Think Lilly is out of the woods on this crazy spider bite? Alas, think again. Monday, Tom helped me take BOTH dogs to the veterinary hospital. Ginko for his wellness exam. Lilly for her recheck #2. The saga is still NOT over.
Tuesday morning we awoke to a debate between me and Tom over the size of Lilly’s spider bite lump. I said it was bigger, maybe 10%. Tom said it was the same as the night before. Possible surgery hung in the balance. Terrified to make the wrong decision, I waited and waited.
So, we now knew that Lilly suffered a spider bite and ensuing infection. But, we’ll never know what kind of spider or where or how it happened, but she needed treatment and fast.
Yesterday, we continued the story of this mysterious mass I found on Lilly’s neck while awaiting a routine veterinary exam. Today, let’s move on with the diagnosis of the sudden onset (possible) veterinary emergency. Fair warning … if you are squeamish at all.
Not the best day. Monday. About mid-morning, I locked myself in a small, dark room and fought off an anxiety attack. I had to. With a feature article deadline looming and several more in the wings, my day, my week, boasted no room for a breakdown. So, when Lilly seemed not herself Monday afternoon, I assumed she mirrored my mood. I was wrong.
Many thanks to Kevin Meyers for writing an open letter to Good Morning America, called Dogs Don’t Do Guilt, after the show featured the “guilty dog” from the viral video, perpetuated dog behavior myths, and glossed over what is really happening in the video.
On the advice of our behaviorist from Colorado State’s veterinary school, Lilly has taken both chlomipramine and xanax/alprazolam twice a day, every day, since summer 2008. We didn’t just drug our canine heroine, though.
I’ve written about it before. We’re a family of nibblers around here. Lilly nibbles on me. Ginko nibbles on Lilly, and sometimes because she is just so sweet I cannot stand it … I sometimes nibble on Lilly, lightly with my lips (no teeth). It’s true.
In week 5 of the 2010 Never Shock a Puppy dog blog campaign, we offer a few ideas on how to get your dog to COME when you call. The main post started to get REALLY long, so I’m continuing one idea here. And, it is this: Playing FETCH is a great way to practice recalls every single day. We even made a little how-to video (see below).
One day last week after dinner, the dogs and I wandered around the upper pasture so that they could get some supervised time outside. This summer’s rattlesnake encounters mean they get little to no time outside alone. Everything was going great, until the @#$@ FedEx guy pulled up and did about the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.
