Phoebe had to go in for her Kennel Cough vaccination this morning, in preparation for boarding. You see, we’re going out of town on business to Flagstaff, Arizona. We’ll be leaving on Sunday morning and coming back next Sunday night. The bummer thing is that the kennel is closed on the Monday we would want to pick her up because it’s Memorial Day. So, we’ll be dropping off our precious baby on Saturday and not be able to pick her up until the Tuesday morning after we get back. That’s 10 days! How depressing.<\/p>\n
We went and toured the kennel, which is right next to and associated with the veterinary clinic we take her to, after her vaccination. It makes me so sad to think of her being stuck there for 10 days. It’s just so… sterile. I mean, obviously, it needs to be that way for sanitary reasons, but to think of her alone in that cage (granted, it’s pretty big for her; one size fits all) just really tugs my heartstrings. They take them for walks 4 to 5 times a day for up to 15 minutes and each dog is taken by itself, which eases my concern about larger dogs picking on her, but it seems like the human interaction might be somewhat limited.<\/p>\n
I don’t know. It’s just really tough on me. In the nearly 10 years she’s been in existence, Phoebe has never had to be kenneled. We’ve always found someone to take care of her while we were gone. And with such a long time away from us, this time is a difficult way to get adjusted to the idea. Terry is sure that she’ll be fine and I know that she’ll probably adjust. I’m just worried about what bad habits she might pick up and display when she gets home. Hopefully, not too many. So, I’ve been sitting her, swimming in tears and snot for a couple of hours now. I’m such a softie, but she’s my baby girl, she’s the only one I have and I love her like she was my own flesh and blood. People don’t have to board their kids when they want to go away. It’s just so hard.<\/p>\n
I’m trying to get everything of hers ready and packed up as much as possible today so that I have one less thing to worry about as the weekend draws closer. The only thing I can’t pack up is her medication. I’m also trying to get her groomed a bit so people don’t think we’re neglecting her or anything. I just got done clipping her nails, which is her least favorite activity. There was a lot of fussing and piddling on the carpet (her latest defense mechanism; lovely), but between me and Terry (Terry and I?), we were able to get all of her nails clipped successfully. And Phoebe was richly rewarded for her trouble. Next up will be to buzz the fur between her pads with a mini electric clipper and to shave a channel along her behind so she doesn’t run the risk of getting too messy if she has any bowel movement trouble. Then, she get a thorough brushing to try to help her shed and just generally smooth out her fur. Finally, she’ll get a bath and probably another brushing session once she’s dry. I’m going to try to space it out over the next few days so that she doesn’t think it’s such torture.<\/p>\n
Now, some of you might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute. Back up to that medication thing. What’s that all about?” I know, I haven’t given an update on Phoebe in a while. Her heart murmur has gotten worse, to the point where it’s a 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale of severity. It has also caused her heart to enlarge. It presses against her trachea, causing her to cough several times a day, and it also requires medication to reduce any fluid build-up and to help control the progress of the heart disease. It sounds sad, I know, and it does get me down every once in a while, but she seems to be fine. She just drinks more water, sometimes has to go out in the middle of the night and can’t tolerate as much exercise without starting to wheeze a bit. Otherwise, she’s her old, sweet self. Of course, I worry about her a lot more now and am more paranoid than usual, but the doctor said that most dogs with this kind of condition die from old age before the heart disease progresses to a point where it would be fatal. Good news, but then it has me contemplating her mortality and wondering how much longer we have with her. I had always bargained on 17 to 18 years with her, but now I find myself hoping that we make it to 15. And then wondering what I’ll do without her when she’s gone.<\/p>\n
So, you see, I’m feeling rather morose and sorry for myself today, despite the fact that it’s a gorgeous day outside. What a bummer to be inside working from home and feeling blue. Boo hoo!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Phoebe had to go in for her Kennel Cough vaccination this morning, in preparation for boarding. You see, we’re going out of town on business to Flagstaff, Arizona. We’ll be leaving on Sunday morning and coming back next Sunday night. … Continue reading