A little scare, but all the vet did was gush.
I got concerned yesterday -- a Sunday -- when my 16yo Beagle, Sammie, was acting somewhat "off". He seemed uncomfortable and very tight in the back half of his body. I actually looked up emergency vets in my area, but decided to wait until morning.
This morning, Sammie was much better and more his normal self, but his stomach felt tight and he seemed increasingly uncomfortable as 8:00 AM got closer. I called my vet then, and they said they had no hope of an opening today, so suggested I go to my town's ER hospital, especially considering Sammie's age. So, I did.
I had to drop Sammie off and return home, because the ER clinic was so busy, and since Sammie was stable, they said he'd be the last "emergency" treated. So, I had a couple of hours to consider visions of canine insides full of growing tumors, or some such. But when the vet finally called, he spent a while gushing over what fantastic shape Sammie was in, while "obviously old". He then said he couldn't palpate anything that would suggest an imaging procedure would be necessary. He did feel some tender soft tissue areas along Sammie's spine, and said he was probably compensating for his back pain with his stomach and hind leg muscles, hence a tight stomach. While Sammie recovers for a couple of weeks or so (I've already failed at the "don't let him jump on the sofa" instruction), they could put him on medication to relieve his discomfort.
So, Sammie once again reigns supreme in the elderly, slim and trim "unusual Beagle" department. His normal vet always gush over how well he looks, especially for his age.
And I got out of an emergency vet hospital with paying only $115!