If you have been following along on my mom’s blogs, you’ve probably seen pictures of me swimming, and usually with a stick. I am a retriever after all. Once we hit the Great Lakes, I’ve been swimming, swimming, and swimming – sometimes two or three times a day, fetching those sticks that I love to retrieve (and then chew up in pieces). The water is cool and clear and I so look forward to swimming each day.
Yesterday, I was taken to a doggy doctor. Why you ask? Well, I have always had some kind of allergies that make me itch. For awhile now, I’ve had a bald spots under my chin and on my neck and it really tches. Mom gives me a pill each night to help the itchiness. But lately, it’s been itching more and I’ve been losing more hair on my neck, even moving down to my chest. Oh oh. Going to the doggy doctor isn’t a big deal. I stood brave when the doctor scraped off skin on my neck to look under a microscope. She mentioned I might have mange. That doesn’t sound good especially when she said they are little mites. No way do I want little bugs on me! She came back and said good news, no mange. Whew! But she did see some redness and I might have an infection, so she prescribed antibiotics. 21 day’s worth. Yuck! Oh well, if it helps. And then the words I did not want to hear. NO SWIMMING! Seriously? No swimming? What’s a retriever to do, living on a boat, surrounded by beautiful water. Maybe Mom will give in when I give her those sad puppy eyes.
As we walked back from the doggy doctor (it was hot out and a long, long walk), Dad let me swim. Yippee! I will be able to swim. Life is good. And then it happened. Mom and I went for our morning jog-sniff-jog-swim and she said no to swimming. She said the doggy doctor said no swimming for 7 days. That’s a long time! I tried the puppy eyes, then pulling her over to our swimming spot, and when those didn’t work, I just sat down and didn’t move. Let’s just say that didn’t go over well. So, reluctantly I moved past our swimming spot and trotted through the remaining walk. Mom said the doggy doctor said 7 days of no swimming, Dad said she said two weeks. I wonder which one it will be?
So, my life as a retriever is put on hold (at least in the water). Maybe I can milk this and get more trips to dog parks to retrieve balls. It never hurts to hold out hope.
Tootles,
From your mange-less Murphy.
