Bath Time for a Sick Puppy

Part 1: The Sick Puppy

2 weeks after adopting our dog, Lady,  we found out that she was positive for heartworms.

I didn't know at the time how serious heartworms were. I thought they was on par with fleas: something you don't want your dog to have but more of a nuisance than anything else. Turns out, they're life-threatening and they're all over this region.

No one I knew ever had a dog with heartworms in Illinois or Indiana but everyone I talk to here has had a dog with them or at least knows someone who did. It's not really a surprise once you think about it. Heartworms are spread by mosquitos and, if there's one thing this area has, it's mosquitos (and chiggers and ticks and cockroaches...)

At first, we were really upset that the animal shelter mailed us her positive results 2 weeks after telling us that she had been tested and was completely healthy. Treatments cost around $800-$1,000 and are pretty miserable for the dog. I almost cried a few times thinking about if anything happened to her. It may sound pathetic, but Lady was the absolute BEST part of my new life in North Carolina and losing her so soon after falling head-over-heels would be devastating.

But then we realized that we got her from a kill shelter and that if they had seen her paperwork, she never would have lived for us to adopt her in the first place.

It's all about perspective.

So, here we are, a few months later. Lady has recovered from her treatment (2 low-level injections of arsenic!) and we were able to use money from our granny set up for my sister to cover most of the vet bills. Thanks, Granny!

Sadly, Lady can't run or get too worked up until after Christmas. And this girl lives to play fetch. Chasing tennis balls is her calling and she answers that calling with a vengeance.

But today we found an activity Lady can do: GET A BATH!!


Part 2: Bath Time

Since Lady's been wading in nearby Shelly Lake most mornings for the last few weeks, we figured she could probably use a good scrubbing before we head home for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

There's a local pet store called Unleashed that offers self-service tubs, products, supplies and even a grooming table for $15. If you live in Raleigh, I definitely recommend this place!

When you use the tub, you get access to their brushes, combs, nail clippers, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, eye cleaner, ear cleaner, ear lotion, paw & nose lotion, flea spray, de-tangle spray... anything you can think of and even some things you would never think of. And we used all of it- even the stuff we didn't really need. It was just so fun to use all these products for free!

Well, it was fun for us. Lady didn't enjoy it quite as much until the end when we dried her off and bought her salmon treats, the only kind she'll eat (she came pre-spoiled, it's not our fault). 

Very dry and happy girl. Notice how the tail is a blur?

On the blogging horizon: 

-A video of my dog playing with her new toy that only I will think is cute

-A post that isn't just about how much I love my dog