Helpless and Hopeful

"I see noises."

It is with pure exhaustion and helplessness that I type this post today. My princess has been sick since last Thursday and I'm convinced taking care of a sick pet is one of the hardest things I've been through. I know it seems silly and minuscule and maybe I'm overreacting but I can only hope I can look at her 10 years from now laughing about that time she pooped all over my small apartment that now has that awful hospital clean scent. Thursday, I came home expecting to clean the usual pee out of the cage only to be bombarded by the smell of diarrhea and vomit. I quickly cleaned everything with a wincing grimace, figured she ate something that morning, and we went about our day. The next day I woke up to 2 different spots of waste by the door. She had clearly been up in the middle of the night. This continued for 2 more days and sleepless nights as I began to worry. Usually these kinds of things start clearing up within 24 hrs but it just wasn't going away. And of course, the day I began to worry the most was a Sunday. Do you know how many vet offices are open on Sundays? Next to none unless you want to pay double the price of everything and rush to the emergency veterinary hospital. While I definitely considered that option, Leia's personality, eating habits, and spunk hadn't changed so it seemed okay to suffer through a couple more cleanups and runs outside to wait for Monday's appointment. The next day, my adorable tail wagging pup pranced right into the vet's office with her usual hop-up greet when she sees new people. After the wonderful ten minutes of "new patient" forms, we were brought to the back where we were finally asked what was wrong with Miss Leia. I explained every aspect of her illness. I showed them a bald spot that I noticed on her neck, the awful potty problems, my belief that she didn't get into anything, and everything else I could think of including my thoughts and conclusions from a few Google "your dog ate something funky or she's dying a horrible death" searches. After all of that, they weighed her and took her temperature. She had no fever but had lost 2.5 pounds... quite a lot for a usual 18.5 pound skinny thing. Next, the doctor went over the options: do a skin scraping and wood's light test which totaled about $70 in addition to the already $30 stool sample or skip straight to blood work and x-rays which totaled about $370. I opted for the skin scraping and wood's light test as they took away my poor baby again. The stool came back with no positive sign of parasites. I'm still unsure of whether or not this is a good thing. On the one hand, great! No parasites! On the other hand, what the heck is wrong with my dog?! After that, the veterinarian said he opted to deworm her anyway, just in case. The skin scraping and wood's light test (aka a freaking black light they charge you $30 to turn on!) came back with demodectic mange. Apparently, all dogs have demodectic mange from the time they're born;

Leia's Demodectic Mange Outbreak

therefore, when it appears on the skin, it's a sign of a poorly developing immune system. The veterinarian said they usually recommend spaying dogs that have this issue because it's a clear sign they shouldn't be bred. Of course, Leia, my little rescue dog, is already spayed. So, a few tests, 3 medications, and $188.26 later... I ended up with a vomiting dog last night and nearly no answers. She threw up in the bed, on each side of the bed, and by the door. I barely slept and I'm still full of worry. I called the vet back this morning to find out if I need to be more concerned that my dog's food is now coming out the opposite end. I was informed that as long as it was just that time, it could have just been the stress and medication from earlier. Now, I sit here at work scheduled to leave early because I can't stop thinking about my poor dog and I can't call her to see how she's doing. So, for now, praying my pukey puppy can sleep through the night and afraid of what I'll be going home to today! May the force be with us.