Because he's a shepherd

When I first went to the shelter to meet Rugger, they showed me pictures of how he looked when he first came in. His fur was gone, his skin was infected, he looked like hell. Maybe I should have been shocked, but I've seen this before. Patch, Jasso, they both looked like that, and those are just the most recent two that come to mind. What those two had in common with Rugger, aside from the stink, is that they are all German Shepherds. Although Rugger looks 97% better now, I also knew that the underlying problem hadn't been addressed and the condition was likely to recur, because he's a shepherd.

And so it was. I've noticed just in the few days that he's been here that Rugger was beginning to scratch himself more and that he was beginning to smell. It's a smell that I'm all too familiar with so I called and made a vet appointment that we went to today. His ears are infected as well as his skin, although most of it was bacterial rather than yeast, which surprised me a bit. They filled his ears with that stuff so I don't have to give him ear drops, and I got antibiotics, and the relatively new miracle allergy medication, Apoquel. I'm switching him over to a limited ingredient dog food based on the belief that the underlying problem may be a food allergy, because he's a shepherd. Of course, it could be environmental allergies, because he's a shepherd. It will likely be a condition that needs to be managed, because he's a shepherd.

Shepherds may be absolute pain in the ass dogs when it comes to dealing with the multitude of chronic medical conditions that they champion, but damn it, they are also the most singularly loyal and devoted dogs I've ever known. Just when I think, why would anyone want one of these nutjobs?, I'm reminded that they are everything I love about dogs.

Is this dog winking at me?

I took Rugger in just a few days ago, played ball with him just a few times, fed him regularly, and have hiked with him just once, but he already thinks I hung the moon. He was nervous at the vet but he trusted me. He was all in my face, clinging to me for security, looking for me to protect him. The vet and vet techs offered him treats that he wouldn't take from them, but he took the same treats from me. Because he's a shepherd. We will work through his medical issues and he'll make someone a great dog, because he's a shepherd.