Interesting Ears

Buddy went to see the Doggy Dermatologist yesterday for a follow up appointment with it being 12 weeks after he’d started getting his desensitising injections. As usual he didn’t disappoint and was the noisiest and most active dog there – ‘Talking’ at us to make his displeasure known and lying down for all of five seconds and then jumping back up to go under the chairs, whizz round our legs or pop his paws on our legs so he could ‘speak’ to us close up as we really weren’t getting the message.

There was a spaniel of some description quietly minding its own beeswax – actually it was sitting/standing on the plastic chairs next to its owner and Bud didn’t pay it any attention. A young lady arrived with a large black dog and B asked me what it was – I had no idea and the best I could do was say it looked like a BIG terrier but obviously that was no help, it turned out to be a Giant Schnauzer with very interesting ears – I asked – about the breed, Bud made enquiries about the ears which was so cute and funny.

Initially he didn’t really bother much about this dog, he did make a brief introduction but then went back to telling us he’d like to go but then a HUGE Newfoundland arrived and when the Schnauzer started paying attention to it (it had had a good Newfie friend until it moved) Bud decided he’d like to get in on the doggy action. Funnily enough he wasn’t too interested in the Newfie but was suddenly very interested in the Schnauzer and in particular his ears. Bud stood up on his back legs as this was the only way he could reach and started poking his nose in its ear. His owner said that a lot of dogs liked his ears. The next time Bud attempted it he decided there was an easier way than keeping his own balance and put his paws on the other dog’s neck – looking for all intents and purposes just like he was giving him a hug. The second time the Schnauzer thought this was too much and gave a little grumble, not much of one but Bud was being very familiar after all. The Schnauzer wasn’t too forceful however since when he lay down Bud didn’t hesitate to trot over and stick his nose in an ear without effort.

Fortunately we got called in soon after and Bud was able to hare around the vet’s consultation room off his lead. I’m pretty sure she didn’t believe us that he sometimes stayed still at home particularly as the nurse who Bud and B had been seeing for the injections had said how energetic he was. B popped him on the table and she snuck the injection in towards his rear end before he even noticed and he actually managed to stay on the table while his paws were checked, then B decided the easiest way to get him down was to let him go and he leaped onto the floor.

Everything was good and B decided that he’d take Bud back for the next injection at least. Well everything was good until we were waiting to pay and Bud cocked his leg up on the nice ‘free delivery’ display board. In the second before I poked B, as he was hold of the lead, Bud got a noticeable amount out but when I gushed about it to the receptionist she said it happened all the time. Indeed when I brought him back from out trip outside to let him finish off I noticed a puddle on another corner.

With me I’ve been having a bit of trouble over the past week and a bit with hand washing and a couple of other incidents which must be a result of the dexamethasone. It’s been bearable, only a shadow of what happened previously, and is probably worse because its brought back how bad it was last time (which was nearly three years ago) and which I couldn’t believe how much of the intensity I’d actually forgotten. There have been a few poo moments but I think its got easier today generally and I’ve still been able to knit every day, make butties and of course blog.

And today I accompanied Bud and B on their walk which slowed them down but Bud seemed to get quite excited about it and ran about like a loon and did a bit of barking at us, well mainly B, and he isn’t a barker – B and crackers, it turns out, being the only things he barks at, not the door bell . I managed it without a sit down which impressed B and I only had to ask him to slow down the once.

Odd Man Out

I used to love Sesame Street especially Mr Snuffleupagus (or however that’s spelled), the Count counting and Ernie the Grouch – so let’s get all Sesame Street – ‘One of these things just doesn’t belong here, one of these things just isn’t the same.’

Buddy

An orange

Me

Any guesses? Well if you guessed me you’d be right. The connection between Bud and the orange is this…

B has stuck both Bud and the orange with it. After taking Bud to the doggy dermatologist for his allergy related cysts and infections on his paws back in September she suggested that we could try a desensitising vaccine on him. Now I may have been tempted to say no but his paws did look quite sore and there’s also the risk of an infection I could pick up and the other longer term treatment if he needed it involved a medication that I wouldn’t be able to touch, so I said yes.

B took him for his first jab while I was in hospital. The dermatologist said that we could do the rest of the injections at home, there’s about ten in all but B felt that he couldn’t manage it on his own with so he’s been taking Bud back to the vets and the nurse has been doing it. Well, the nurse did the second one and then B did the third under her supervision. On Thursday we took Bud for his fourth and B did that one too. Bud however wasn’t as settled and calm as on the previous occasion – possibly because I was there – and I have to admit my heart was in my mouth when Bud started to wriggle while B still had the needle in. B has decided that he will take Bud back for another one under instruction and then give them a whirl at home.

The nurse had given B the old syringe on the third trip and suggested he practise on an orange which he did. Now when we went to the clinic on Friday I got some anti-clotting Fragmin injections, because of the Thalidomide, and on Friday when I did the first one I asked B if he wanted to do it since both mine and Bud’s are done subcutaneously (under the skin as opposed to into a vein). He declined and maybe it was just as well he did if we take a little looky at the post injection orange…

We make Buddy sick!

As if it’s not enough that we’ve been subjecting Bud to a fish only diet last Sunday/Monday we made him up-chuck!  We ran out of fishy kibble on Saturday night.  B was trying to ration him but I couldn’t take anymore when he was standing on the floor and putting his chin on the settee looking up at me – so he polished off the little bit we had left.

Therefore for his breakfast on Sunday instead of a tin of tuna and some kibble Bud had two tins of tuna.  About an hour later B was sitting on the landing tickling Bud’s tum and then gave him a few solid thumps on the ribs and Bud promptly parted company with some of the tuna – on the only carpet in the house.

We went out to try and get some wheat free, rice free, meat free, basically anything other than fish free food and it was a non starter despite looking at the labels on practically every dog and cat food in the store until B was nearly at screaming point.  Oh, there was a pack of chopped white fish especially for dogs which could be eaten raw (blah!) or cooked but which turned out to be nearly twice the price of the bargain tins of salmon we subsequently bought from the nearby Tesco Express.

For his tea Bud had two tins of bargain pink salmon.  He hadn’t been sick again so at this point I didn’t make the connection between the hurling and the very wet, and possibly too rich, nature of Sunday’s food.  Although he did eat a huge amount of Sea Jerky (the dried, compressed, fish skins treat) on Sunday afternoon since he’d been sick before that I can’t even blame them.  I think he may also have had another tin of fish as a snack!

At 2.42am I was walking through the kitchen to the garage with the duvet cover.  On the odd occasion that Bud has parted company with food in the past he has always made it onto the floor – not this time – in fact I was just glad he’d not got me as the little pile was not much more than a foot from my head!  I actually thought it was worse than it was but the second pile, as seen in the dark, turned out to be the remains of a snowman toy which I’d tried to placate him with in lieu of his bedtime snack.  After a liberal application of Dettol to the actual duvet I went back to bed.

And still I didn’t make the connection so no note was left for B instructing him not to give Bud another tin of fish for his breakfast.  So late morning I was putting the organic handknit blanket that’s not normally covering the seat cushions on the settee in the wash (the usual quilt was drying) after wiping salmony splashes off the laminate.  If we had smell-o-blogging I wouldn’t even consider sharing the aroma, there was a serious risk at one point of me adding to the pile.  And finally along with the last lot of fish the penny dropped.

I did confess to our dietary blunder when we visited the Doggy Dermatologist later in the afternoon and we left with another bag of kibble.  When Bud has finished this one we can start re-introducing food stuff and see how it goes.  The DD was very pleased with the condition of Bud’s paws and I can phone her to let her know how the re-introduction is going – possibly because Bud was, once again, a bit of a disruptive influence in the waiting room.

I think Bud may have cottoned on to the pending lack of kibble on Saturday afternoon.  When Auntie Ann was leaving she called him to get into her car.  Now usually when someone does this he rushes forward but then backs off and only occasionally does he actually jump in.  On Saturday he jumped straight in and then jumped out and went back into the house.  Auntie Ann had got into the car and closed the door otherwise I think he would have got back in and stayed in – as he came out of the house with one of his toys and ran straight to the car all ‘I’m packed, let’s go!’