New Parent Syndrome

I worry. A lot. I worry when I don't think I'm worrying enough. I know Lloyd worries, too. Luckily we seem to worry about different things at different times, which makes it a bit easier to cope. 

When our son, the dog, is involved, Lloyd seems to worry more than I. And that's quite an accomplishment!!

Dieter's a picky eater and has been from day one. When Dieter turned one, we started weaning him off his puppy lamb and rice and introduced a grain-free salmon kibble our trainer swore by. "Meh," said Dieter. "I'm holding out for those yummy freeze-dried liver training treats...oh, and be a dear and keep the Pup-perronis coming, too, would'ya?"

We had Dieter in at the vet to get his Bordetella treatment and got him on the scale. He'd lost some weight, but the vet said Dieter looked fine and was in the proper weight range. Then we were at a doggie birthday party at the local Two Bostons and Lloyd got Dieter on the scale again. Oh no! A Lloyd panic! Dieter had lost more weight.

Here's where I didn't panic. I suggested that maybe it was the difference in scales. "Oh no," claimed Lloyd, "there's something wrong. So back to the vet to weigh the hound where Dieter weighed the same as he had when we last had him in. I was right about the scales! About the same time Dieter started (grudgingly) eating his food. The vet was right, too--no dog is going to starve himself to death.

I loved the breeder's comment: "Tell Lloyd to get a good night's sleep now that the crisis is over." (These folks are going to start charging us for doggie therapy advice!)

Fast forward a month or so and I discovered a little lump on Dieter's shoulder. To be sure, we took him to the vet. Not to worry, he said, it's a sebaceous cyst. Just put some peroxide and Neosporin on it. The next day Dieter was running laps in the snow. Lloyd spots some blood--a torn toenail. I call the vet  to discuss this newest discovery while Lloyd applies peroxide. The vet tech tells me it's pretty common and shouldn't be a big problem.

As we were talking I look over and see Dieter throwing up all over the family room--he'd  swallowed the peroxide. The tech talks me off the ledge--"Yup, that's what we give dogs if they've eaten something they shouldn't have and we need them to throw up."

Clean up in aisle nine commences. Lloyd says "Oh no...that's undigested food from last night. He hasn't eaten this morning." So it's call #2 to the vet to discuss the latest discovery. Bring him in just to be sure, they say--we're closing at noon (it's New Year's Eve day).

The good news: The vet felt nothing amiss in Dieter's abdomen. To play it safe, we had x-rays done. So maybe Dieter's just a slow digester. And the toe nail? Try covering his foot (see video below of the attempt to cover his paws with his Muttlucks).

And for sure his parents are trying to learn to better gauge medical emergencies.If for no other reason: it was an expensive week for Dieter's parents.