A Girls Best Friend.....................

She hates having her picture taken

The other day when I mentioned being tired....well, I had taken Nitty, my Rottweiller to the vet.  She had been in earlier this Spring and I told him then that she seemed to be scratching more than usual but he checked  her out and saw nothing.  We came home and she continued to scratch and one day I checked her and noticed that she was scratching the hair right off behind her ears and under her front legs.  Both my girls are on flea and tick medicine so I knew that wasn't it. Since the doctor said he saw nothing wrong I immediately thought it must be a food allergy so off I went researching organic and pure dog foods with no fillers etc. and gathering recipes to make my own dog treats and on and on.  Meanwhile, the poor dog is trying to scratch her eyes and spending the majority of the day scratching some part of her body.  Of course my eyes were giving me fits and I was sneezing to beat the band but I paid no attention to the obvious and kept right on going down that food trail I'd forged.

See how she turns away....I think it's the flash.  Can't say I blame her!

 Then the other day I was talking to Elaine over at Sunny Simple Life and she mentioned that their dog had allergies and had been on Benadryl for years as prescribed by their vet. Well, I had some spray Benadryl that I used on my tick bites so since her vet had recommended it I figured it wasn't harmful to animals so I sprayed her underarms and behind her ears and it seemed she was relieved for awhile but then there was the eyes and I realized that it was aggravating her whole body.  She hadn't been herself and I could tell she was really miserable from all of this!  So, the  next morning I took her to the vet who's over in Ash Flat.  He confirmed that she had a bad allergic reaction but it probably wasn't food but nature and it was all over her body.  He gave her a cortisol shot and said it would last about a month but that if I saw any signs again that I could give her Benadryl also, the human pills, and it would not hurt her.  He said, here in Arkansas, the allergies were really bad this year for animals and he had seen more this Spring than ever before.  I felt bad that I hadn't brought her in sooner.  In fact , there was one time when I actually thought it might be an attention thing or a nervous habit.  I felt terrible that she had suffered one minute more than was necessary because of my stupidity.

 The animals that have blessed my life have been more loyal, dependable and loving and any person I have ever come in contact with.  They are the angels that God sent to us to guide us, protect us, love us and set an example for us.
I'm happy to report that she has now stopped scratching, her eyes are bright and cheerful again and she's back to her old self!  And now that Nitty's feeling better and happy we're all feeling better and happy...well I'm still sneezing and my eyes are watering and the ticks continue to bite me....hmmm......something wrong with that picture.

 There she is....smiling once again as I scratch her favorite spot....ahhh....

 Trying to take Annie's picture is like trying to catch a fly.....she's a fast one that girl!

But...as strange as it may seem......we are a family and I love them dearly!  Hope you and your family are enjoying a wonderful Saturday together! 
P.S.  Thank you Elaine!  And Nitty thanks you too!