Battlefield Canine Doctor

I haven’t often blogged about our aging Weimaraner, Lucy, but she’s always been a playful, loyal companion and an awesome family pet.

Over the holidays Lucy had a real scare. She could hardly make it up & down the stairs, she had both an ear infection and a respiratory infection and her paws were swollen beyond recognition.

Fast forward through antibiotic treatments and diagnoses of arthritis and hypothyroidism and she’s made an amazing turnaround. For a pooch who was on death’s door (or very close) she’s made a near total recovery.

Which isn’t to say everything is perfect. One of the side effects of her thyroid issues has been hair loss. One of the side effects of hair loss is me proactively combing out patches that are nearly falling out any way.

Well I should have followed the Hippocratic Oath because my meddling in medicine made things worse. Now, as the hair has grown back in, an itchy Lucy has scratched herself silly and given herself a gash that’s pretty gruesome.

We’ve been cleaning it nightly, washing it and treating it with peroxide but tonight I had enough. Disregarding the fact that I’d already caused enough trouble, I went to the medicine cabinet and returned bearing some neomycin, a gauze pad, an Ace bandage and two butterfly clips.

I’ve approximated some form of World War I dressing more suited for Snoopy’s aerial battles against the Red Baron but what’s good for one dog is good for another, right?

The patient is resting comfortably now and is camera shy, but my handiwork is visible below.

I’ll keep you posted on the patient and the physician. I’m not too sure which one of us is more concerned about the outcome.

She really is a fantastic dog, that Lucy. I’d bandage her wounds any day.

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