Dr. Crook and her assistant. Gracie and I stumbled out the door.

Having had dogs for a long time, Donna and I know that eating's the key thing. If the dog's not eating, it's time to worry. I got home and gave Gracie her new pills. With some food, which she ate.

She's eating, I said to myself. Thank God she's eating. The dizziness can last up to two weeks, Dr. Crook said. So Gracie'll be like I've been all week. In somewhat of a daze. Stumbling, trying to find my way.

But hey! I'm eating. Thank God, I'm eating.