September 30, 2013

White Dog sneezed; then again; a third time. The unusual amount of rain we have had has made our little desert town into an oasis of green...complete with pollens and allergens and hay fever. Her watery eyes and drippy nose told the story. Benedryl time, Steve announced as he handed her the tablet piece hidden in a piece of buffalo meat.

After his workout as Ambassador for the White Dog Army at yesterday's event, Oso had been ready to sleep soundly and awaken late. Unfortunately, Nuka needed him during the night so he, like Steve and I, he got little sleep. When we finally got Another White Dog comfortable after sunrise, our Little Man curled up in a ball next to the bed and hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign over his head.

Poor Nuka has once again been hit with a pancreatitis attack. We have for several days been hand feeding her watered down bland food because of her lagging appetite but during the night her System exploded with diarrhea several times (of course in the bedroom on the carpet in the main traffic aisle so immediate rug shampooing was imperative) before she was empty and moaning in pain. Thankfully she retained her interest in water so dehydration was not a problem. We applied ointment to her bottom and rocked her until she fell into an exhausted sleep. Dr. Julia returns to the office on Tuesday and Cindy is out on vacation for a week. Fortunately there is not much that can be done for the attack but we'd hoped for something to stop the rushing bowels. On our own, we resorted to the Blog world standard: watery rice (congee) and pumpkin. Nuka lapped it up without prompting and fell back into a heavy sleep. Her tummy sounded MUCH less angry.

I discovered last night as we readied for bed that I had stayed too long in the sun at Sunday's Paws To People Event. The fair skin on my face, ears, and especially the back of my neck were scorched and so uncomfortable. I have slathered After Sun on the burn until the summery sweet smell makes me want to scream, but the burn particularly on my neck is irritated every time I move my head. And of course, that is the shoulder Nuka wants to cuddle against.

YoYoMa stepped up to the plate as White Dog's Second in Command and issued a stand down order for the day. Every pup, and we humans, were ordered to take it easy and relax with a focus on re-energizing and recovering.

I, for one, do not need to be told twice.