A Crappy Day :)

Today I dealt with a lot of crap.  No really.  All morning, I have been literally thinking about, googling details about, and dealing with crap.  For almost a decade, I've been helping other people with internal issues & you haven't heard me complain.  And that's not to say there haven't been some doozies.

But, oh my word.  Dog poo issues are on a whole different level.  I will spare you the details, but like I texted my husband earlier, I believe I will go ahead and answer to the title "Super Woman" for the remainder of the day.  :)

Well, maybe I won't spare you the details.  (Don't worry; I'll spare you the grossest details.)

See, Ziggy is a wonderful dog.  We got him from the Dallas Animal Shelter during a $30 Christmas special offer.  Unlike other dogs we played with and "tried out" there, Ziggy was cowering back in his crate, afraid of any and everyone.  We don't know what kind of trauma he went through prior to being taken in by the shelter, but he didn't really loosen up and let us see his wonderful personality for at least 3-4 weeks.  Once he came out of his shell, he has been the most delightful dog.  Friendly and patient with all the kiddos, well-trained (for the most part), and of course, the reason we chose him, allergy-friendly for my oldest who has dander allergies.

Today, he was doing his business and it took forever.  Things were disconcertingly large and, well, stuck.  30 minutes later, things had moved a little bit but, generally, were still stuck.

So I began googling.  According to various Yahoo! answers (which, by the way, made me think both-- "Is this the best we have to offer?" and "I'm glad I'm not the only one."), (1) It probably wasn't anything serious, probably he just was a little constipated and if things didn't go well, then I could soak him in a tub to loosen things up and get it moving.  (Um, gross!)  Or, (2) we needed to get to a vet immediately.  It could be a sign of something he's eaten that won't dislodge. (Yikes!)  Or, (3) maybe he ate something like a long string and we just need to wait for the rest of it to work its way through his system and then everything will be fine.

Then I called my sister-in-law, who used to work at a vet clinic.  Or a dog groomer's.  She said she wasn't sure but would probably take him in, because sometimes littler dogs can have stuff like this happen and the amount of time you delay can make a big difference (if it was affecting his intestines, etc).  But then, if he's not acting different, maybe not.  I hung up still uncertain about what to do.  I'm definitely more given to the "wait and see" approach, whether it's a child and we're not absolutely certain the cut needs ER attention, or in this case, a dog having poop issues.

So we waited.  Then I decided to feed him.  Ziggy ate good-- eggs, grilled chicken breast, tunafish w/ a little mayo, and then egg yolks cooked with plenty of oil (leftovers from my egg white omelet).  Half an hour later, we took him for a walk and --SUCCESS!-- (don't worry- no details here) everything dislodged.  But oh goodness, his backside looked like it was going to be in some pain.  (By the way, it was kind of a combination of Yahoo! answers 1 & 3.)

When we got home, I prepared a warm bath for him & it soothed him... when he got out, he was practically dancing as he rolled and shook and rolled some more across our living room floor.

So now, mid-afternoon, I have a clean, happy dog, a bathtub soaking in hot bleach water, and an "ick" feeling that is mostly subsiding but still hanging around.

I don't normally share about drama moments.  Not because they don't exist, but because I don't tend to focus on them.  Yes they happen, yes they stink (sometimes literally), but I figure, they happen to all of us.  And then life goes on.  But today, I decided to share.

Not sure why I am writing this out... maybe just to give you encouragement that we all have our days.  Days of googling answers to situations you wouldn't have been able to dream up, days of having 2 kids jumping on the beds instead of napping even though you told them to while you deal with a poopy-bottomed dog in the bathtub, days of hoping the crap will just come to an end.

If you're having a day like that, hang in there.  And, you might check out Yahoo! answers.  Sometimes they really know their stuff.  :)