A TAIL TALE OF TWO DOUGS
This week has been a bit of a trial. Doug has alopecia, which is basically hair loss, which as it turns out is fairly common in elderly poodles. Doug turned 16 in November, so he’s lucky to have any hair at all! In the interest of helping him with the embarrassment of becoming a pink dog, he has been having twice weekly medicated baths and a trial of Prednisone. While you would not expect it to be so, the baths were the least of our problems.
Because it’s a steroid, Prednisone can make you a bit edgy. You may find yourself aimlessly pacing, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth… for hours!
You may eat voraciously!
You may even start tearing the house apart…or maybe tearing sheets… or maybe tearing newspapers or a good friend’s favorite books… Who knows what you’re capable of?????
You can become obstinate and not let anyone else get any work done!
Until finally after 24 hours of ornery, panicked, high-strung behavior you finally give into the other meds they’ve given you in hopes of helping you calm down. But, beware, you are still very vigilant and will not let anyone free from your grasp, so people may need to pull the old-pillow-under-the -bed-sheet-trick just to get a moment to themselves!
But don’t worry… you are wayyyyyy to alert even in your sleep for that, and swiftly plant yourself in their lap for the duration… thereby securing your place in their world.
Hopefully, if you are good enough friends all will be forgiven as they come to realize it was never your fault after all…
It’s all good…. Doug is back to himself and we got some sleep yesterday.
I and D
Recording Life Under the radar 
Oops. It sounds like Doug has been having a bit of a struggle! He’s a hardy fellow, though. He even stands up to bears!! Alopecia will not faze him!
LikeLike
no, I think the alopecia is okay as long as the winter stays mild.
LikeLike
Poor pup. Side effects of that stuff are MISERABLE! And they’re just as bad, if not worse, when you stop the meds. I think I’d rather let my poor poodle go bald. Have you ever though about using Reiki on him? No side effects. Just a thought.
LikeLike
He is no longer on prednisone. He lasted two days thats it… I weaned him off pronto… I do have a reiki buddy that has done this with him in the past … time to go back I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, poor pup. Glad he’s getting back to normal and you could get some sleep. Love the jacket the Dougster is sporting.
LikeLike
my mom keeps doug in style.
LikeLike
dogs is perfect (even when they’s old and/or semi-non-healthy
LikeLike
according to his vet he has made miraculous recoveries and appears to be a five year old on lab paper…
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, that is an experience. Poor Doug.
LikeLike
true nuff.
LikeLike
Aww, poor puppy! You two certainly have your hands full. That’s about how I feel on prednisone, though. Pretty accurate. I love the little coat he’s wearing, though. 🙂
LikeLike
no more prednisone. I get that way too on it…no more for anybody here I suspect .
LikeLike
I have something in common with the little guy looks like.
🙂
And it must be harder when you are a dog and can’t really understand why you are feeling like that.
I remember all those side effects when I was first put on the drug. It’s a powerful one, for good and for ill.
🙂
Hope it helps. It has saved me on more than one occasion.
LikeLike
it did help his skin but it just wasnt worth it in anxiety. He didnt sleep for days. It has been good for me in some ways too but the agitation just isnt worth it for him. There are other alternatives… the baths seem to be working well.
LikeLike
Doug. Long live Doug. Hair, no hair. Ornery or…not 😀 xo
LikeLike
Oh, that sounds miserable for poor Doug.
LikeLike
Accountants (apparently) can make for not-such-good-housemates-especially-when-they-disturb-your-sleep, but bald isn’t a good look for them (or this one) so I’m glad the medication is there, and I hope it works, and I hope the side-effects stay worn off.
Wishing you many naps and much restfulness for the coming week xo
LikeLike
I love your sense of humor through the whole experience. Poor Doug. Poor you. I hope you can both rest!
LikeLike
Poor, poor Doug. Poor, poor hairless Doug. My brother gave me this terrific de-thatching kind of comb to use on our cats, especially Pete, since he is too fat to groom properly so he always has gobs of loose hair on him. I combed and combed and combed out the equivalent of a large kitten’s worth of fur, and NOW he has a patch as big as my hand with, um, not a lot of hair on it. I did too good of a job, it appears.
Rest up.
LikeLike
Kay so the photo of you and DouggieSkippie where you’re all “that’s the story you’re sticking with?” is just plain old awesome. Poor guy though. My dog Arthur (before Chief) had to go on steroids too. We both kept waiting for the buffed part. xo
LikeLike