Sickcall

Sadie woke up with me early this morning shaking her head and scratching her right ear repeatedly. Her right ear hung low while her left ear remained erect, making her head appear like the arms of an airtraffic controller.

What was wrong with her? Even Carol noticed Sadie's repeated ear scratches, and when we both witnessed her rub her right side against the carpet we knew something was amiss.

Carol called her veterinarian office in Merrillville, the same office she has used for over 20 years, Broadway Pet Hospital. This little office off Broadway on 67th Avenue wasn't easy to find, so I followed Carol to this place this afternoon. She had her dog Peanuts appointed for a 3:30pm toenail clipping. Sadie needed her annual rabies shot anyway.

I was lucky to get in the same day she called, and after driving around town finding the office--we had gotten lost driving to the place after a sudden and hard downpour en route--I left the office shortly after 4pm $220 poorer.

Sadie, said Dr Quivey, the white-haired gentleman, had an ear infection. He showed me the reddish skin of the ear as he stretched Sadie's ear for better visibility of the affected area. How did she get that so suddenly? Perhaps there is something in the region she is allergic to, or perhaps a change in her diet (I've been feeding her Diamond Hi Energy dry kibble which she does not like, so I've added Alpo Filet Mignon flavored corn mush on top of that). He was pushing for Canidae dry dogfood but the reviews I read later on Consumer affairs were mostly negative. "All Natural" does not necessarily mean all healthy.

Two assistants had to hold Sadie down while I petted and called out her name. She resisted all pokings and ear intrusions. The poor gal looked frightened and growled only once briefly in fear. Sadie got a heartworm exam, an antibiotic and a pain reliever today, and Malotic ointment for her ears to last her 10 more days.

I am glad she got seen today. The vet staff was very gentle with Sadie. What if she had gotten this infection somewhere en route, like in eastern Montana, and there was no animal doctor around to help her? Just like John Steinbeck's poodle Charley who came down with a serious infection in the middle of Montana, and who raced at high speed to Seattle to find a veterinarian who treated the dog, I felt much relieved that her illness, albeit suddenly, happened in a busy part of the country.

The cortisone shot, Dr Quivley said, would make her drowsy and make her pee more often. Now that's a nice combination! So because my best friend needed time out from exploring the lakefront, I cancelled all exercise for today. Weather was iffy anyway, with a severe weather watch from 2-11pm announced for Lake and Porter Counties of Indiana.

Sadie weighed in at 55 pounds. Ironically, another German Shepherd Dog, a nine-month-old black-and-tan named Sadie weighed in at a healthier 63 pounds. Was there something I should do for Sadie, I asked. The doctor suggested, but did not recommend, an appetite stimulant that contained hydrocloride. I refused. If Sadie is otherwise healthy and fit, I do not want to contaminate her body with any chemicals. Yes, she is thin he said, but it's nothing serious.

Tomorrow Sadie should be in top form again, and morning weather promises to be warm and clear before another rain front pushes in from the Northwest.

If she's feeling better I plan on taking off for the Indiana Dunes State Park and hike the 10-mile loop trails. She starts her twice-daily pills in the morning.