It’s not metaphoric at all – Simon was one sick puppy yesterday. He’s better today, thank goodness. But yesterday was messy, stressful, and thoroughly awful.
No early sign of sick puppy
It was a normal morning in the Sister Shack. All four dogs ate their breakfasts, pottied outside. We had a fun little training session. Fran left for work. (Friday is Hope’s day off.)
I (Hope) was planning a fun day. I love baking and was planning to make Fran’s birthday cake. Red Velvet cake has been our family’s traditional birthday cake all our lives. It’s a process, but a fun one, if you like baking.
There were a few errands that needed doing (we were out of milk!), so I took the butter out of the fridge to soften while I ran them – planning on coming home and getting the cake-baking going.
Sign of trouble
The first sign of trouble was the smell that hit me when I got home. I was hoping for the best at first – one of the dogs might have been unusually gassy. No such luck.
Simon had rather violent diarrhea. We crate the puppy when we’re not home. That wound up being a good news/bad news result. Good news – the mess was confined. Bad news – the puppy and his crate needed bathing, fumigation, and I needed a nose plug.
Clean up
The first order of business was to get him out into the yard and see if the issue was over, or a continuing problem. The latter, of course. Tango, Booker, and Torque were kind of puzzled by the situation but avoided the stinky puppy. And cooperated when I needed them back in the house and away from the mess.
Next? Telling his mom (Fran) that we were in crisis mode. It’s never fun to call a baby’s mom to tell her the puppy’s sick.
And then Simon got a bath. Generally speaking, Simon is an active puppy. Truthfully – he’s a perpetual motion machine. Fortunately, he was more curious about the water, bathtub, and bath process than afraid or worried. Fifteen minutes later – he smelled much better.
Nose plug time
Simon dried off with nice clean bedding in one of the other dog’s crates. Cleaning the crate was next. I have no idea how all surfaces were targeted, but it even included the ceiling. Further detail isn’t required – I’m sure all dog owners (and parents of human babies!) can imagine the rest.
Off to the vet
When we knew the vet was open for afternoon hours, I delivered Simon to Fran. He’d had several more episodes in the meantime. All outside. He was a very good boy and let me know when it was time to make a dash for the great outdoors.
Our wonderful veterinarians got him in right away. He obliged by spewing for the doctors. You know veterinarians are a different breed. Instead of scooping it up as fast as possible, they pored over it like it was a clue in a mystery novel. Which, to them, it was. Simon obviously ate something he shouldn’t have and we have instructions for a restricted diet and medication for a few days.
Duh! Of course it was something he ate
It’s always something they ate. And we have no idea what it might be. We don’t use any chemicals or fertilizers in our yard. But, even though we live in a very urban area, there’s tons of wildlife: squirrels, birds, rabbits, possums. Who knows what they carry in? Not to mention how many assorted mushrooms have sprouted in this incredibly wet season. And Simon is a grazer. We try to keep an eye on him – but with four dogs running around the yard and a next-door neighbor dog that charges ours, it can get hectic.
The best-laid plans
So the day went sideways. Birthday cake didn’t get made. Butter is back in the fridge. Meals didn’t get made. That’s okay. Because Simon’s better today. Subdued, under scrutiny, but hopefully on the road to recovery.
I usually resist the title “pet parent.” But when the baby’s sick, either human or puppy – it applies. Everything else is put on hold. As it should be.
