Dog Day Afternoon

Cookie could use some Carlos Ponce right now. 

Our day today did not go as planned.

Today I was going to take the dogs to doggy daycare, and then I was going to sand and paint a long overdue project.

However, when the husband returned from the dogs morning walks, our Rocky wasn't his normal bouncy happy in face self.  Rocky is, ew, a "licky" dog.  Rocky loves to lick me, husband and guests. He has a fondness for licking behind ears.  And most mornings are spent sitting strategically to prevent said lickiness.

But this morning, Rocky was, well, limp.  His tail was down and he wouldn't jump up on my lap.  He also was licking, or even attempting to lick even when offered.

I got concerned when I saw him swallow hard, and since we are up on our shots and see the vet at least twice a year just for a good look see, I called to have Rocky looked at.

He pepped up for a late morning walk, and lapped up some water from his bowl, a very good sign.  When a dog refuses to drink, that's a bad sign.  His eyes were bright, his tail was up, but something was off.

So we went to the vet, and Kevin decided he had to go as well, so I had his anal glands expressed - why waste a trip, right?

Rocky did well with the vet, all his vitals were good, but then the vet got to his mouth.  Rocky's tongue was burned and his throat was raw.  His tongue looked like raw meat in splotches.  I felt like a knife went through my heart.

Then the questions came forth.  Did he chew through an electrical cord? Did he lap up any household chemicals?  What about antifreeze?  I answered I didn't think so (he did that once as a puppy and never again after that shocking experience),  no and good God no!

I was horrified.  We pride ourselves on keeping a pet safe home.  We feed the dogs good food.  We interview their toys like the CIA interviews applicants. We even interviewed the vet and the daycare until they begged for mercy.

The only thing that we can guess is that he got something on a walk, quite possibly some sort of chloride product used to melt sidewalks.

So three hours after going there, we left with instructions, three prescriptions and a television appearance for Kevin - I'll let you know when the little ham will be on TV.

So Rocky is eating and drinking, and thankfully we only have to pill him once a day.

And we are watching where we walk him like a hawk.

We were scheduled to fly to Boston this weekend, but with the Noreaster coming in for Friday, that trip is off.  Instead you'll find us snuggling with our Rocky, and Kevin, too.  Of course.