Last week Walter was in the living room with our dog Jody when we heard Walter cry out.
He was petting Jody while she was furiously scratching at an itch around her ear when suddenly a big clump of hair flew off of Jody’s head and onto the ground.
Walt came into the kitchen with this little clump of hair, followed proudly by Jody, who didn’t know why we were making a fuss, but apparently perceiving that the fuss was about her.
Jennifer and I looked at her ears, and sure enough, there was a little bald patch at the corner where her ear and top of her head connect, and there was a tiny cut that was bleeding.
We cleaned the cut, put Neosporin on it, and kept watching it.
On Saturday morning when we went over to South Carolina, the cut was still pretty much the same, but later on my dad called. He was staying with Jody and just wanted to make sure we knew about the cut on her ear. Apparently after we left, she started scratching it even more, which makes sense since it was starting to scab over by this time and was probably itching her.
But by the time we got home just a little over 24 hours later, she’d itched so much that she added a few more scratches and made the bald spot worse.
So as soon as we got home, Jennifer went right back out to get her a protective cone to keep her from scratching.
We were surprised how good she was when we put the cone on her, but it took her awhile to get used to it. She’s been bumping into corners, walls, the boys, us, and just about everything else. It also took her awhile to figure out how to lay in such a way that she could put her head on the ground.
This morning when I was working out, it was pretty obvious she was sad about the cone, and she stayed about a foot away from me the whole time.
The cone of shame was apparently taking its toll.
At one point I thought I’d give her a break and take off the cone, but it took less than 30 seconds before she started scratching the ear and I had to put the cone back on.
This afternoon after our show, I took her outside and washed her head really good with special shampoo and I think she actually enjoyed it (she normally hates baths). There was no sign of infection or irritation, but we’re watching it closely since the vet can’t see her until Wednesday. Hopefully by then it’ll have healed up even more.
In the meantime, Peanut Butter helps.
Ha Greg, the part of the chunk of hair on the ground… makes me think of your last ever visit to the Golden Arches ;-))
Oh yes, I remember that podcast; and I miss it…
Good luck & God bless!
Ludwig, oh, just thinking about that story makes me want to laugh out loud! I miss the podcast as well. Oh that is too funny! Thanks for the memory : ) Glad I’m not the only “old timer” here : ) — Adrianne
If peanut butter doesn’t do the trick, ice cream will only then she’ll itch and overweight.
I hope that Jody has a speedy recovery so she can lose the cone!
Peanut Butter always helps!
Our dog Luci had to wear the Cone of Silence once, as we like to call it. She bumped into things for awhile, then was able to get used to it. Wish I could use it for patients sometimes.
Did Jody go to the vet?