Long Dark Night
No post last night, sorry. Sunday night turned out to be a looong night.
Beginning about 4:00 Sunday afternoon, Magaidh started itching and scratching something awful. It got worse and worse as the night went on. As previously advised by our vet, we gave her a little Benadryl at about 5:00 or so, thinking that it would help if she was having allergy problems. Her itching only got worse, though.
We tried brushing her and spraying her with doggie anti-itch spray, but nothing helped, and her whining and scratching kept us away until 1:00, when I gave her a cool bath with anti-itch dog shampoo. Far from helping, the bath itself caused her so much discomfort that she literally started howling.
At about 1:45 we gave her some more Benadryl, but it still didn't help, so about 2:15 we started another examination to check for fleas and other pests, but we couldn't find any sign of them. We did notice, though, that she'd nearly licked/chewed/scratched several raw spots on her hind legs, and she had a red rash on her belly.
So thus it was that we found ourselves at the emergency vet clinic in Springdale at 2:45 in the morning. The vet said her symptoms were consistent with an allergic reaction to an insect bite of some kind, so she gave Magaidh a couple of shots and prescribed an increased dose of Benadryl for the next five days. They were really nice, patient people there, and my hat is off to them. They're on the job overnight and on weekends so animals can get immediate care whenever they need it -- that takes a special attitude and love.
Happily, the treatments seem to have done the trick, and Magaidh is feeling much better since then. Unfortunately, though, they didn't kick in immediately, so I was awake until after 5am, when Magaidh either started feeling better or exhausted herself scratching.
Last night wasn't enough for me to fully recover, and tonight's not looking so hot, either, but at least I'm going to go give it a shot.
Beginning about 4:00 Sunday afternoon, Magaidh started itching and scratching something awful. It got worse and worse as the night went on. As previously advised by our vet, we gave her a little Benadryl at about 5:00 or so, thinking that it would help if she was having allergy problems. Her itching only got worse, though.
We tried brushing her and spraying her with doggie anti-itch spray, but nothing helped, and her whining and scratching kept us away until 1:00, when I gave her a cool bath with anti-itch dog shampoo. Far from helping, the bath itself caused her so much discomfort that she literally started howling.
At about 1:45 we gave her some more Benadryl, but it still didn't help, so about 2:15 we started another examination to check for fleas and other pests, but we couldn't find any sign of them. We did notice, though, that she'd nearly licked/chewed/scratched several raw spots on her hind legs, and she had a red rash on her belly.
So thus it was that we found ourselves at the emergency vet clinic in Springdale at 2:45 in the morning. The vet said her symptoms were consistent with an allergic reaction to an insect bite of some kind, so she gave Magaidh a couple of shots and prescribed an increased dose of Benadryl for the next five days. They were really nice, patient people there, and my hat is off to them. They're on the job overnight and on weekends so animals can get immediate care whenever they need it -- that takes a special attitude and love.
Happily, the treatments seem to have done the trick, and Magaidh is feeling much better since then. Unfortunately, though, they didn't kick in immediately, so I was awake until after 5am, when Magaidh either started feeling better or exhausted herself scratching.
Last night wasn't enough for me to fully recover, and tonight's not looking so hot, either, but at least I'm going to go give it a shot.
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