Tuesday the 3rd. February.
9 pm
Buddy’s head looks great. All the dried blood is out of his hair. There’s a little bit of a spot where the hair is thin from scratching, but it’s hardly noticeable. The redness is gone. We did one last clean up this evening, and all of the scabs brushed out easily. The hydrogen peroxide broke up the dried blood with just a little patience and light brushing. I applied another dose of the medication. I massage in one more dose in the morning and I think that will be enough to finish the healing.
The guys still had good appetites at snacks time. Bubba was very aggressive with his. No Alpha games with his treats tonight.
5:35 pm
All the food was gone. Both dinner dishes and the dry food – gone. These were hungry dudes today.
4:40 pm
The guys wanted to walk. We walked across the street to the first set of stairs and Buddy brought us home. I expected a long walk, since he was finally free and there was a lot to explore sans cone, but he just wanted to poop and get back for dinner. Bubba followed him without hesitation.
We walked 35 minutes. Both guys pooped.
2:50 pm (end, not start – logging in reverse)
We returned from a walk, up the path and out to PCH. I forgot to notice what time we left.
Before we left I put all the toys except for one bunny into the wash. When I dumped the basket, the smell of pee was strong. Bubba must have seasoned most of them. They could use a bath, anyway.
The cone came off this afternoon. Buddy looked incredibly happy. He hasn’t scratched at the hotspot at all. Lots of scratching both ears, behind the ears, both sides of his face – but he’s had the cone on for days. It would be weird if he wasn’t scratching. It’s good that the one place that didn’t itch is where we don’t want him scratching.
When I came in, he was in the front door bed, chin resting on the edge. His eyes make him sad, though it’s just the way his face is, with the big eyes. The inside of the cone was getting pretty funky and needed to be cleaned, even if the cone was going back on.
I first tested out how the peroxide felt. I poured some onto my hand and just let it sit. I wanted to see if it burned. I thought it would, the way chlorine bleach does, but it doesn’t feel like anything. I might as well have poured water onto my hand. That made me feel better about using it on his head at full strength. I used some cotton pads and let the peroxide soak into the scabs. It was easier to see and feel them with the cone off. It seems to all be coagulated in the fur, not on his skin.
The scabs didn’t completely break up, but we got some of the dried blood out of the fur, and used to brush to both do some light scratching of the spot, and softly break up the clumps of blood and his hair.
Bubba got jealous while the cleaning and brushing was going on, and tried to force his way in to monopolize my attention. He tried to lick the top of Buddy’s head a couple of times – not good, since it was well-dampened with the peroxide. After working on Buddy’s head a bit, I washed the cone in scalding hot water with Castile soap. It was caked with gunk. And then we went out for the walk.
Neither guy pooped, and I have no idea how long we were out.
8:45 am
Damnit.
We were having a great walk. We went across the neighborhood to the north entrance, and across to the park. Both guys pooped early in the walk. Bubba was walking along the fence line, sniffing and semi-relaxed. He “pinned” him again – which is a subtle thing, not a trap. I walk, staying positioned so that I am an obstacle to “freedom”. He will try to move towards the grass, and I speed up slightly so it cuts off his path. His mind seems to think, “oh well, this guy is in the way, so I will go back to sniffing and peeing” and the walk continues. It all happens quickly, no stopping to think – it’s almost instant. Anyone watching that didn’t know would have no idea.
But then just past the center tables, we ran into Aubrey walking her baby boy with Goose and Trout in tow. We chatted about the weather, and I mentioned how I went online to “complain” about the heat in front of all the Fox News watchers who always rant about what an awful place California is. After a brief chat, we said our goodbyes, and I turned…
…and stepped on Bubba.
It was very light, more of a bump than a step-on, but it was enough to make him panic and run for the grass, tail tucked, fear of the fence reignited. Damnit damnit damnit.
I crouched down to pet him for a couple of minutes. Then I picked him up and carried him. He relaxed. He looked out at the ocean and took in the scenery from up high. We walked a while, and then I put him down by the fence and tried keeping him “pinned” again. He walked along the fence line, and for the most part didn’t try to escape to the grass, but his pace was quick, tail was tucked and he didn’t once stop to sniff or mark the territory. It was going to well, and I ruined it.
The morning had started off on a more positive note. Budda was woken up by me entering. He was totally out cold. I quickly surveyed for accidents (none), and put out the breakfast to marinade. Bubba got up and stretched, and started following me. Buddy jumped down when Bubba got up – it was probably walk time, but I already had my gloves on and the pee pad in the bathroom badly needed changing. After I pulled off the frame and folded up the pad, Bubba stood behind me wimpering. I hurried to change it, because I thought he might need it, and suggesting that he use the one on the deck wasn’t hitting home. Once it was changed, he turned and walked back out to the living room. He didn’t need it at all. He needed my attention
We shortly after left for our walk. It was fast-paced right out the door, both guys full of spirit and energy. Bubba was running alongside Buddy, both stretching their legs and getting their hearts going.
Until I ruined it.