Patience Hat

We have an excellent video and fun pictures to post as soon as our home computer gets over its case of the ick. I wish I could share them now because, lordy, she is a cute little chunk of a pup.

We took her to the vet on Saturday to get microchipped (hooray! if only you could LoJack a dog…) and have an exam. The folks at Lynn Animal Hospital were great with her. She was a smidge dehydrated, so they gave her some subcutaneous fluids, and she perked up quite a bit, even as soon as the ride home. Since she’s not eating or doing other digestive-related things, they took an x-ray to make sure all was well in her mid-section. [details skipped for propriety’s sake] She probably just has an upset stomach, so we have some medication for that. Also, since she’s not eating much on her own, we have some rescue diet to feed her via syringe to make sure she gets enough calories.

Ever syringe fed a dog? After one ruined t-shirt, I learned some important things. One, wear an apron. Two, have a lot of paper towels available. Three, be patient. As for the pills, I’m so glad she is a gentle little dog and not a biter. It takes a couple tries, but she gets them down. And then she looks at me with her little wrinkly forehead like, “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!?” and I have to remember that someday she’ll forget all about this and I won’t be Pill Lady anymore, but Treats and Hugs Lady.

She spent most of Sunday under the couch. I had to get her out to take her pills, and since I am solo, I had to devise a cunning plan to extract her. I surrounded her with sturdy pillows and tipped the couch backwards, and voila! She went and hid behind the chair, which is an easier place from which to wrangle her. And now, we have a Rosie-proof couch, surrounded by cushions and various pieces of furniture. You can’t sit on it, but you sure as hell can’t hide under it, either. Kind of a Rem Koolhaas vibe.

Our goal right now is to get her eating and doing certain other things regularly. When Colin gets back, I think we can put her in her harness and go on our first, brief, outside-the-yard family walk. She perks up so much when she’s outside in her natural element, I think it will be good for her spirits.