Mr. Stubbs Pays A Visit to the Vet

Little Stubbs had a well baby check today at the vet. It had been awhile since he'd been in to the doctor so it was time.

Of course he had an inkling he was in for something slightly uncomfortable when we pulled up to the clinic.  Poor little pup.  We checked in up front where there sat on the counter two long haired cats, even though we were on the "dog" side of the clinic.  Ugh - I could feel my eyes beginning to itch!

Stubbs insisted on being held the entire time as we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the tech came out. She wanted to weigh him on the big scale in the waiting room but, little guy he is, his weight wouldn't register so back to the examination room we went!

I gingerly untangled Stubbs from my neck and set him on the little dog scale.  He weighed in at a whopping 5.7 pounds. We then sat and waited for the vet at which point he threw caution to the wind, hopped off my lap and explored the floor. When the vet arrived, I tried to place him on the exam table and those furry little legs of his collapsed inward and he was having no part of it. The vet pretty much examined him while he was in my arms.

Final verdict was:

• He received his rabies and distemper shots;

• He has a case of dermatitis, which has caused him to itch and scratch, so they prescribed an antibiotic for the little guy. They also gave him a shot to help reduce his itching. The vet said this may be why he is kind of stinky - it's a bacterial infection. Once the antibiotic kicks in, this will help. She also said to get him fish-based food as this will help;

• He got some flea meds;

• The vet looked over the rest of him, including his legs. Marie is somewhat obsessed with animals and pet care so she thought Stubby was walking funny. The vet said he walks normal and showed me on her doggie knee model how his knee cap moves resulting in a bit of a hop when he walks. However, he does have arthritis (to be expected since he is now 11 - or 77 in dog years) so I'll be getting him on a glucosamine supplement;

• He needs some teeth pulled and cleaned. However, at a quote of $700 I don't see this happening soon.

And that's it!  We spent the rest of the afternoon running around together and I can tell the anti-itch shot is making him feel like like a new dog.  Tonight he's been napping in his bed all calm and relaxed. I just love my little pup, even when he's stinky!