This wasn’t a frightened animal adjusting to change. Fear didn’t explain the weakness, the tremors, the collapse. Whatever was wrong with him lived deeper than nerves or memory. It was written into his body, and it had been there for a while.
At home, the dog vomited almost immediately after drinking water. He tried again minutes later and retched once more. Sam cleaned silently, heart sinking as the pattern repeated with unsettling consistency.