Single Parenting

Sunday afternoon I was relaxing with a cigarette out back talking to Mattie when I noticed that Chase was limping. He and Dash had been rough-housing earlier when Jeff's parents were here so I figured he had a little muscle strain. When Jeff got home from his show I told him to keep an eye on the poor puppy as he hadn't eaten his dinner and was still limping. When I got home the next morning things were a lot worse. Chase' paw was swollen, very swollen. Jeff had to be taken to the airport because he was leaving that morning for Chicago. When I got back from dropping him off I called Prytania Vet to see what time they opened. I got their emergency number so I called and they suggested that I bring him to the vet immediately as he may have been bitten by a spider. I scooped up puppy and rushed him to the doctor. After a temperature check and a weigh-in (Fever of 104 and he weighs 67.5 lbs.) we were escorted to an exam room and by then he was bleeding from his paw and tracking it all over. The vet came in and looked him over, draining blood from his abscessed wound. He was a brave boy though, probably relieved to have some of the pressure off his swollen paw. They gave him a shot of anti-inflammatory and some anti-biotics, wrapped his foot up with a cute blue ace bandage and we were on our way home, cash poor but nerves soothed. He went right to sleep and slept most of the day and night, though he did eat dinner and breakfast this morning. I had to give him some hydro-therapy today, rinsing his wound out. We went to the park for a little exercise today and he must have been feeling good, when I threw Dash' ball, he was after him like a shot, tail up and excited. Tomorrow we go back to the vet to make sure the wound is healing.

I slept on the couch last night so I would wake up early and keep the dogs on their regular feed schedule. (normally Jeff feeds them in the morning, I feed them at night) I went back to sleep and when I woke up later I took the puppies out back. Somewhere along the way one of the lenses to my glasses fell out. Where it went was a mystery and I feared that it had fallen and one of the dogs had picked it up and taken it elsewhere. I was crawling around on my back porch, squinty eyed and not missing how ridiculous this must have looked. I finally had to go back inside, put my contacts in and go back out and search. I finally found it, it must have bounced closer to the edge of the porch. It wasn't damaged, thank god, and now I just need a little screw (on so many levels) to get it back together.

When I talked to Jeff today I told him he's not allowed to leave town again.