The cold weather is getting harder to bear.  I dread walking out of the cozy cave in the mornings.  It seems that Bea and I are not the only ones that don't want to leave the den to come to the clinic.  We mostly had the place to ourselves. 
Mother did get to solve a challenging puzzle.  Fizz, was a 3 year old Jack Russell that came in for a second opinion.  Fizz was having trouble getting the kibbles down, and he would cough and gag after trying to eat.  The last pet doctor that saw Fizz had given him some medicine for a sore throat but it hadn't helped. 
Mother took a look at Fizz and noticed that his throat did seem swollen, but from the outside, particularly the left side.  Mother convinced Fizz's parents to let him stay for some pictures on the black and white table.
Of course, Fizz was not one to sit still for pictures.  Fizz was a typical Jack Russell terrier in that he liked doing things his way, and was not one to listen to suggestions.
Mother drew up a special pinch with Fizz's name on it, and shortly Fizz was snoring away.
The black and white pictures showed mother the cause of the sore throat  Fizz had a sewing needle lodged in his throat.  Since Fizz was already asleep, it took only a quick peek with a light and some tools to get the needle out.  Fizz woke up quickly, content to have the needle removed from his throat.

 He didn't speak as much as I expected afteward, but mumbled something about it "being about time".
Fizz's parents were happy that the problem had been solved, but not nearly as happy as having the needle back. "I've been looking everywhere for that" Fizz's mom gushed, "I didn't even realize that Fizz had been in my sewing room".
For me the most incredible part of the story was realizing that people other than my mother use tiny metal sticks to sew things other than pets.  Well, they say you learn something new everyday!