Rugger with cat and vet

When I gave Rugger a bath last week I noticed (in addition to the smell) and he still had bare, crusty skin on his belly and the inside of his legs. I scheduled a vet visit, which was Tuesday, but on Monday we went into Charlottesville to meet a cat.

Clay's mother has a cat who likes dogs. Several of her neighbors walk small dogs in the area who occasionally stop by. I've taken Maya there on several occasions, including extended visits when Maya was turned loose in the house. The cat is curious and interested in any dog I bring by and we've done this on several occasions, always with the new dog on leash, of course.

The cat, Portia, met us at the door as she always does. I had to push her back so Rugger could come inside. The dog saw the cat and saw Clay's mom, Berta, and went immediately to Berta, ignoring the cat. Rugger is a very friendly, sociable dog. We went on in and pushed the cat encounter further, because that was why we were there. The dog basically preferred to ignore the cat and stay away, but even in close proximity made no aggressive moves. That's about as good as it gets. Of course he didn't see the cat run, and that can sometimes trigger a reaction from a dog.

We returned to Charlottesville the next day for the vet visit. Diagnosis: skanky (my term, not the vet's). We got antibiotics to treat the skin infection and I'm going to do the medicated baths at least twice weekly on the infected areas of his skin. The good news is that what coat he has looks good, he was up to 81 pounds, and his ear infection was cleared up. I'm also going to start keeping Rugger indoors most of the day. Being outside, often on damp ground, in this wet, muggy, and buggy environment is probably not helping his skin.

The real challenge with Rugger is going to be finding an adopter who will be willing to take on a dog with allergies that will need to be managed and perhaps require further diagnosis and treatment for the rest of his life. It's not impossible to deal with, but it can take a while to find the right combination of food, meds, and treatment to make Rugger thrive, so it will require the right person.

Rugger's preferred response was to ignore the cat.