For the love of the pets

I may not post about them very often, but our pets are pretty important around this house. They are constant entertainment, always available for some cuddles and great companions for the family. Yes, they do eat a lot, are a hassle when we want to go away for the night and they keep me vacuuming and sweeping daily, but they are worth it.

When one of them gets sick, I go into panic mode. We noticed that Zara was biting and itching on Monday. I DO NOT live with fleas. I actually pride myself that we have not had a flea problem in over 11 years. I immediately bathed all animals and started washing all bedding and soft surfaces in the house. Again, I DO NOT live with fleas. I left the house for a bit on Thursday morning and all was fine. I came home to find Zara had bit so much at her hind quarters that she now had a very large open wound. Panic mode! I called the vet and rushed her in.

While driving, I was thinking of my friend Amy and her recent vet experience. We really like our vet. He believes in a more natural approach and does not charge a fortune, something that is very important to us since we tend to be at the vet more than the doctor for ourselves. Zara was excited to go for a ride, but she knew the building as soon as we pulled up and was now not so happy about this unexpected ride.

The vet checked Zara out and told me that there was NO SIGN OF FLEAS! Huge relief. It looks like she had been bit by something and she is having some sort of reaction to that bite. We were sent home with some antibiotics and some spray to help with itching and healing and told to call back if she was not better by Monday. Disastrous vet bill averted.

We made it home, Zara was dosed up on her meds and enjoyed the evening of being completely pampered by me. I need to find her a LARGE chew bone to keep her busy today.