Untitled 282

Untitled 282.  Pastel.  Approx. 6" x 5".   Purchase information: jala [at] jalapfaff [dot com]

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 I haven't posted for a while. Been dealing with crazy weather (more extreme cold, more snow) and with this:

Mojito developed something called a "hot spot." That's not such a serious thing per se (cured by antiobiotics and by letting it heal without him licking it), but the problem was, he wouldn't leave it alone. 

We tried the cone (as I predicted, he was absolutely terrified of it and I can't watch him panic; he's an extremely sensitive dog), we tried a donut cone (it unfortunately still allowed him to reach the wound), I tried various experiments with socks and gauze and tape...

The actual, vet-applied professional bandage you see on him here was on for only three days, then the idea was, take off the bandage and just make sure he doesn't keep licking the area... But he did.

So, that became a rather time-consuming issue for me, along with dealing with things like: a) we had to go back to the vet for more antibiotics and steroids, because he had made it worse after the original bandage came off; b) you have to make sure the bandages don't get wet--and it's snowing pretty much every day lately; c) the steroids make him drink tons of water and have to pee often (see b, above!, so I'm changing bandages many times a day); d) I had to do a lot of experimenting to figure out how to give him his pills (the ideal way, I have now determined, is via ricotta cheese).

Anyway, the wound is looking much better. If he leaves it alone for just a couple more days and quits being naughty removing the bandages in the middle of the night, I think we might be in the clear. Of course, it just keeps snowing and I've already had to make two pharmacy trips to buy more gauze...  Moji adores costing me money, and this has already been a very expensive hot spot, so pray no third trip to the vet!

And I've also been trying to manage Gadjo's Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome, which inexplicably went from maybe 15 minutes a day to almost constantly. He was on steroids as an experiment, which worked pretty well, then the plan was to taper him off the steroids slowly. The first day I started tapering, he had a relapse, poor baby, and we were back to square one. Steroids reinstated daily, and as of today, he seems to be doing better again. I'm not supposed to taper again for weeks or months, so that he doesn't relapse instantly again.

Rumi, in the meantime, has decided to start losing weight again, ever since his urinary problem. No new ideas on the weight-loss problem yet.

Sigh. 

I love them all so much. But why must they make me worry so?

Oh, and I have a cold. Waah!

The heat-vent twins.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com