Worried
Our sweet Sophie is ill. And it took 3 vets to come to that conclusion today. What is wrong, exactly, we don’t know. Neither do the experts. We just know that it isn’t good and in a weird coincidence of numbers, she’s now on 3 new medications that may or may not make matters better.
What I do know, is that I’ve become the person she hates. Despite the fact that IZ took her to the vet(s) (where they did unspeakable things to her!), I’ve been the girl administering meds. Specifically the eye medication that she hates! Not that I like it either, I’m completely eye phobic. However, she sees me coming and immediately runs and hides under IZ’s desk. Or perhaps, it’s because I’ve given her two baths in as many days. Either way, I’m not exactly popular.
I’ll spare you the details, because I doubt anyone other than the vet is interested in my dog’s fluids and symptoms. Let’s just say we woke up to a very ill dog this morning and THANK GOD for my husband whose sense of smell is not mine. I wretched just giving her a bath, I can’t imagine how he got through the rest. This is all to say, it’s been a LONG day, full of no answers and a great deal of worry on our part.
Anyhow, this is an old photo of our darling. I’m projecting like mad here, but I don’t think she’d especially appreciate a photo of her looking like hell. And like hell is how I describe her at the moment. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling. She’s a wreck, who adores my husband and will still wag her tail when he comes into the room. Otherwise, she’s passed out in an over-heated lump. And, when she is deep in sleep, I sneak up and kiss her on her lovely terrier face that I adore more than I have words for. . . and then I put more meds in her eyes. Because hate me she will, but love her I do and this, this is the hard price of love. Sometimes, we just don’t get to be popular. Not even with the dog.
Sometimes we have to do the hard stuff and be worried.
August 17th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
It isn’t your fault she had already become conditioned to love guys. It has nothing to do with you personally. And she *does* love you. But welcome to it. Next dog we get - you can keep her for a month while G and I hit all the disney parks between California and Tokyo…
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Heh… worldwide tour of disney is the bargain, eh? Hmm… I’ll keep it in mind.
~W
August 17th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I’m so sorry about Sophie! She is charming in that photo and I can see how you would worry after her. Best to your sweet family!
P. S. I hope I didn’t offend you with my double entendres at Vicki’s place. My father savored the bawdy puns of Shakespeare and passed that zeal on to me. ;~)
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Heh, I’m hardly that easily offended. ~W
August 17th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Thinking of you and Sophie.
If it’s a kidney problem, email me. I hAve experience.
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Thanks… I’ll keep you posted. ~W
August 17th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Wende! Just catching up from comment and twitter after being out all evening. Do you have any idea? How is the eye issue linked to her GI fallout?
I hope you get some answers soon or better yet, a good response to the medication. Animals are surprisingly resilient and can spring back as quickly as they get ill. I hope tomorrow is a better day for Sophie.
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Best guess it it’s all related to an infection she has in her eyes. She’s still running a fever and is a bit restless. Can’t seem to find the right spot to rest, but the tail barometer is that she’s feeling a wee bit better. ~W
August 17th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I can certainly understand your worry; luckily, as parents, we’re already conditioned to being “unpopular” when we do what must be done. I have a double dose of that since I’m a teacher–maybe you do too since you homeschool. I am hoping for the best for lovely Sophie.
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Well, I suspect it’s worse for you with more students… however I can’t get away from mine, so maybe not. Thanks for the concern. She’s such a love and so sweet, it breaks my heart to see her miserable. ~W
August 17th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
OH SOPHIE! OH WENDE! I’m SO sorry. Poor little girl(s) ~ I’m sending my loving thoughts your way ~
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Thanks Paula…~W
August 17th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I am so sorry.
I hope you find out what’s going on.
*hugs*
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Thank you! ~W
August 18th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Awww, poor Sophie. I hope she feels better soon. In the meantime, I’ll send lots of pawsitive vibes your way.
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Thanks, Cap. We can use them. ~W
August 18th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Here’s hoping that Sophie recovers soon!
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Indeed!! ~W
August 18th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Poor Sophie, I hope she’s feeling better soon. Hang in there.
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Me too! ~W
August 18th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Update us, honey! Poor little thing.
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Sophie is on a bunch of meds and we won’t know for a few weeks. Her eyes are severely infected, with loss of mass—but what’s causing that is an unknown. As well, she has skin issues that don’t seem to be related to her other conditions, so she’s being treated for that as well. Once the infections are under control, it’s possible she can have surgery that will help prevent future infections in her eyes. For the moment, we wait and hope the meds work with minimal side effects. ~W
August 18th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Wende, Please … please …please…. if you are not doing this already, please take her off of traditional dog food and start feeding her “real” meats & proteins & rices. That has made all the difference in our dogs. During the pet food recall, we lost 3 pets to “unknown” illnesses. Now we feed our pets only the healthiest foods, including our own chickens that we raise for meat … including the bones. Eggs are also a great source of protein, and we switch it up daily for them. So far, so good
And even Oprah’s Dog Vet says that pet dogs should only be given real meats - not canned or dry foods. (Just in case you needed celebrity validation 
I hope she feels better soon. You too!
Love,
Jodi
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Oh, right there with you. Sophie has never been on traditional food because she’s allergic to most of the stuff in it: wheat, dairy, sugar. She can’t have carrots or nuts or anything yummy. Poor baby. ~W
August 19th, 2007 at 5:11 am
Oh poor Sophie - I hope she recovers quickly. Sprite just saw Sophie’s picture, pointed, laughed, and happily squealed “A Bear!”
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I think she looks like a bear as well. It’s that muzzle of hers. And thank you! ~W
August 19th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Poor sweet girl - sending lots of good and warm thoughts your way, and hoping that she feels better soon.
I don’t know if it’ll do any good, but we had a purebred terrier that had the same kind of allergies, and some auto-immune and skin issues that we managed for awhile with a bunch of different things. If you’re at all interested, you’re welcome to email and I can pass on some of the things that we did that seemed to help, although you seem to be on a number of them already.
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Oh, Jenn… thank you! I’m open to new stuff so I’ll send you an email. It’s true, these terriers are susceptible to auto-immunity ailments and at this point we’re hoping for the best. Thanks so much for your comment.
~W
August 19th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I do hope Sophie feels better soon.
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Thank you!!
~W
August 19th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Poor little Sophie. Perhaps it is just a bug? I hope she gets better.. Poor dear heart.. She looks like a stuffed animal, how precious! xxo
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We’re hoping for the best as well! ~W
August 19th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Sophie: Feel better!
Wende: Be good and you will be lonesome.~Mark Twain
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That reminds me of the Tallulah Bankhead quotation: Only good girls keep diaries. Bad girls don’t have the time. That used to be my tagline when I first started blogging! ~W
August 20th, 2007 at 6:54 am
SHe is in my thoughts and prayers. I know everyhthing will work out just fine!!
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Thanks, Sara! ~W
August 20th, 2007 at 7:46 am
Oh darn. I’m so sorry to heat about Sophie. Here’s to a speedy recovery and that she is feeling well soon. I hope your hurt feelings recover soon, too.
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Me too! And thank you.
~W
August 20th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Hugs to Sophie!
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Thanks, Pam. I appreciate that.
~W
August 20th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Still no Sunday sermon??!!
No worries. Every day is the Lord’s day according to Luther…
http://www.oldlutheran.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=LB
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Oh my. If I wore sweatpants or shorts, I might just need those!
The sermon is probably on hiatus for a few weeks…the vicar who writes this blog is going on vacation. 
~W