My husband Ralph and I own a nine-year-old boxer, Maxwell. Our good neighbor Don Clendenen has called him “your child.” This may be true, as our grown kids and grandkids live in far-away states.

Recently, Maxwell and Ralph were concurrently sick. Maxwell was treated at Avalon Animal Hospital in Franklin by a DVM. Ralph was treated in Lebanon by an MD.

Kristi Graf, Maxwell’s doctor, gave him his first pill; we were to continue poking them down his throat twice a day. We brought our dog/child home, then, after several spitting-it-outs, got one down.

Later in the evening, Ralph read “No Alcohol Consumption, No Driving” on the label of the pill bottle. Opening my purse, guess what I found? Right! Maxwell’s prescription. It was too late to call Dr. Kristi, but the following morning she said Ralph’s pill would not harm a dog.

We decided to give Maxwell his canine prescription for a change. Unable to get one down his stubborn doggie throat, crushing them seemed the only answer. My concern over loss of a crushed pill’s potency was met with, “We’re not calling the vet to say we made another mistake.”

Both patients have recovered nicely. Rhonda called from Avalon Animal Hospital to check on Maxwell. We’re all delighted that Ralph didn’t take a dog pill and that emergency mouth-to-snout resuscitation was unnecessary.