Mister Sam

3/4/2016

Yesterday, Jeff and I took Mister Sam to the vet because of our concern mainly about how much water he drinks (lots) and that his skin is itchy and he can't stop biting or scratching.  We were bracing ourselves to hear bad news, but in fact received pretty good news.

They did blood work ($$), skin scraping ($$), urinalysis ($$) and we paid for them to cut his nails (worth every penny because we didn't have to do it).  The vet showed us Sam's blood work results, and a red color in a square represented a higher than normal (i.e., red or white blood cells, etc.) number.  Sam only had a few red squares!!  The vet told us that (if were in Judge Judy's courtroom, she'd say this was hearsay!!), for a dog of Sam's age, he was in good health.

The vet believed, and so do we, that Sam has a yeast infection, which makes him itchy, so he bites and scratches relentlessly.  We now have him on an antibiotic three times a day as well as some special shampoo ($$) to use on him twice a week.

When we first married, a hundred years ago or so, we had a $250 limit on how much we would pay a vet to care for our dog.  Okay, fast forward to present day, and we have had to up, a great deal, how much we're willing to pay.  You can't walk into a clinic these days, without the sound of coins hitting the counter as you sign in.  And yes, in case you're wondering, Sam's bill yesterday was over $250, but it was worth it.  We now know that he's in good health and once we get the itching condition to stop, he'll be good to go.  

Pilling Sam is a bit tricky, but luckily he will eat a piece of cheese with the tiny pill tucked inside.  As I type, he's sleeping on the vent by my desk.  Oh, and he's not scratching - that's a good thing.  

P