Seven Months

(aka Sucks to be Us or Fuckin' A...)

7 months
70.2lbs (according to the scale at the vet I never wanted to go to ever again)
26 inches tall

Saturday, after much trial and error with the Battle of the Recurring Skin Condition That Hasn't Ever Completely Gone Away Despite it Being SIX WEEKS Since the Great Hives Incident and the grass pollen count finally dropping, and twice-weekly bathing with various medicated shampoos that seem to help, for a time...

We switched Kal to a different food. It's the only other thing that's been consistent since we got him, that we haven't altered. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to do it (although had it been up to me, that is not a food I would have chosen in the first place). My mom was the one who said "Well if he's been on that same food all this time and nothing else has worked..."

I was going to do it on my own, without saying anything, honestly. I was going to just order the food I thought he should have been on from the beginning since it was time to re-order puppy food, anyway.

DH had briefly entertained switching a few days prior, and even said he was going out to buy it that evening, but then (even though I printed a coupon- which happened to be expiring that same day) decided "he has enough food for now, and he's doing better..."

I told him what Mom said, and Saturday we went out and got the food.

I'd done a lot of reading of reviews in the meantime, and pretty much all of them were from people who said "We were feeding [the same food Kal was on] and our dog had skin issues/diarrhea constantly, so then we switched and, voila! No more issues!"

Hmmm....

We should be celebrating, right? Since the food switch on Saturday the skin outbreaks seem to be calming down. No new eruptions, at least.

And all of the fur he lost from the hives has finally grown in, his flaky skin is much improved and his coat is looking really pretty, even and appropriately shiny and the right color. Finally.

And then, today happened.

We got jumped by a black German Shepherd today. Out of nowhere. Did not even see him coming. Of all of the potential dogs on that street (and it's the quietest one, which is why I've chosen to walk down it almost daily FOR THE PAST YEAR), I was not even aware of that dog, or concerned. In recent weeks, another dog on that same street has slipped her collar, and we've wisely kept our distance. As early as last week, I noticed the larger of two (seemingly happy, friendly) dogs inside a chain link fence at another house was actually able to stand up, with his paws on the top rail, and could probably get over if he wanted to... and they live next door to a very sweet, well-behaved pitbull (also in chain link) who has never barked at us as we've passed by at all. Then there's Lily, the Basset hound, on the opposite side, who cheerfully bays her hellos when we pass, and races around her back yard to bid us adieu from the other side once we cross her driveway. She's who we were looking at when we got attacked.

I am fine, save a ripped back fingernail and a huge, soon to be ugly, bruise on my behind.

This dog landed directly on Kal's back, out of nowhere, and latched on.

Poor puppy. He looks like a big dog, but his mind is still just a 7-month-old baby. He did what babies do in those situations, turned submissive. Flattened. Never even fought back. I could not get in between them or get the dang dog off of him.

And then the other dog showed up.

Thankfully, that one was more like Airlie, thinking they were putting in their two-cents while really only just getting in the way.

I finally got us out of the middle of the road.

A lady driving by had stopped (after the dogs had darted right in front of her car), and, after a while of debating what to do, I'm sure, laid on her horn. I think she turned around and actually drove TOWARD the other dogs, while honking, trying to do something.

At about that time, a neighbor came out of his house.

At this point, Kal had given up, was curled up on his back, trying his best to protect his belly, and I had started punching the aggressor and was about preparing to let loose a flying kick (knowing from previous experiences that it would not have fazed him in the least). My punch did nothing. I was actually about to bodily insert myself. I don't care about being bitten. I never have. I'm not afraid. I'd stopped repeatedly screaming "SOMEBODY HELP!" and switched to "OH, MY FUCKING GOD, WHOSE DAMN DOG IS THIS? SOMEBODY COME AND GET THIS DOG!"

I heard the neighbor call the dog's name.

The dog stopped. Retreated.

I don't know if he was put inside the house, or back in the yard.

I don't know how he got out in the first place.

I began asking the neighbor what he knew about the dog's history.

The neighbor's wife brought out a bottle of water.

The lady still waiting by her car, who had gotten out to offer us a ride home, left after I thanked her. 

The people across the street brought Kal a bowl of water.

The owner came out, apologizing, offering to pay for vet care, seeing if we were ok (nice, considering the past 3 times this has happened to me over 12 years, nobody came at all).

I asked to see vaccination records. Noted her address. Got her name and number, and the neighbor's name.

I honestly thought I could just walk home, bathe Kal with the medicated shampoo to clean his wounds, and then be able to make it to work as usual, just without walking the girls.

Thank God I haven't been able to walk all 3 of them together, anymore, or it could have been much worse.

Thank God, I guess, that it didn't happen 30 minutes later, when I was walking the girls, because people are dropping off their small children at one house, where someone cares for them while the parents are at work.

Kids are walking to school during this time, as it is!

Not great that it happened to us, just that it could have been so much worse.

The owner explained that the dog was one they'd adopted from a rescue, when it was scheduled to be euthanized.

Probably for the same reasons as what we experienced.

She regretfully stated that she and her husband were not equipped to deal with this type of thing, and that the dog would be euthanized. She would talk to her husband as soon as he got home today. They'd really hoped to help this dog, thought they'd made progress, but had already had to cease playtime with a neighbor dog that came through the fence, and now she was worried about her own, 8-year-old GSD.

Kal was actually interested in sniffing/meeting her, in spite of everything- and eager to finish his walk home.

I ended up texting my boss' boss (my boss is in Canada this week), asking for help securing a sub for my class, texting DH, all the while getting Kal's bath ready.

DH wanted us to go to the vet.

I called and they could see us at 8:45.

DH wanted pictures, which were not easy to take since Kal isn't that great (yet) about sitting still for photos.

I tried to call the number the neighbor gave me, to let her know we'd be going to the vet (I'd already told her which one, just in case).

"This number has no voice mailbox set up yet..."

I called two more times.

I really feared she'd given me a bad number or was blowing me off- as nice as she had been.

I sent her a text, and then I really did have to get changed, get Kal, and leave.

We ended up in the same exam room that Leo and I had been in, when I'd taken him in when he was sick last.

Seeing the same vet.

I honestly never intended to go there ever again, but they are very close by, and they have all of our information.

Now I wish I'd thought to take him to Dr. Schultz, instead, since she's been caring for him and everyone all this time.

Oh, well. It was fine, and the vet techs are nice, and also helpful, and informative.

Honestly, I feel the vet techs know so much more than the actual vet, in this particular facility.

I was finally able to take some non-blurry pics, with the tech's help, and send them to DH.

The neighbor lady called, and promised to call the clinic and set up payment. She also said she'd already talked to her husband, and that the dog would be put down by Friday.

We were there for two hours (just like with Leo), but Kal was good, and easygoing and everyone fussed over him and loved him and he didn't have a bad experience at all. He got shaved, so they could see the extent of his wounds, and irrigate the deep punctures. He has pain meds for 5 days, and antibiotics for 14 days.

They discovered yeast infections in both his ears, in the process, and I had that and the meds for treatment put on a separate tab. I figured he had as much, as it goes hand-in-hand with food allergies. Thing is, they're finding out it's better NOT to put medication inside ears, just leave them alone, and the body corrects itself, once you deal with the thing (allergy) that is causing the overgrowth of yeast. I already had a feeling his body was just overrun with yeast. I could tell from reading articles and looking at photos that that was what he was experiencing.

So, here we are again, another sick dog, more daily meds... and we were going out-of-town for the holiday weekend... Looking forward to Kal being able to play with Mom & Dad's dog, Nala, who hasn't had a playmate since Jax passed away, and Kal hasn't had one since he got too big to play with the girls. It was going to be really nice not to have to keep all of the dogs separated (because of Leo and Nala) and to be able to let them mingle.

Now it's going to be another weekend of everyone being crated inside the whole time.

I haven't been able to relax and truly enjoy a visit back home in I don't know how long...

Nala happens to be a German Shepherd so... paws crossed for no lingering ill effects of this whole thing.

Especially since Kal is smack in the middle of a crucial fear period where any sudden anything can effect him for life.

And yet, all day,  he's been himself, living in the moment, wanting to play with his sisters, racing around the yard (when he shouldn't be), constantly trying to do things that his wounds currently prohibit him from doing.

He'll have to rest tomorrow, instead of walking.

Lord knows what I'm going to do with him, then. Walking at least took some of his edge off. Now he can't do that, AND can't play with anybody... How am I going to get through the rest of this week?

The girls didn't get walked today at all, so they are on edge, as well.

I need to make dinner. I didn't even get to eat all day, today. My only options are wine, and pancakes... that's all that I have the makings for, until payday on Friday.

So, I'm going to drink some more wine, before I play with fire-

because the stupid stove is gas and I somehow already singed part of my hair at some point last week...

When is this crap going to stop happening?