Just When I Thought Things Were Going Well...

We may have made it a year between eye vet appointments... but in the last week we've sure made up for it.

On Tuesday I noticed that Dingle had green discharge from both of his eyes so I knew Dingle had eye infections.

The eye vet was closed at this point so I called his regular vet.

Luckily they were able to 'prescribe' Tobrex for the eye infections, without seeing him (thus saving me like $75). They did this because Dingle has had eye infections (and Tobrex) in the past... so they knew I was aware of what was an eye infection.

So he's been getting Tobrex since Tuesday night and the green discharge had almost went away when today's issue came up.

I went to bed at about 9am (I work nights). Dingle was fine, eyes looking good.

When I woke up at 3pm I discovered Dingle would not open his right eye. At first I thought it may be because of the eye infections - perhaps some discharge had 'glued' his eye shut. I washed it with warm water and gave him his Tears Natural II meds to see if I could flush the eye out incase there was something in it. That didn't help.

After I had showered he still wouldn't open his eye so I called Downtown Animal Hospital. Luckily they were able to fit us right in. They stained his eye and when they did it was very obvious that Dingle had a 2mm (ish) ulcer on his cornea. This was caused by trauma - perhaps Dingle scratched at his eye or he bumped it.

I don't think it was because he scratched - as his eye infections weren't bothering him and ever since we started treatment to the KCS/PRA almost 2 years ago he hasn't really been bothered by his eyes.

I think that he did bump into something in our bedroom. He doesn't see all that well in low-light situations and I do have room darkening blinds so it's quite dark during the day.

I feel really bad for him because it's clear that his eye is bothering him. After reading up on corneal ulcers online I learned that they apparently hurt like hell.

Hours after we got home from the vet he was still keeping his eye shut. The corneal ulcer solution we have for him is supposed to help with pain... and hopefully it will.

He has to get that special solution (that they mixed up at the vet) 6x a day, roughly. It has an antibiotic in it as well so we can discontinue the Tobrex... in that eye at least.

I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of drops he will have to get for the next few days.

Dingle will get Tears Natural II and Cyclosporine in both eyes twice a day.

Then he will be getting Tobrex in his left eye 3 times a day.

Finally he will get the corneal ulcer meds in his right eye 6 times a day.

I will be busy.

He has a re-check on Tuesday evening. Hopefully it will have healed or have shown improvement... and not be a situation where he ends up needing surgery.

Dingle's back to being a cone head dog again... so that he doesn't make his eye worse by scratching.

Poor little guy.

It was weird because after we saw the vet I pulled out my bank card and the vet suggested I just wait and pay it all on one bill on Tuesday. I found this odd because I've always paid after each appointment... even if they have known I'll be back. I had a moment of "they obviously trust me to show back up and pay my bill" but at the same time I also thought "maybe I am being spared the shock of the cost of this visit". Ha ha.

Whatever the cost may be it won't compare to the leg surgeries.

Plus that's what pet insurance is for. It was funny because while at the vet my Blackberry buzzed and 3 Emails from Trupanion (formerly Vet Insurance) came through saying that they had processed our claims for Cyclosporine, tear tests and the Tobrex.

Now I'll have another for them next week.

Trupanion is so worth the $50-ish a month.

Sleeping in the same bed as a dog that smells like Ketchup is gross.

It seems like I only have time to write in this blog when I'm at work... when it's a quiet night and I have some 'down' time.

What's new in the world of Dingle? He stinks like Ketchup.

I like Ketchup.

I like Pomeranians...

...but together, it's gross.

I came home from work this morning and Dingle decided that he wanted to sleep in the bed.

Usually Dingle wants to sleep anywhere but our bed (or in any of his 4 beds for that matter...)

Dingle will sleep half-under the bed... with his ass hanging out (ignore my boyfriend's mess there)




Or if he's lucky he'll tunnel his way underneath the bed... like in this picture where he's behind my boyfriend's pajama pants, beside the wall and in front of the storage bins.

Note: I think he likes to sleep under there because of his failing vision. The vet believes he has little vision at night... so I think Dingle may want to sleep under there because he feels safe and protected.

When he's not under the bed he's usually on the hardwood floor. Geeze Ding, you have so many beds, but you choose the floor.

Anyways, today he was in the bed and all I could smell was ketchup.

Why?

Well on Earth Day we went downtown to get our free Brita pitcher (they were handing them out... to get people to stop using bottled water).

My boyfriend and I took 2 of the dogs with us, for a little outing. While in the awful, awful long line (I don't think I'd do it again) my boyfriend had a hot dog - which was loaded with ketchup, mayo, onions, etc.

Well, before my boyfriend finished the hot dog, a huge drop of ketchup fell... right onto Dinglehopper who was sitting underneath him.

The pug/bulldog that was with us didn't seem interested in licking it out of his fur. I found this crazy, because that dog eats/licks anything. Literally... anything, don't get me started on that one.

I wiped it out as best as I could, but it was like the ketchup got lost in a maze of fluffy pom hair.

When I got home Dingle had a spot wash... so he's clean, but the ketchup smell continues to linger.

Of course this all happened only 1 week after his $60 grooming.