The Labraventures of Carbón, Spanish (ex-) foster dog extraordinaire

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Poor little man xxx

I am so very sad. My poor little foot. Oh dios mio, what can I do... eh, what was that? Excuse me, ML is calling me.





Vale, I am back. ML says to tell you all, "CarbonyourfootisNOTbadbutyoujustwillNOTstoplickingit". Yo sé, I know, she makes no sense either. Clearly I am suffering greatly and deserve ALL your sympathy. Even if I may have made it worse by licking it.

Just a little.

Will it help if we say that is cool and sporty looking!

Oh si! It helps a lot! I do think I look quite handsome in it, especially the charming little matching sock. And I am sure it will be very handy for tomorrow when I am trying to wake up ML. Really, a Vibram high traction lug sole to the cabeza (that is her noggin) should be just the thing to get her started in the morning.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Oh mid amigos, I am so very bored. ML and I have been waiting four hours for our TARDIS to be liberated. At first I got lots of pets and one lady even gave me a pot of cream meant for her coffee. Now however ML and I have turned into sleepy bored zombies. Will we never be liberated?!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

ML breaking in for an update. Five hours later they tell me that they cancelled the MOT because there are additional repairs to do first. So I have waited 5 hours for an oil change. And to learn that I need new brakes - 3rd time in 4 years. Really??? And they couldn't have told me this three hours ago?

 

[Jacqui-S]

Sounds like the KwikFit approach @Emily_Babbelhund , guess they may be the German equivalent

 

[Beanwood]

Thinking about your quest for a comfy bolt hole in Brittany, got me wondering how Carbón is doing?

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Thinking about your quest for a comfy bolt hole in Brittany, got me wondering how Carbón is doing?

Carbon is very frustrated that I've not allowed him any key board time lately. Pfft!

Since he's even wordier than I am, I'll give you the short version. He's now 16 days into his 28 day treatment. He has zero gastrointestinal effects from the chemo (Milteforan) and loves getting his butter/corned beef balls every morning.

He is FAT. I put 2 kilos on him prior to the treatment thinking he'd lose a ton of weight so I wanted him starting heavy. He started heavy and he's gotten heavier. I'm not terribly worried because I will take it off him in a gentle way as soon as treatment is done.

However some of the less wonderful effects he has now could be down to the Milteforan or down to the fact that he is a butter ball eating butter balls. Such as:

• He stinks. Really. Ugh.
• His fur is dull and falling out copiously.
• He runs out of energy quickly.

We see the vet this week, so I will ask her about all those.

In the meanwhile, I'm sort of appalled at how many people LOVE fat dogs. Carbon has never got the public attention that he does now. He eats it up! (Pun intended).

New nickname: Chunky Monkey.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Just found out our vet is going on holiday and won't be back until Carbon's treatment has ended. We went from "I'll see him once a week during Miltiforan" to "I'll see him at the halfway point" to no checks at all. She absolutely deserves a holiday, but I feel blindsided. Also no suggestions of anyone we could see while she is out.

Oh well, onward and upwards. I've asked the online Leish group about the strange but seemingly minor issues I mentioned above.

I'm grateful that they are as minor as they are - and I really suspect the stinkyness and low energy is due to weight gain. The fur loss not too much. His fur is just nasty at the moment, like a dead toupé. Hopefully I get my old Carbon back to his shiny self quickly after all this is over.

And don't be sad for him: he's as happy as a clam with all his butterballs and second breakfasts!

 

[SwampDonkey]

Don't forget they are starting to go into moult too. Rorys fur get nasty around this time it gets dry with all the dead hair and if I groom him loads of nasty dead undercoat comes out

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Don't forget they are starting to go into moult too. Rorys fur get nasty around this time it gets dry with all the dead hair and if I groom him loads of nasty dead undercoat comes out

yes, could be. Carbon has been with me for two years and doesn't usually start to moult until much later (December/January). The only time he has done this much was when I got him from the shelter and started him on good food and his normal Leish medication. It was horrible then.

I've gotten good answers back from the Living with Leish FB page: the heavy moult doesn't happen with every dog but it's not uncommon either.

It's not worrying me too much - he's not near bald yet! I just wanted to know more about it in case it can signal problems elsewhere.

 

[Stacia]

@Emily_Babbelhund thank goodness you have the support of being able to go on the Leish FB page, otherwise with Dr Vet, going off, it would be a real worry.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

@Emily_Babbelhund thank goodness you have the support of being able to go on the Leish FB page, otherwise with Dr Vet, going off, it would be a real worry.

You have it right! Dr. Patzak needs a holiday more than nearly anyone I know, but do wish she had a designated back up vet. That bothers me.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Sounds a bit weird she's not gone bankrupt has she?

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Sounds a bit weird she's not gone bankrupt has she?

Naw, she's just on holiday. Every time she goes on holiday this happens. There's probably some mystical way her other patients knew the whole office would be closed, but I never seem to be in on it.

 

[Stacia]

@Emily_Babbelhund, next time ask here what her holiday plans are, pin her down!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Hola todos! It is Carbón, your favorite Spanish gentleman dog. Or one of your favorites, as we have other Spanish gentlemen here ask well. Hombre, you know what I mean!

I wanted to tell all my good amigos that I am a true superstar (or "superestrella"...sounds better in Spanish, no? ) because today I finished my special medicine for my Leishmaniosis. I cannot even tell you how very brave I was eating those balls of butter and beef. Every. Single. Day. And TWO breakfasts. How I suffered valiantly for the greater good of my health!

And the fact that I must continue to valiantly choke down two breakfasts and butter balls every day for the next six months! Ojala! What a tragic sacrifice I must make!

Eh? What was that? What do you say, ML?




Oh.

Oh dios mio. ML says that now that my treatment is over, there will be no more butterballs. That de hecho, in fact, there will be no more two breakfasts. And that I must...

WHAT????

Go on a diet!

No puedo hacer esto, no, no, estas una persona mala. MALA! Es la mierda! Mi. Er. Da. No quiero mas vivir con una persona tan fea, tan horrible, tan IMPOSIBILE. Im. Pos. I. Bi. Le!!!!!!! Madre de dios!!!!!! Joder!



OK, ML breaking in here because clearly Carbón is down for the count from the shock. He's totally fine, just a bit miffed. We'll be back to you, um, well, later. Yeah, later.

 

[Cath]

Good to hear from you, our favorite Spanish gentleman dog

 

[kateincornwall]

Bless your heart special boy , love you xxxxx

 

[Jacqui-S]

Well done Carbòn and Emily x

 

[Stacia]

Poor, poor Carbon, starving !!!!! But well worth it Señor Carbon x

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Poor, poor Carbon, starving !!!!! But well worth it Señor Carbon x

Don't worry, he's not starving yet. Tomorrow is the first day of no butterballs. THEN he'll really get out the violin and start playing the sad music.

On a related note, it's currently 6 degrees here which meant the first outing my winter coat today. Not that this is a great surprise, but I'll need to join Carbon on that diet or I'm going to freeze my frontside off due to not being able to zip up my darn coat.