thing one

Sweet baby Jake.

After three visits to the vet and multiple courses of antibiotics, Thing One has been diagnosed with pyotraumtaic dermatitis.  Basically it means he has allergies {probably food or environmental, i.e. hard to isolate/treat} that cause raw, red "hot" spots all over his body.  He looks like he has mange, has lost weights, and scratches non-stop.

It is breaking our hearts.

We took a family trip to the vet today to pick up more antibiotics and consult with our doctor again. We left the office with additional antibiotics, steroids, two types of shampoo, and homework.  Yes, homework. We went to pet co and compared the ingredient lists of a zillion types of dog food to see if we could isolate what food he may or may not be allergic to.  Sheesh.

In light of our recent change in finances, spending zillions of dollars on our first born is painful.  Uber painful.  But, we do what we have to do!

I actually broke into hysterical laughter when we were headed to the pet food store.  I mean who would have thought that a dog Lofton got for FREE would be the most expensive dog ever.  Seriously.

Umm... let's flashback to 12 days post-wedding when Lofton and I returned home from my birthday dinner to Jake, bleeding profusely his paw.  He stuck his paw through a screen door that Raleigh { a puppy} scratched.  Imagine us driving 400 miles per hour to Columbus because no vet in town {including the university} was open.  I'm in the back seat applying pressure to the wound, Lofton is driving like a mad man.  One overnight stay, stitches, and a cone apparatus later we headed home.  Six hundred dollars poorer.

And then, a short year later, our neighbor secretly poisoned Jake.  I can't really "prove" that per say.  But I'm almost positive that's what happened.  She didn't really like him because he barks.  A lot.  She would leave us notes on the front door and harass us in the drive way.  Anyhoo, Jake started vomiting blood so we had to make an emergency trip to the AU Vet Hospital.  Lucky for us {insert eye rolling} it costs a cool five hundred dollars just to walk in the door.  And had he needed surgery?  Three grand. IV's, medicine, and a few days later-- only eight hundred dollars! Fabulous.

There are lots more tales I could share, but you get the point.  He's a pricey pooch.

But as I said before, we love him.  So much.  So we do what we have to do... We just hope he gets to feeling better soon!