Thinking your dog is sick is one of the most terrifying feelings for pet owners, and when golden retriever Lucy started acting strangely, her owner rushed her straight to the vet.
One-year-old golden Lucy is the adored pet of Lauren, 29, from Wigan, England, and she instantly noticed when her pet wasn’t acting right.
„During the night, she was barking, which she has never done. It was very out of the ordinary,“ Lauren told Newsweek, adding she instantly began giving her attention to find out what was wrong.
In the morning, she wasn’t herself; she didn’t eat her breakfast, she wasn’t playing,“ Lauren said. „I was thinking of the worst possible outcome of what was going on, so I rang the vets, and they booked us in for an appointment straight away.“
But while Lauren was fearing the worst, Lucy completely perked up at the veterinarians, with the owner describing her as a completely different dog.
„She was wagging at the receptionist, she was up on the desk saying hello,“ Lauren said. „We sat down and another golden, Enzo, had come in for his nails done and it was basically playtime. She was so happy.“
A video shared to her TikTok account @lucythegoldenretriever showed what happened as they were waiting at the vet’s office, with Lauren writing: „Rushing to the vets thinking my pup is poorly, only for her to act like this.“
Beginning with Lucy’s fiercely wagging tail, it then showed the pup noticing the other golden and barking with excitement, before the clip changed to the two of them getting introduced to each other.
And playtime didn’t end there, as Lauren said: „We went into the vet. She was giving him [the] paw; she was giving him cuddles. He did a full checkup and said she’s a really healthy dog.“
As for a diagnosis? „If anything, she’s attention-seeking; she knows if she barks, she’ll get cuddles and love at 2 in the morning.“
The veterinarian told Lauren that Lucy has „learned if she barks that she gets plenty of belly rubs whenever she likes, even at 3 a.m.“
Lauren added: „She was basically playing us for some extra love and cuddles!“
Lucy’s videos have gone viral multiple times, with some of her clips racking up over 1 million views each.
In the case of the vet trip, commenters shared their own stories, with one writing; „It’s a golden thing.“
Another posted that their own dog loves the vet, so much so that, when he’s sick, he still looks „so happy and doesn’t look ill at all.“
And one commented that Lauren that it was „better safe“, and she was right to bring Lucy to the vet just in case.
While dogs don’t have the words to tell us if they are unwell, there are signs. The American Kennel Club (AKC) Pet Insurance says owners should look out for changes in their urination or drinking habits, a loss of appetite, weight gain or weight loss, and changes in their personality.
Coughing, hair loss, stiffness, pale gums, changes in their eyes, vomiting or diarrhea can also all be warning signs that something is wrong.
In Lucy’s case, she was thankfully completely healthy, with Lauren telling Newsweek: „She’s a little monkey, honestly.
„But we are relieved that we have a happy, healthy pup!“ she added.
As for her dog’s viral videos on TikTok and Instagram, Lauren said it is „nice to know Lucy’s bringing a little joy to other people with our little videos.“
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
