Being a dog mom

Monday night, Willy started acting funny. He was whining non-stop and just standing at the foot of the couch looking at Milly. Then he would jump up on the couch and start licking her. Licking her face, her back, and then her bottom. So that's when I got up to see what was going on. And I looked at her butt- there was puss and a cut!!! OMG! Poor girl! No wonder she was down and out....but it was amazing how upset Willy was too. But I can always seem to count on him to clue me in when Milly doesn't feel well or she has a cut (he was the one that "showed" me the big big cut Milly had on her neck when she & Daisy got in a fight. I would have never found it because it was buried in fur....but Willy was licking it so much to help her feel better. She ended up having to get 5 staples and wearing a cone....). So then I was so upset and carried my poor little baby around all night and Willy followed around in tow, making sure she was ok. What a nice dog "husband" he is.

I immediately called the vet the following morning and got an appointment for that afternoon. I just took her because I knew it wouldn't be a good vet experience, while I usually take them both because they don't like to be separated. Willy was very upset he couldn't go, but I promised him we'd be back soon! So we get there and sure enough, her anal gland had ruptured/burst, whatever you want to call it, through the skin. POOR THING!! How painful. That explains how lethargic she was and how she pretty much stopped eating. So they had to drain it, which was very painful for her...but the worst part of the appointment was getting her nails cut- she hated that! We left with a drained wound, steroid shot, some antiboitics, and specific instructions to apply a wet cloth to her wound 2 times a day to keep the skin moist. I do think she felt much better after, which is great!!!

But as I was driving home, I kept thinking about what a big responsibility having dogs is and how I really had no idea until I got them about a year and a half ago. Not only all the responsibilites required on a daily basis, but also when they get sick, etc. So crazy!! I almost feel like a new parent dog class should be offered before you buy or adopt to just get you up to speed, similar to a pre-marriage class. Because it's so overwhelming. But I guess it's kind of that way with kids too- just have to learn as you go. Anyways, I also realized on my way home what a crazy dog mom I am. Because I'm so cautious and paticular about things. But I feel like my other friends that have dogs are crazy dog moms too. So I made a list of my ways I know I'm a crazy dog mom. What are yours???

My take on it goes like this: You know you're a crazy dog mom when you the following occur:

1) "Hello chi chi, hello mamasita" and proceed to drop everything and sit on the ground immediately when you walk in the door
2) When your anerexic dog refuses to eat (really, some days I think she is), you sit on the floor in the kitchen and feed her dog food with your hands...one...little...dog...food...bite...at...a...time and don't even blink an eye that you just wasted 20 minutes of your life doing it. She needs to eat!
3) You insist on your roommate taking 15 different pictures of the same pose for your family Christmas card because you want one where all 3 of your dogs look cute. Because you are delusional in the fact that is possible
4) You post polls on your blog regarding your pet's attire for your wedding because you want to make the right decision. However, you don't blink an eye when deciding on the actual human being's attire in your wedding
5) You take your dogs to the vet every time you think they are maybe sick or don't "feel" good or have a cut...because you can't imagine if they died.
6) You send your friend an email saying "She has a little cut and is having trouble pooping."
7) You buy your dogs clothes, toys, anything to make them happy every time you go to the store, just because
8) You think the "raw hide bar" at PetCo down the street is the coolest invention ever!
9) You tell people one of the reasons you moved out of a condo and into a house is to give your dogs a nice back yard and a "better life"
10) When you take your dog to the vet and the vet tells you that in addition to giving her antibiotics, you will need to put a warm washcloth on her butt every morning and night to keep the "wound" open and skin around it soft. Then he says putting a little Epsom salt on the rag helps too, only if you have some. And you respond, "Oh yeah, I have some from last year when I had to soak Willy's cyst on his foot 2 times a day. I learned quickly I had to do that in the bathtub because he got water all over the kitchen floor because he didn't like it." Then you realize that yes, you really did sit in the bathtub, fully clothed, 2 times a day for 15 min at a time, soaking your dogs foot in a salt water and that didn't seem to phase you.......and neither does holding a warm washcloth to your dogs butt two times a day. You do what it takes to get it done! Stay up a little later, get up a little earlier, so you can make them feel better because seeing them sad and not feeling well absolutely breaks your heart!
11) One of the happiest times of your day is when you get home and they greet you with more excitement than most people show you in a week. And then they give you that look when they are snuggling with you that says "you're my favorite dog mom ever and I love you!" and you are oh so happy :)

As crazy as I may seem, gotta love these dogs and how they make the world (and me) a happier place!

If you have a dog, what do they do to make you oh-so-happy? If you want a dog, get one! Haha :)