Several days ago…
Barely light. And so quiet. What is that smell? Movement in a corner, when I gasp – very sheepish tail wagging, ears flattening apologetically.
5.45 am. I don’t even know where to start. I can barely get out the door to the kitchen to don disposable gloves. No wonder the dog has seconded herself in that corner. 9 years with JD and her dodgy stomach, it’s never been this bad. The stench even creeps around my face mask, I want to gag.
As I’m getting paper kitchen towels my mum beats me to it. “I did this for Dot (one of her old mutt mongrels who died happy and super spaced-out) for 20 months when she got (too) old (to go outside). Sometimes she even fell in it. Get me some rags.” I forgot how dedicated my mum is to dogs. (Ok, also grandchildren.)
I feel terrible. My mum leaves the next day and she’s doing this. “This” takes up two giant old bath towels and two of Rockstar’s old winter under-shirts. Our bleary eyed helper arrives with Dettol and a mop. Thank goodness I booked my mum a two hour Chinese massage at a good spa for later in the day. She insists on clearing a second diarrhea incident before her spa treatment. I put half a tab of Lomotil down the dog’s throat and tether her to Kings’ desk to keep from any more drip-age in areas the kids might be.
While I’m dropping my mum off and the helper has gone to meet Rockstar at the bus stop, I get a frantic call from the nanny. “JD did it again, JD did it again! And (our helper) went out! She just went out!”
Sigh. And there’s blood. I call the vet with JD’s patient number.
“We can’t dispense antibiotics without seeing the animal, but if this doesn’t stop in a day she has to come in.” Sold. I first learned to syringe medications from the vet, btw – not say, pediatrician.
- Look at this applicator, you turn the dial to the right dosage and press the plunger. I learn something new every day.
Then the vet sends me to the pet shop opposite for doggie diapers. It’s a place littered with well-groomed pooches in all sizes ostensibly “boarding,” but really, “playing shop” – you come in and they try to sell you everything in the place.
“For period, right?”
“Uh no, I have small kids in the place and she has diarrhea.”
“We don’t carry anything for that but you can use a baby diaper. Just cut a hole in it. Cheaper, too.” (Am I the only one who thinks it’s funny dog diapers cost more than baby diapers?) Except JD and Ms Rockstar probably don’t wear the same size.
- A little more pic, you’d see JD’s worried expression
Rummaging around, I find some of Rockstar’s (very) old diapers. Size M barely fits. JD’s hippy, and with thick curly hairs; most of the local border collies I’ve seen are sleeker-haired… She is btw, an Aussie product – still no idea how she ended up in Singapore from whence we found her.)
- By All Means Enjoy Yourselves.
There now. Oh hang on, encore please.
There, there.
Our helper even got pink (not blue) XL pull-ups. How come JD still doesn’t look happy…?
And Rockstar is very smug to be the only one of the three of them not in a diaper. Would’ve thought he’d be more smug about Lego Headquarters or reading achievements or something, but nooo……
"I've got you babe" - love the look exchange and Rockstar's big brotherly expression
Aww, poor JD. Maybe JD’s feeling slightly self-conscious that the bright white nappy doesn’t go with her mostly black coat. Or maybe she also thinks you’re trying to do what some silly pet owners do (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-rice-bowl/china-panda-pet-culture-dog-tiger-economy) and trying her look like a panda with the extra white patch on her lower half 😉
Hope JD gets well soon.
As for Rockstar’s smugness – I’ve found that most kids in his age bracket will say that not being in nappies is a sure sign that one is not a baby. The next popular “proof” that follows this is that they can feed themselves cos only babies need mummy/ daddy to give them food.
icic… I better rub it in about the feeding before it becomes “you’re always feeding the baby, Mum…” because JD has that attitude – she never used to b a food dog til she saw how much attention we paid to Rockstar’s food
I hope JD is better now. I myself hate getting diarrhea and I guess so does JD. To make it worse, suddenly she found her bottom wrapped in some weird thing. Did she try to get the diaper off?
Super love the “I’ve got you babe” photo. Miss Rockstar looks so cute in her dress and “shoes”, fully alert big eyes looking at her brother in wonder.
JD’s better now, thanks… She didn’t try to get the diaper off at all, come to think of it… Guess she knew what it was for. But then I’ve read Border Collies are often like that, they try to understand things. Unless they’re my mum’s BC – which is a total BRAT 😀
Yeah I love that pic… My girlfriend gave me that dress… Instead it seems no.1 thing we now always buy for each other is baby clothes
Hope JD gets better soon, better get JD to see a vet as I was an animal lover, I had two cats and two dogs and when they left my children all wept cos they are part of our family. Now I don’t have any more pets cos it was just too painful when they left.
Your baby girl is sooooo cute and pretty. Even she is barely two months old, you can already see she will grow up beautiful like mummy and most of all healthy. She has such gorgeous big eyes which will melt anybody’s heart. God bless your family.
Yeah JD is ok now, interestingly we were advised not to feed her dog food for the duration of her diarrhea but instead give her plain chicken and rice and she loves that, so…
Thanks re the baby, we are of course partial and so cannot tell… Is yours always cute/smart/etc one! Yes she loves to look around, and her brother’s colorful Lightning McQueen stuff are a constant source of interest… Though strangely she also seems to like a collection of black and white photographs I have on my wall. Come to think of it, she’s 6.5 weeks – I’m not sure if she can see color very well yet?!
God bless you too. He has been good to us, we are very grateful.