Saturday at the vet's

King has been having gut issues for the last couple of weeks. Upchucking. Dirt and mulch eating. I had changed his food over the last few months--spoke to the vet last week, and she said to go back to his old food, along with rice and we would take it from there.

Well, after improving for a few days, he started eating dirt/mulch/vomiting again. This morning were his and Mickey's senior exams, and I admit I wasn't looking forward to it. When King had his stomach emergency in June, the vet told me that they could only biopsy the inner lining of the stomach during endoscopy. Any further tissue sampling, like of the middle lining/outside of the stomach, would need to be done via exploratory surgery. That of course wasn't done because we treated for ulcer and he was fine. I was concerned that something was missed.

Welp, King is being treated for a gastric ulcer. The vet even said that he had an ulcer personality--King hovered around her and licked her face as she worked on Mickey. A dog that didn't have an ulcer personality would have gone to the other side of the room...like Mickey did.

Anyway, blood tests should confirm, but the vet could tell when she examined King's belly that he was tucking/protecting/not comfortable. If it were pancreatitis, he would carry himself differently, which I thought was interesting.

So, light bland diet for two days, with drugs--after that, I can gradually add in his dry food. Drugs for the week. His edginess/frantic urge to eat stuff/leg licking should abate as his stomach discomfort eases. Should see this in a day or two. Vet said that stomachs heal fast.

At some point, I will be getting rid of what mulch remains and replacing it with the dog-safe stuff. Apparently age doesn't matter--I thought a few years of rain and weather would leach out/degrade any treatments in the wood, but apparently not.

King is zonked out in the corner of my office. Poor guy is exhausted. Mickey, meanwhile, has his own stuff to look forward to--Thursday I take him in to get his teeth cleaned. He will also have a fatty tumor removed from his whatsis. Nothing serious, just a dangly bit that has become pretty unsightly over the years. It looks, to be blunt, like one testicle that's attached too far forward.

I have a massage appointment later today. I will need it.

As luck would have it, November is a three-paycheck month. They know when you have money.

Saturday at the vet's

King has been having gut issues for the last couple of weeks. Upchucking. Dirt and mulch eating. I had changed his food over the last few months--spoke to the vet last week, and she said to go back to his old food, along with rice and we would take it from there.

Well, after improving for a few days, he started eating dirt/mulch/vomiting again. This morning were his and Mickey's senior exams, and I admit I wasn't looking forward to it. When King had his stomach emergency in June, the vet told me that they could only biopsy the inner lining of the stomach during endoscopy. Any further tissue sampling, like of the middle lining/outside of the stomach, would need to be done via exploratory surgery. That of course wasn't done because we treated for ulcer and he was fine. I was concerned that something was missed.

Welp, King is being treated for a gastric ulcer. The vet even said that he had an ulcer personality--King hovered around her and licked her face as she worked on Mickey. A dog that didn't have an ulcer personality would have gone to the other side of the room...like Mickey did.

Anyway, blood tests should confirm, but the vet could tell when she examined King's belly that he was tucking/protecting/not comfortable. If it were pancreatitis, he would carry himself differently, which I thought was interesting.

So, light bland diet for two days, with drugs--after that, I can gradually add in his dry food. Drugs for the week. His edginess/frantic urge to eat stuff/leg licking should abate as his stomach discomfort eases. Should see this in a day or two. Vet said that stomachs heal fast.

At some point, I will be getting rid of what mulch remains and replacing it with the dog-safe stuff. Apparently age doesn't matter--I thought a few years of rain and weather would leach out/degrade any treatments in the wood, but apparently not.

King is zonked out in the corner of my office. Poor guy is exhausted. Mickey, meanwhile, has his own stuff to look forward to--Thursday I take him in to get his teeth cleaned. He will also have a fatty tumor removed from his whatsis. Nothing serious, just a dangly bit that has become pretty unsightly over the years. It looks, to be blunt, like one testicle that's attached too far forward.

I have a massage appointment later today. I will need it.

As luck would have it, November is a three-paycheck month. They know when you have money.

Autumn

Frost advisory tonight, with freeze warnings to the west. I've got a loaf of banana bread baking. Not a classic fall recipe, but the pumpkin-chocolate bread recipe asked for things I don't have.

Trick or treaters came through--we do it early here. Only 6 9 kids came through. I live at the end of a dead end street and not many folks venture down this way. Oh well--them as didn't missed out on Kit Kat bars.

King has been sleeping for most of the afternoon. I hope this is because the stomach-coating med is starting to work, the discomfort is easing, and the tension with it.

I think the Buffy Halloween episode tonight. At some point, I need to get hold of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I used to watch it every year, but I haven't seen it in ages.

Autumn

Frost advisory tonight, with freeze warnings to the west. I've got a loaf of banana bread baking. Not a classic fall recipe, but the pumpkin-chocolate bread recipe asked for things I don't have.

Trick or treaters came through--we do it early here. Only 6 9 kids came through. I live at the end of a dead end street and not many folks venture down this way. Oh well--them as didn't missed out on Kit Kat bars.

King has been sleeping for most of the afternoon. I hope this is because the stomach-coating med is starting to work, the discomfort is easing, and the tension with it.

I think the Buffy Halloween episode tonight. At some point, I need to get hold of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I used to watch it every year, but I haven't seen it in ages.