Poodle Pancreatitis
I missed everything Tuesday. I missed most of the afternoon Sunday, all of Monday and everything Tuesday too. I missed the LA Auto Show and I missed driving Toyota’s Mirai, the new Fuel Cell Vehicle. I missed out on participating in my own life because I have a poodle with pancreatitis.
In case you were wondering pancreatitis is diagnosed with four hours spent at the vet’s office and $387. Something happens to make it work out that way but I’m not sure what the actual logistics to it are nor do I much care.
Junior has been moaning, crying and not eating. He wouldn’t even drink milk which is a morning favorite. I hadn’t left him alone for more than a few minutes in days because the only way he would drink is if it was from my water glass and keeping him hydrated meant keeping him out of the hospital.
The vet and I talked at length about what could bring on pancreatitis. There’s always bum luck but rich fatty foods are often a contributing factor. Junior always gets my gristle, slyly and under the table, and the morning cup of whole milk is also a likely culprit. So basically we figured that, like most things in this house, it was all my fault.
I gave up days on my beloved treadmill desk to sit and work so that Junior could be on my lap. I listened to him cry and gave him beef flavored tramadol liquid. I wiped his ass (don’t ask) and repeatedly went on my hands and knees to clean the carpet where he vomited. I treated that dog like he was a baby in part because I’m wild about him and in part because I felt so terribly guilty about making him sick.
Tuesday afternoon Junior suddenly perked up. He ate a little boiled chicken and rice and bopped around the kitchen a bit. For the first time in days he was off my lap and I wasn’t solely focused on him so I got about the business of cleaning my kitchen and just sort of stretching my legs when I heard a crunching sound. I’d only given Junior soft bland foods so I went to investigate what he might be crunching on and saw him licking his chops in front of the cat box.
He has been dining on this.
That’s right. Junior’s favorite treat is none other than silica gel cat litter. I think it’s safe to say that the whole milk isn’t what’s trying to kill him.
Now I’m entering a new nightmare zone. The cat litter crystals are the most amazing product on the market. There is zero odor coming from the cat box and, unlike cat sand, it doesn’t get tracked all over the house. Though to be fair it seems as though any litter that made it’s way to the floor was promptly gobbled up by Junior.
Cute but dumb. Dangerously so.