Sometimes, however, I go into the shop on a Saturday to work on the books. Saturdays are a favorite day to be there because it's quiet. The phones don't ring often and we rarely get foot traffic. I tend to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.
This past Saturday I had planned to go and get caught up on paperwork. I was just about to leave when Ron notices a huge bump on our dog's front paw. Apollo is getting old, he's 9 1/2, and his arthritis is getting quite noticeable. He licks at his wrist and the licking causes small raw patches.
Usually it isn't a big deal. We try to keep an eye on his licking but apparently he did a number on the area overnight while we slept.
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| poor guy... |
I immediately called the vet and made an appointment for the same day. It was a good visit-except for the bill. Apollo has lost 15 pounds. He's gone from a high of 147 down to 132. The staff love Apollo and he loves to get the extra attention.
The course of treatment was to make a small incision to let the blood ooze out, keep the area moistened to prevent it from scabbing up too quickly, warm compresses twice per day, antibiotics and a pain reliever for the arthritis. We had a follow up appointment scheduled for a few days later on Tuesday.
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| Apollo caught the clamp |
Another benefit of owning our business is that we can take Apollo to work with us. A favorite game of his is when we place a clamp on his collar and he chases it trying to get it in his mouth. He's gotten quite good at this game.
Tuesday afternoon came quickly and Ron took him in for his check up. The technician said everything is looking good and to keep up what we're doing. He goes back on Saturday for hopefully the last time in this round of visits. He's a great dog and likely our last one. We want to keep him as long as we can!
Here's a short video of Apollo playing Chase The Clamp!
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| He's just a big, happy boy! |
I'm a happy dog....I'm a happy dog
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a manager I was fine with staff bringing their friendly dogs to the office, and it was always a happier place on those days :-) Glad the treatment is having the desired results (Tessa says the vet left out "Rub his belly every hour" as a requirement for fast healing).
ReplyDeleteSince it's just the two of us it's much easier to bring Apollo. Although he is a nice, well behaved dog, we have to be careful when customers come. He is, after all, 132 pounds of Rottweiler.
DeleteTessa is absolutely right! And Apollo agrees with her recommendation.