Taj MuttHall Dog Diary: Random Things Again

We're smack dab in the middle of a hotbed of West Nile Virus. One of only two zip codes in the county that they've felt needed spraying for mosquitos. Twice. I've not really noticed mosquitos in my yard, even though I have a Problem Breeding Pit that I've not found a good way to keep drained. Haven't been bitten by anything. Fortunately, dogs apparently don't get (or even carry?) WNV.

Look, boom, now it's autumn. All of a sudden, a string of a couple of weeks where temps never got above the mid-70s, and dropped to the low 50s overnight. It feels cold. It feels like winter. I've gone back to putting my slippers on in the morning to keep my toes warm, and closing all but one window, cracked open just a little, overnight in my bedroom. (With three dog bodies and mine in the room, all windows closed is too much.) It's dark now when I drive up the hill for my 8:15 Wednesday night class. That's where I see the change in daylight the most—for a couple of months during the summer, we get a bit of classtime out in the unlit field before the sun goes down, then move into the lighted areas. Then, suddenly, over maybe a 3-week period, the darkness slams in on us and now there's no time in the unlit field at all.

Took Boost to the vet yesterday morning for a little swelling around her stitches. Not squishy; firm. Vet said it's the muscles underneath where they're stitched together, rubbing every time the puppy takes a step, a bit inflamed, but only 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 in seriousness. That's why the dog is supposed to be getting rest. She got an antiinflammatory shot and some antii pills to take for 5 days. Will take her in to get the stitches out early next week.

Peeing in the house. Not a day has gone by since she came home last Wednesday that she hasn't peed in the house at least once. (Not sure whether there's been a more-than-once day, though.) I've caught her a couple of times, made distressed noises and hustled her out to the back yard, where she finishes peeing and then gets praised. Has peed for the housemate coming home a couple of times. I don't know what he does when she does that; I think I asked once but I've forgotten (the mind is the second thing to go). Is it a result of the operation? A problem with her body in general? Screwed up potty training? (But what?) And the antii-s, the vet said, will make her drink even more. Oh joy.

A couple of days ago, Jake was lying in my office, licking his paws obsessively with boredom. When I finally got up to make him stop, I saw that his paws were covered with blood, as was about an 8-inch circle of carpet. At first I thought it must have been a problem with Boost's stiched area, but when I opened Jake's mouth, it was quite bloody. I couldn't tell what it was. So instead I cleaned up his paws and the carpet, and then looked again. No sign of bleeding anywhere that I could find. Thought maybe he'd bitten his tongue really hard. Then I left for the day. When I came home that evening, again about an 8" circle of blood on the carpet. But nohing since then. I hate mysteries like that.