Irene was brushing our dog Sheena today and discovered that Sheena had a cut on her neck. I took a look, thinking it was a little nick or something…but instead it was a huge, 3″ long slash going quite deep into the flesh.

We got called the vet right away and got the dog in within about 30 minutes. The vet says the cut was very close to opening the trachea and, if it had been on the other side, severing the main artery in the neck. He said it looked fairly fresh, probably within a day. Sheena stayed at the vet for stitches.

So, here’s the question- Sheena is an old dog, who spends maybe 10 minutes a day outside. She can barely walk, so its not like she roughhouses or anything. How the heck did she get a 3″ long gash in her throat?

I suppose it will be one of those mysteries…probably Sheen can’t even remember how it happened, and even if she did remember she isn’t talking.

…to medicate seven sick cats? Two of which, in addition to needing antibiotics, also need forced fluids and feeding?

Well, it kind of works like this…

• get medicine ready
• get towels ready
• get firstaid kit ready
• search for cat #1
• find cat hiding under bed
• try to grab cat from under bed
• watch cat suddenly develop jet assist and VTOL capabilities
• apply first aid kit to various wounds from cat’s escape
• find cat hiding under sofa
• grab cat and drag to appropriate medicating location
• apply medication
• find applied medication in left nostril, ear, or under nearby furniture
• apply medication again
• remove teeth and claws from sensitive body parts while not releasing cat
• reposition cat from its location on head to appropriate medicating location
• force fluids into cat’s mouth
• clean fluids from arm, chair, floor: note that cat’s mouth is still dry
• successfully force fluid into cat’s mouth
• use first aid kit on various claw marks on head, arms, and face while holding on to cat
• reposition cat from its location on back to appropriate medicating location
• force “palatable nutrient paste” into cat’s mouth
• remove “palatable nutrient paste” from eye, elbow, and wall: note that cat has not eaten any food
• successfully force paste into cat’s mouth
• attempt to clean cat
• conclude that cleaning cat is not worth any further scars
• release cat and apply first aid kit to various wounds
• search for cat #2…

Yes, being a pet owner is rewarding….

My wife and I both love cats. We’ve cohabitated (who can say they own a cat?) with quite a number of them over the years. But I thought we had reached our limit. Apparently, Irene disagreed…

continued