A few years ago, our one-year-old golden retriever puppy, Madison, started vomiting and stopped eating. She became alarmingly lethargic, which led us to believe she had swallowed something that was now lodged somewhere in her digestive tract. My husband took her to a veterinarian, who kept her overnight for observation.
The next day the vet called to say that they had been monitoring her situation through X-rays and could see an obstruction. They watched her throughout the day, and later told me they needed to perform surgery immediately, or she would die. We were fearful, and our children were devastated. The vet suggested I come by and see the X-ray, emphasizing that the obstruction was completely blocking her digestion and had not moved in the last 24 hours.
On the way to the vet’s office I called a Christian Science practitioner for help, as it came to me as clear as a bell that with Christian Science I had a sure and safe way of handling this emergency. I asked the practitioner to pray with me that day and throughout the night, as I fully expected to bring Maddie home with me and for our family to rely on prayer for healing. But I also asked the practitioner to help me pray to be humble enough to do the right thing for our dear dog—to be open to whatever course of action was kindest for her.
