i'm tired. creator is tired. we're all tired up in here.
poor Harry. <smh> if it's not one thing it's another with that precious mutt.
he went for his grooming on Thursday afternoon. it takes like 3.5 to 4 hrs to bathe and groom him because he is a very large lab/golden with lots of hair.
he gets mats behind his big ol floppy ears that have to be trimmed with a trimmer, he gets really long hair growing between his toes and underneath his paws that have to be trimmed, he's double-coated so it takes a long time to soap him up good down to his skin and even longer to rinse the soap off him good, and he has all this fringe that grows all down his legs that has to be trimmed and a "skirt" of hair all over his butt so he gets what they call a "hygiene" cut back there and around his little pee pee. (so he doesn't pee and poo all in his gorgeous golden hair)
yes...that is just the exposition.
on Friday mid morning I noticed that he seemed to be wanting to lick his bum. then later I saw him scooting across the back deck in the leftover snow and I thought oh...I guess they didn't express his anal glands, i'd better take him in tomorrow and have that done. (some groomers include this in the grooming fee, others do not and this is only his second visit with this particular groomer)
he seemed to grow more and more restless as the day and evening wore on. I played WoW most of the evening and then started listening to a book on audible and playing solitaire on my pc. between midnight and 1 am he came storming into my comp room 3 or 4 times like he'd been shot out of a cannon and crammed himself under my feet under my desk only to shoot out again 2 minutes later, drag his bum across the carpet, lick at it furiously and commence whining.
ok ok I think, i'd better call the 24 hr emergency vet and take him in to have his glands expressed, which I did. at 1:15 am.
then I gave him a CBD treat we had on hand (Thunder, our other dog, his TERRIFIED of thunder) and that seemed to calm him down long enough for creator and me to get to sleep...that was about 2 am or so. but he kept getting restless in the night...in fact, creator was up all night long with him, petting him, trying to settle him down, etc. all night.
I woke at 8 am this morning and when creator told me they'd been up pretty much all night I called our regular vet. they couldn't see him so I called the 24 hr vet we'd been to last night and while talking to the vet tech she suggested I look at the area to see if I could see any irritation.
and there it was, up under the root of his tail, a BIG ol' razor burn *right* over his...anus. so when he put his tail down it came down right on it! UGH. it was ugly and red and oozing a bit. poor pup.
the tech who had expressed his glands last night hadn't seen it because of the angle they do that procedure. (at the back of the dog, lifting the tail, etc) I only saw it because harry was laying on his side when I looked and I lifted his tail and could easily see it.
SO...400 bucks later...
that's right 400 bucks. because they are a 24/7 emergency vet they are a little more expensive (95 bucks just for a doc to look at him) and they sent him home with a salve, an antibiotic, and a pain med. the antibiotic was 180 bucks alone. he is SOOOO much more comfortable now, with his little lotus blossom cone on and some salve on his burn (it has a numbing agent in it.)
I did stop by the groomers and spoke to the mgr, who I am friendly with. it's at our local wag n wash and I have a good relationship with pretty much the entire store because I go there regularly for these specific dog treats that they bake there and the kitty food they order for me.
they offered to pay the whole thing but I wouldn't let them, don't ask me why, it just didn't feel right to make them pay it all. also we have dog health insurance that will probably pay out on the whole thing so I agreed to let them pay half and give me the next groom free.
so...like i said. we're all tired up in here! YOU'RE probably tired just READING this!!
just awful 
and youre kinda helpless. Its unbearable. Its a pain about the anal gland thing isnt it? We have to get Gracie regularly expressed .. the vet showed us how but I prefer to get her done properly. Did the groomers Nick her when they were trimming her? What caused the big red sore? 
.. anywhoo the day before last, I successfully napped during the day and felt a world of joy better for it. 
not looking all that happy She left me out some pots but they really werent much of a step up re space so Gracie and I trundled all over their magnificent 20 plus acre property 
