Tiny @ the vet.

Tiny had a vet appointment today. For the last couple months he's been losing hair on his nose and sometimes it gets crusty and gross looking. It didn't seem to be bothering him all that much so I had procrastinated on making the appointment for awhile. When I finally admitted that it wasn't getting better I called the vet. Besides, I'd rather get it checked out here where he has a regular vet than have to find a new one in LA. So we went. He got a thermometer up his butt, lights in his ears and eyes, and some swabs and scrapings of his nose. Turns out he has a bacterial infection of some kind. Who knows how that happened. He's on antibiotics now that could easily be confused for people medicine. He takes EIGHT capsules per day. They didn't even have enough on hand so I'll have to go back later this week to pick up the other half. I think he needs 168 pills in all. That's for 3 weeks. Good grief. He is also overweight. Now I get to start rationing his food. Fun! I'm also going to start feeding him twice a day instead of once. We'll see how it goes. Lucky for me he'll take his pills right with his regular food. None of that pills-in-cheese business for my big dog!

For most of the visit he was a good boy, but twice he demonstrated his strength. When we were heading back to the exam room he decided he was leaving and took off for the door. He pulled me across the waiting room until his nose was up against the door and only then could I regain control. Dang he's powerful! Then, after we were finished and I was paying, he went after two little dogs in the waiting room. Their owner looked a little uptight and probably went home and bitched to her husband about me. Tiny didn't attack them viciously or anything - there wasn't any growling, heck you couldn't even see teeth! - but he really wanted to play with them! I had to send Tiny outside with my dad to wait for me while I paid so he would leave them alone. This is the reason I will never walk him alone or take him to the vet alone. He outweighs me by like 45 pounds now. He could drag me for miles if he wanted to.

This time next week Mom and I will be in LA. By this time next Monday night I should be tucked into a hotel in Alexandria with some new keys on my keychain. If I let myself think about it all too long I start to freak out.

This month will fly.

S.