Vet call

When Finn arrived, we had been told he tested positive for Lymes disease, and were given his meds. The next day I made an appt for Finn to see our vet. I wanted to talk to them about his results, and also have them look him over.

Finn was nervous about the car ride, about the new place, everything. While he was always friendly to people he met, and other dogs, he still walked tucked, and kept close to me. Everyone of course loved Finn! He did very well, except for passively collapsing to the floor when the vet tried to examine him. He stood to be weighed, 102 pounds. As she checked him over he yelped and jumped. He had a sore place at the base of his tail. Either his tail had been yanked pretty hard, or perhaps closed in a door. She gave us anti-inflammatory meds, flea control, and asked us to fax his records to them.

Since he was tested for Lymes, he was probably tested for Heartworms, but we couldn't start the meds unless we were sure it was negative. Further vaccinations would have to wait on the records.

While we were there I decided to check out the boarding kennel. We were making a trip to New Jersey soon, and I wanted to look into a good place for him to stay. I also figured giving him a chance to look at the place would familierize him with it. The facilites were excellent, each dog has a private room, some with windows. They were walked every three hours, and everything was behind fences, so no chance of escapees.

Finn hated it. As we walked by the glass doors the other dogs barked, and lunged at him. He refused to walk by the worst ones. To get outside he would have to walk a gauntlet of dogs, plus go down stairs, which we knew would be a difficulty for him. He hadn't quite figured out stairs yet.

I thought it would just be to much for him, as traumatised as he was, to be left by us in a strange place for a weekend. He hadn't been with us long enough to trust we would come back for him.

Once home I had the fun of trying to get a really big pill in him twice a day. The Lymes meds were easy. Very small pills, roll them up in cheese, no problem! I bought hot dogs, and cut fat slices, pushing the pills in them. This worked fairly well. occasionally he would chew enough for the pill to fall out. He was very good most of the time about eating them, although I knew they tasted awful.