So despite all the planning and preparation, a weekend that started off with excitement and good news, ended in exhaustion, panic and emergency vet visits.

First  off, the dogs got along great.  It was confusing at first because neither of them seemed to want to be dominant however once I realized that Melvin was terrified of the cone and we removed it, Melvin made it clear he was in charge.  This was pretty much the biggest positive of the weekend.

Bud (after this weekend I have decided a name change is the last thing he needs right now) is sweet.  To his core, he is just so completely loveable. He has so much going on yet he is one of the most delightful dogs ever.  Testing his blood was frustrating but not impossible.  It was all my user error, he never flinched or complained.  I pricked myself so many times that I was able to determine that I was not diabetic.  Feeding the two of them was a bigger challenge as Melvin cannot have even one morsel of Bud’s food (which he did get a hold of and he itched and chewed himself until he bled because of it) and neither can share bowls due to different pills they each get.  I thought the feeding part would be easier than it turned out to be. Every day at 7am and 7pm there was a lot of heart palpitations and nervousness.   The insulin shots were fine, the biggest challenge there is that it’s every 12-hours.  Pretty much to the minute.

The sad part of this update is that of all the things we knew Bud had, there were a couple of things brewing that I was not prepared for.  The first was a terrible neck rash.  We are talking pus dripping from a six by six area on his jowly neck.  To say he was uncomfortable is an understatement.  I took him to the vet on Saturday where they tried to shave him but it was just too panful.  We tried a topical medication but it just continued to ooze.  Each time he’d put his head down for even a few minutes, he’d lift it and pus would be on the surface below him. I spent hours tarping each room so that he could lay pretty much wherever he’d like.  Who knew I had so many blankets and sheets. 

Then I tried to practice leaving him and it turns out he has separation anxiety.  While SA is not new to me (I’ve broken Melvin of it in each house) it’s challenging with Bud because too much stress raises his glucose.  After we got to 1/2 and hour and he was still howling and barking, I stopped.  I still am unsure as to how I will leave him/break him of it.

Then the peeing started.  He got up off the couch and walked a few steps and started peeing (inside the house).  He did this a couple of times on Sunday.  He had been out SEVERAL times so this had me worried that my schedule was not going to work out, he seemed to need to go out on the hour.  I called folks at Lab Rescue and they questioned that maybe he was marking. 

The diabetes is a lot. The shots are something I can come to figure out.   His hypothyroidism not being regulated just yet is challenging.  The pus, pee and separation anxiety on their own are a lot but seeing as how I was not prepared for the latter, and had hardly overcome the given… I broke down.  I cried. A lot.  I tried to remain calm but panic set in and lack of sleep (Bud was uncomfortable so I stayed up with him) got the best of me. 

Then Sunday night, Bud woke up in a puddle of pee.  I called the emergency vet and they thought he should come in.  Second vet visit, third day with me.  At that visit it was suggested that other things were going on with him. His neck infection was progressing despite being on Cipro (for his eye).  Now he had a UTI.  His third eyelid was up on both eyes and they felt he had Horner’s Syndrome (not serious but almost always indicative of something going on that needs addressing). Then some questionable cells showed up on a test and we are waiting for that culture to come back.  It’s one of those things that might be something or nothing.  After a few hours there I took him home, tucked him in (picked up the second poop package that Melvin was kind enough to leave me in as many days) and laid down.  And cried some more.

The next morning after speaking to Lab Rescue we decided to take him to an animal hospital that they use (about a 1/2 hour from me).  I packed up all his stuff and put him back in the car.  Vet visit three, day four.  On the way out the door I told Melvin I forgive him for whatever he’d do to the house. 

Sweet Bud is still at that vet and they are working on getting it all figured out.  Lab rescue has taken over his care/decisions and I’m just waiting for an update. 

And that is where we are at.  I’ll let you know when I know something.