Huey's New Adventure

Huey's Relapse

It slapped me harder than a recent arctic cold wind. That unmistakable, ripe, sour, odious fragrance met me at the door when I came home from work last Friday. Huey had had a relapse. If the smell was any indication, he must've been scratching all day. That night he kept me awake as well, not so much for the noise but concern about what was happening to my dear sweet Huey. Benadryl did nothing. I could only hold him and comfort him as he would wriggle, shake and rub in frustration. Friday had been his first day without his Prednisone. After two weeks on 25 mg a day, Huey was reduced to a dose every other day. Could this one day without have caused the setback? The more I thought about it, I realized that the cat food and dog biscuits he had gorged himself on the week prior were more likely the cause. That weekend, he slowly improved but he'd scratched off much of the new growth and more. Sunday, he reluctantly got into the tub and acquiesced to a cool and soothing oatmeal bath. By Monday he was better, but his ears were now giving off a bouquet similar to athlete's feet. Despite the snowstorm and not quite impassable roads, I got Huey to the vet. She too was concerned that the new baldness pattern on his toes could be Demodex, but the scraping came back negative. Huey was prescribed drops for his ears and advised to stay on his daily dose of Prednisone for another week. I hope that his setback was due to the accidental food and now that that I had Huey-proofed my kitchen no more food accidents like this would occur.

By Wednesday Huey was scratching even less than before his relapse and with the fresh snow and his constant playmate, Ella, he was ecstatic on our twice daily walks. Huey and Ella spend countless hours searching for balls lost in the snow. And both being black, I can't lose them in the darkness. Huey is due to have his Prednisone dosage reduced tomorrow, so time will tell how he'll react.