Furry Friday - Sulking PT

Aside from sulking due to allergies and the massive heatwave that has hit New York, my little guy Riley has other reasons for being so mopey. This past Tuesday his daddy started working a second job on week nights.  With the down economy and our incredibly bad luck (#boatsunk) bills have been getting a little close for comfort.  And although Justin only plans on working part-time for a little while to pay off a few things for breathing room (i.e. snowmobile, student loans, etc,) Riley doesn't quite understand why that should interrupt his routine.

As much as Justin likes to say Riley's my dog (conveniently when he needs to be taken out) he is very much Daddy's Little Boy.  They play fetch together first thing in the morning and again when Justin gets home from work.  He's his snuggle bug on the couch when some logging show or baseball game is on the television.  And Justin is Riley's bone holder when he wants to chew awhile before going to sleep at night.  That's just the way it works.  They do everything together and Riley follows him around seemingly by an invisible leash.

I can remember when we first held Riley in the pet store and Justin said "If you want him, we'll get him.  We'll make it work."  I can remember the first few weeks of potty training/house-breaking and wondering "WTH were we thinking?" But as a blessing in disguise, Riley was just what Justin needed when his Dad died.  The two have had a very special bond ever since.  Heck, when we got Justin's new truck the first thing he did was buy a "manly toy" for Riley to bring along.  That's how we ended up with Moose sitting in the front console. 

So although it tugs at my heart strings to see Riley laying by the back door until Daddy comes home, I have to remind myself that "this too shall pass" and thankfully Justin is not (*knock on wood*) scheduled for weekends so the two of them can reconnect.

Furry Friday: Space Cadet

After asking around about what other folks do for their pet's allergies, the general consensus has been to utilize Benedryl.  Thank you for all the wonderful advice and commiserating.  I especially loved my friend Kate's suggestion to call the vet and tell them that my 17 lb dachshund ate an adult Benedryl tab and ask them if he'll die.  I got a good chuckle out of that one.  I did end up calling the vet anyway because I am psychotic like that, and they did tell me the adult 25mg Benedryl tabs are just fine.  Rule of thumb is 1mg for every pound of body weight.  So Riley enjoyed a little more than half of an adult Benedryl tab with a cube of cheddar cheese and finally found relief from scratching his poor little face off.  Let me tell you though, about an hour into Benedryl he is a total space cadet.  I found him sitting in the hallway staring at the ceiling.  So, I did what good mommies do and I cuddled him on the couch so he, ahem, so we could take a nap.

Pet Allergies

My poor pup has developed allergies.  I don't know yet what he is allergic to, but he is scratching his face off.  It's only been a few days, but I am getting concerned.  We haven't changed his food.  He's on Frontline and Interceptor, all that good stuff.  I washed his crate bed (and no, I haven't changed our laundry detergents or anything like that.  We already use additive free stuff for Justin's sensitive skin.)  I am thinking of giving him a bath although it hasn't been 2 weeks since I put the Frontline on him.  It's either that or Benedryl.  

I had done some reading online and it appears plenty of people are giving their pets, at the recommendation of their veterinarians, Benedryl for seasonal allergies.  A family member who also has three dachshunds has told me that her vet has given the ok to give two of the pink adult Benedryl pills (not the tabs/capsules) and it seems to help.  I'm just a little nervous, even though our vet had mentioned Benedryl to us a while back.

When we'd first gotten Riley, he had a little soft pallet issue that would cause him to wake up from a dead sleep snorting for air.  It was pretty scary.  I took him to the vet right away and she said it could be one of two things: a.) a preexisting condition, or b.) a reaction to an allergen.  Of which three things were available: a.) surgery to correct the situation if it persisted, b.) 1 tsp of Children's Benedryl, or c.) make him give kisses or rub his throat when it happens and hope he grows out of it.   Well, we opted for the third option since the pallet thing wasn't happening all the time.  We figured it was a reaction to an allergen but were a little worried as to the reaction he'd have to taking Benedryl.  The vet said it could either knock him out cold or have him bouncing off the walls, which as new puppy parents already getting very little sleep this was not a risk we wanted to take.

So... we have yet to medicate the poor baby and I am *this close* to just mixing it in with his food.  

Anyone else have similar experiences?  Want to share your solutions?