I apologize if any of you were eating when you opened this. (Eww! Gross old lady legs!)
I use Bitey Dog as sort of a personal journal. This post is for myself so later I can look back and remember what this stupid tick bite was like.
What does it feel like? It is like having a deep tissue bruise on top of a giant mosquito bite. When I’m reclining it feels better. Standing makes it ache. It nearly always itches. Heat makes everything much worse. (Hard to avoid heat in the summer! 😆)
Why don’t I take antihistamines? There are very few antihistamines I can take. When I’ve tried them in the past, they made me sleepy and gave me dry mouth, but they didn’t really affect the allergic reaction.
What about steroids? Topical ones make things worse (increased itching). I don’t know about oral steroids. There are none that I can take because they all contain corn.
Would you get that thing out of my face already?!? I told you how we dogs feel about ticks.
Years ago I was bitten by several spiders. If I remember correctly, it took around eight weeks for the symptoms to fade. It looks like I have close to three weeks more of this to go. ☹️.
I wish I could use my experience to pressure pharma companies to diversify the bases for products. I know I’m not the only person in a situation where we would likely benefit from medication but can’t take it.
It’s tough to take a picture of the back of your leg.
About 3 1/2 weeks ago I was bitten by a tick. Since then the bite has been itchy and red like a huge mosquito bite. I feel sure I’m fine because I got the tick off minutes after it attached, but still, it’s miserable.
It makes me wonder. Back when I was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme Disease, how on earth did I miss something this big and red and itchy? I never suspected I had the disease because I was unaware I’d been used as a dinner service by a gross insect.
Just keep that thing away from me, will ya? Dogs really don’t like the “T” word.
Toby had another one of his incidents, and family was bitten. I was told, “This dog needs to be put down.” Had it not been the weekend, Toby would likely be gone already. While I absolutely do not want to hurt my puppy, I find it difficult to justify working so hard to keep him with me.
Thinking that it might be my last hours with my boy, I wanted to spend every moment with him. I fed him everything good I had in the fridge. We played his favorite game – Tennis Balls. I took him for as many walks as he wanted. Toby made it harder on me by repeatedly telling me, “I love you. I love you.” (Having a talking dog is not always a good thing.). When I took him out to pee, he insisted on bringing his stuffed dragon with us. When he went to his kennel, he took his stuffed tiger with him and made his bed like he did when he was a tiny puppy organizing the polka-dotted blanket his breeder sent home with him. I cried so much, so hard, thinking of all the ways I had failed my boy I’m surprised I didn’t collapse into dust from dehydration.
For some reason my family thought it odd that I would mourn for the loss of my awful puppy. “But he’s terrible; you should get rid of him”. (True.) “Everyone’s afraid of him”. (I know.) “You could always get a new dog.” (It took me two years to find him! How likely is it that another dog would suddenly plop into my lap?).
In the evening, I took Toby to the church grounds. Even though God is everywhere, it is easier to think of Him hanging around there. I just stood with Toby and prayed the only prayer I could think of: “Help my boy. Help my boy. “
Monday morning I called the vet to discuss what happened and what she thought my options might be. I asked what she would do if he were her dog. Knowing tha Toby has a cyst that won’t heal and how pain reactive he is, she suggeted we go ahead and try surgery to excise the cyst. Perhaps removing the pain from his life might allow him to calm down enough to be able to train with him. She said the choice was mine, though, whether I wanted to destroy him or not.
Toby’s surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. I don’t know how I am going to make it through his recovery since he is so pain reactive. The vet recommended a basket muzzle that allows him to eat and drink. I have been looking into them, but I feel overwhelmed by the different choices and how you need to train your dog to wear one. There isn’t time to get Toby used to one before his surgery. If I put one on him, how long could I keep it on him? How long would he allow it to be on before he figured out how to take it off? I am trying to picture Toby with a cone, it is seems equally dangerous. (Well, for me, anyway.).
While I don’t know how this is going to work out, I am trusting that God will provide what we need at each step. For right now, I am grateful for the two additional days I’ve had with my little boy.
I know he’s scary and dangerous, but this is how I see him with my heart.
When I was diagnosed with psoriasis, I never thought of all the places it could show up. Finding out psoriasis can hide where no one can see seemed like a particularly awful fate. Thank heavens this was only a run in with some angry ants.
If you wanted someone to bite your butt, you should have let me know.
Are you looking for a unique and personal gift for someone? Then consider a hand painted handkerchief! With summer allergies and sniffly viruses abounding, a reusable cotton hankie could save hundreds of paper tissues over its lifetime.
Well, it was my turn to get a tick this week. I foolishly laid down in the grass to stretch my back, and one of those blood-thirsty little suckers got me. Toby said he was glad I finally knew what it felt like to be snacked on by a bug and that I should have much more sympathy for him and that I should give him more Milk Bones to make up for all the suffering he has gone through and the Milk Bone compensation is retroactive to Geordie’s lifetime and it extends to other animals that have ticks too. In other words, many more Milk Bones.
In the few seconds that I was distracted, a certain furry someone sneaked under the bed and fell asleep. As I cluelessly walked past, I found a grouchy terrier affixed to my slipper.
Since Toby has been sleeping in his kennel, we have barely had any run ins like this one, and things are much better between us. I doubt Toby realizes why, but he is a happier, less stressed out pup.
(And yes, I do need my name on the slippers so I can tell mine from Toby’s.)
Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
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Looking for a beautiful yet practical gift to give this holiday season? Consider giving a handmade quilt or afghan. Not only would you be giving a loving gift to someone you care about, but you would be supporting a cottage, American-based industry as well.
Toby got what will hopefully be his last bath from me today. Why the last? This dog is like the Tasmanian devil when it comes to grooming. After yet another bite, I decided it was time to look for a groomer. I had been avoiding groomers because of my allergies. I have problems with fragrances and with parabens. I have no idea if I will be lucky enough to find someone who uses products that I can tolerate. If not, this might end up being Toby’s last bath ever. Gross.
(In real life the toilet lid is kept down when not in use, so Toby can’t wash his face whenever he wants to.)
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If your dirt demon is really a little boy, consider getting him something stylish for Summer. Some states are opening, so there are likely to be weddings and possibly graduations coming up in the next few months. Dress your young man in clothes sure to make a statement.
For a while I have felt guilty calling Toby “Bitey Dog” when it was really his brother’s moniker, but Toby finally put forth the effort to make it his.
Dogs do so well at hiding their feelings sometimes that you can miss their signs of pain.
On Friday I leaned over to ask if I could help Toby reach the treat that he had pushed behind he furniture, and he exploded in a furious attack. Twenty four pounds of muscle and anger (and teeth. Let’s not forget the teeth) launched themselves straight for my face. This was so out of character for my pup that I was completely caught off guard.
I managed to get him into his kennel so I could assess the situation. He immediately fell asleep. I ended up with puncture wounds on my cheek, lip and nose. Also, my top lip had been ripped apart like a rabbit’s. Gross. Trust me, the look is only cute on bunnies.
Tuesday was the earliest I could schedule an appointment with Toby’s vet, and she told me that he “did not mince words” when she tried to examine his left knee. Also, he somehow managed to gain 2 pounds in 6 months. Oops. Looks like the shutdown got to him too.
The combination of extra weight and already wonky knees left my boy in incredible pain. Me getting near his treat on Friday sent him over the edge. I didn’t know that, though, and spent the weekend afraid of my dog. Now I feel guilty that my little boy needed comfort and understanding, and I kept him at several arms’ length.
Toby got sent home from the vet with pain medication and guidelines for a strict diet. By this afternoon he was feeling so much better that he was driving me nuts. He is evidently hungry too because he keeps stealing my things in order to trade them for food. I can tell that the next two pounds are going to be really tough on both of us.
As for me, I am hoping to be able to drink from a glass again someday. For now I have to use the ultra-super-mega Verboten drinking straws. (I wouldn’t be surprised it Greta Thunberg comes ’round at night and beats me up.) For some reason I don’t bruise purple, I turn yellow/green. It looks I have smeared mustard all over my face where Toby hit me.
Despite the unpleasantness, I am glad that I finally understand Toby’s pain and was able to get him help. If we’re lucky, the medication and the weight loss might help him to feel good for a long time to come.
Go away. I don’t feel good.
(Don’t you mean “well”?)
(Do you want to get bitten again?!?)
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Were you among the lucky who got chilly weather this week? If so, you know the value of a warm, cozy quilt.
This patchwork Butterfly Quilt can bring a touch of whimsy to your home. Whether resting on the back of the sofa or decorating the guest bedroom, the colorful handmade quilt will be a treasure for years to come.
This “traveling between the worlds” business takes some getting used to. At this time of year, it is pretty much impossible to get bird or butterfly bodies to borrow since they don’t function well in the cold. Instead I have been reduced to using ticks.
One fine day last week, I craftily tiptoed onto Toby’s leg as he was walking through some leaves. Without him even being aware, I crawled up to his collar and latched onto his neck. It was kind of gross, but I always wanted to be able to bite him and get away with it. Sadly, before I could complete my mission, Mom found me and flushed me down the toilet.
Back I came…making the slow climb up Toby’s unreasonably tall body. I was too tired from my last trip I to go all the way up to his neck, so decided to bite him on the arm instead. This time I was able to accomplish more of my goal, and I transmitted my essence into Toby before Mom could flush me. It was like a Vulcan Mind Meld but with tick spit.
From then on, Toby and I became the same being. We are a perfect blend of our two personalities. He has started doing things that I used to do – things that he never saw, but now he knows intimately. He is also still the impish little rascal he has always been – the little boy who likes ear scratches and hugs.
When Toby and I lived together, he liked to sleep in his kennel while I preferred to sleep in Mom’s room. As soon as I left, Toby took my spot. He doesn’t know how happy it makes Mom to have him there. I do. That’s why I told him to do it.
I have been trying to be responsible this Summer and keep up with my garden as tasks arise. On Thursday I was doing my best to to be a good steward and pick beets to can. I wanted to make sure none of the precious food went to waste. And what was the reward for my efforts?
Some stupid bug came along and bit/stung me on the eye! Is this dampening my enthusiasm for further gardening? You betcha.
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 