Rainy Day Vet Visit

It was a good day for a vet visit. It was raining all day so we didn't miss a walking opportunity by having an afternoon vet visit. I'm playing catch up with a couple of dog vet needs.

Max was due for his annual heartworm test (negative), and the kennel cough vaccine. Max can't ever seem to focus when he's outdoors, but inside he's pretty attentive, especially if food is involved. They had a bag containing some particularly smelly dog treats (fish flavor) and Max went directly to the bag as soon as we walked into the exam room. I've forgotten what his weight was, but it was good. They drew blood for the test and cleaned his ears out. I knew the ears were bad because I've been seeing him shake his head when he comes indoors. I really need to clean them regularly. They were very bad but they got them cleaned out and packed with that stuff that you just leave in there to treat the infection. That has always cleared them up in the past and I hope it does so again quickly.

I also picked up a box of a new "calming" product to try along with his prozac. Max will always hear the beat of a different drummer, but we have worked out a routine for him that allows him to function as part of the household. Once he settles into the routine he sticks to it and everything operates pretty well as long as we stick to the routine too. Max is 10 years old now. He's still an incredibly good looking German Shepherd Dog, but I noticed today that he's beginning the spring shed out. It's time to start brushing in earnest before we are knee deep in shepherd fur in the house.

Maya was part of today's visit too. She wasn't really due for anything but she's got a growth just below the inside corner of her left eye that I wanted checked out. The result of that checking is that it's going to be removed and biopsied next Friday. Maya was particularly nervous at the vet today and wasn't too happy with me when I allowed them to take her to the back to draw blood for the pre-surgery blood work. She was very happy to be back with me.

I also brought Serena along, mostly so she'd have an adventure today, which wasn't going to happen at home due to the rain. She stayed in the van until Max and Maya were finished. They must have told her horror stories because when I opened the back of the van to get her out she had absolutely no interest in leaving the warm and comfortable safety of the van. She's usually eager to get out and see something new, but the other two dogs must have warned her. I had to drag her out of the van and into the vet's office. All I did was get her on the scale, so maybe she ended up thinking that the other two dogs had exaggerated their experiences. Serena weighed about 110 pounds, which I think is perfect on her.

Serena is on the scale here. I took a picture of the
display so I would remember it. It was jumping around
between 108 and 111, so I'm calling her 110 pounds.

This is the new product I'm going to try on Max. It's a powder
given once a day sprinkled over his food.