Dog’s scratch takes big bite out of his wallet
The dog has allergies. Our faithful and normally happy house canine, Ladybug, has been scratching herself raw, creating patches where the fur is thinner than normal and driving everybody in the house nuts, even the cats.
Pepe, the oldest of our three pets, just looks at Ladybug and hisses. Not all the time. But enough to say, “I wish you’d stop that.’
We took her to the veterinarian and the diagnosis was “inhalant allergies.’
That means when Ladybug breathes in the same pollens, dust, spores, etc., that we humans breathe in she gets the same sniffles, sneezes and snorts so common with adverse reactions to these minute foreign particles.
The solution: an expensive regimen of antibiotics, antihistamines, a fatty-oil capsule for her skin, a shot of cortisone and weekly baths with a special shampoo.
One pill the dog will have to take “probably for the rest of her life’ the vet told us, cost about 90 cents each. She has to take two of those each day.
Well, I began searching the Internet for a less costly supply of the stuff. Which took all of about 10 minutes to find. And, yes, it’s in Canada. It’s true what we have all been reading and hearing for some time now that drugs in Canada aren’t as expensive as they are here. Why? Who knows.
However, instead of having to send off to the north for her drugs, I negotiated a deal with my local vet to get the pills in greater supply for less money. That suits me. Apparently there is a discount for quantity. She won’t take her pills unless they are wrapped in peanut butter, so there is one more expense involved in her treatments.
Meanwhile, I have that other chore – giving Ladybug a weekly bath. During the summer months, I have tried to give her a good soaking and soaping at least monthly. To which she has always balked. The infrequency of bathing allowed me to get her outside before she knew what was going to happen.
Now, as soon as I stand up and walk to the cupboard where we keep the doggie shampoo, Ladybug tries to hide. She is a large dog so she’s never very successful. She has tried hiding on the bed, in the bathroom, on the floor between the coffee table and the couch. I think she figures if she can’t see me, I can’t see her.
She will also run to my lovely wife and cower next to her, thinking she (my wife) will protect her from the nasty man carrying the towels. That never works because my wife will just point at the dog, coo to her and then let me do the dirty work.
I have had to use some of my scant brainpower to gently move her from in to out so we could get the bathing over with.
Ladybug is catching on to all the different forms of subterfuge I have used to get her out the back door and into range of water. At first, I just waited until she had to go out. Then I followed with my tools.
That only works if the weather and Ladybug’s bladder are in sync.
Then I tried the old “C’mon girl, let’s go out and play.’ That worked once.
I was finally forced to resort to getting her special treats, the ones she speaks, sits, rolls over, lays down and washes the car for – all at the same time – to tempt her outside. She likes those things so well that they have worked on the last three baths. I don’t understand what the appeal is. I tasted one and it was rather bland.
Anyway, with all the treatment and expense and water she still scratches, although not nearly as much as she did before we took her to the vet. Which leads me to the next level of treatment. Aloe vera.
“Why don’t you try rubbing some aloe vera on her tummy,’ my wife said.
Hey, the stuff works for all kinds of skin irritations and if she licked it off, it wouldn’t hurt her. I got a soft cloth, poured some aloe vera gel on it and looked for the dog. She loves to have her stomach rubbed so it was no great task to apply the gel.
She didn’t lick it off and it seemed to quell the scratching. I realize it’s not the total cure, but it sure helps give peace of mind not to see her incessantly digging at herself with her paws or teeth.
She will still have to take the antihistamine and get her baths during the warm, allergy months. And now I’m looking for a source of aloe vera gel.
Know anybody who sells it in 55-gallon drums.
Like I said, Ladybug is a rather larger dog.
Have a good day.
E-mail: jpletcher@heraldstandard.com.