I’m Walkin’, Yessiree
Filed under: Ah-Choo!, Happy Days, Weekend Events | Tags: animal behavior, animal humane society, dog allergies, dog anxiety, dogs, humane society, impulse control, minnesota walk for animals, pet allergies, pet anxiety, rat terrier, socialization, walk for animals |
Whew. We had a very exciting and productive weekend, but man, am I pooped.
Yesterday morning was my big debut at the Animal Humane Society’s Walk for Animals. It was my first year walking with Mom. She formed a walking team with some co-workers, and together they raised $680 for the Animal Humane Society. I’m really proud to be part of it! And I’m really proud of Mom for organizing her team and raising all that money for a good cause — after all, I wouldn’t be part of such an awesome family, if it weren’t for the Humane Society, where Mom and Dad found me.
We had a lot of fun on the walk. We walked with Mom’s co-worker Denise and her chocolate lab, Rocco, who was a good walking buddy for me. I didn’t feel too overwhelmed by all of the people and dogs around me, except when we rode the shuttle bus and went indoors — I don’t like being surrounded in small spaces, but I only showed my discomfort briefly, and Mom did a good job calming me until we could get outside. But during the walk, I was relaxed and comfortable; I even let people pet my head, which I almost never allow! I didn’t shy away from anyone who greeted me, and I loved meeting all of the dogs. We walked the entire 5 miles and by the end, I was just so tired out. I’m already looking forward to next year’s walk.
We saw Dr. Antenucci a little over a week ago (for my annual checkup), and he gave Mom some prescriptions to help soothe my allergies — the omega 3s and hypoallergenic shampoo weren’t doing the trick by themselves. So I’ve been taking an antibiotic to clear up the bacterial yuckiness and a antihistamine to help alleviate the itchiness. Plus, we got a prescription-strength shampoo that Mom bathes me with once a week now. I just had my weekly bath — Mom tried bathing me in the kitchen sink instead of the bathtub, and she thinks it was less stressful for all us. I’m so glad she doesn’t have to dump cups of water over my head, now that we can use the kitchen spray hose. I hate having water dumped over my face. Who likes it, right? And Mom’s pretty amazed that I’m small enough to fit in the sink.
I seem to be feeling less itchy since we started the medication, although I’m still getting the urge to scoot my butt on the rug and chew between my paws, but a lot less than before. We’re going to try this routine for a few weeks, and if this doesn’t work, we do a food trial to test for food allergies. If that’s not the problem, then we go to the veterinary dermatologist for a skin test — then we’ll know exactly what it is I’m allergic to. I guess we’ll see. But I have been feeling better over the last week, and my armpits and belly aren’t nearly as red as they used to be. That has to be a good sign that we’re headed down the right road.
