Spring Fever

I got my spring sore throat/cold on Friday, which rendered me useless much of the weekend. Sometimes it’s kind of nice to be sick and be forced to take a break—minus the stuffy head and runny nose. I think the stress of life finally caught up to me and my body could fend off disease no longer. I stayed home sick on Monday as well, which is why I think I’m feeling so much better today.

I noticed over the weekend that Marti’s stomach had a sore spot on it that she’d rubbed raw, so I decided to get her to the vet while I had the day at home. I described the symptoms to the vet: sore stomach, scratching at ears until red, hunger strikes, vomiting after hunger strikes, the usual. After examining Marti and hammering me with questions, the vet informs me that he thinks I have an “allergic dog.” I had already diagnosed Marti with food allergies, which is why we switched her to duck and potato food. The vet informs me that it’s possible that Marti has both food and inhalant allergies, so with the spring pollen and allergens being high, that’s probably what’s causing her problems.

Thirty minutes and $130 later, we’ve got a whole arsenal of medicine to combat Marti’s health woes. Her new slogan is going be “Marti: The best preparation for child-rearing money could buy.”



From left: Relief, a prescription colloidal oatmeal shampoo; an antibiotic to combat Marti's secondary skin infection on her tummy; Benadryl, aka "Bennies"; ear drops to cure her ear itch; my leg. Not pictured: Pepcid AC, which she can take when she's on hunger strikes.

And for those of you concerned, I've tricked her into walking again, until she outsmarts me. Since she loves pinecones, I keep a stash of pine cones on the rail outside our apartment and grab one when we leave. When she stops walking, I tempt her with a pinecone.

And, on a non-Marti note, I finally handed my boss my resignation today. My official last day at work will be April 27. On to the next!