Anatomy of a sick pup

Sunny, our Yellow Dog, despite eating EVERYTHING she finds (rocks, sticks, feces ... you name it) has never gotten sick. An occasional ear infection, but nothing has affected her ironclad stomach. Until last week. I returned home from our grade-level overnight trip to find my normally rambunctious and overly-energetic puppy lethargic and sad. When I walked in the house to release her from her crate, she barely acknowledged my arrival. I knew something was wrong. And then I saw the vomit in her crate and my suspicions increased. When she refused to eat and threw up all the water she had just drunk, I knew something was wrong. I didn't need to see the bloody diarrhea (TMI, right?!) to know that a trip to the vet was next. 

We spent the next three hours at the vet, getting x-rays and blood work and all the typical workups. They couldn't find anything wrong with her which made them worry all the more. Her dramatically subdued behavior coupled with the continued vomiting made them suspect that she had a soft foreign body somewhere inside. I couldn't find anything missing, but she's a sneaky little troublemaker, so I had no doubt that she had found a sock or a pair of underwear or something else. We went home with medicine and strict rest order. 

Shockingly, for a dog who NEVER rests, rest wasn't hard for her to achieve. JD and I always joke that she hasn't learned to cuddle or sit still yet because she is constantly moving. If nothing else, this illness has taught her to lay still and rest. Her poor little spirit was so sad and depressed; it was blatantly obvious that she didn't feel good. She just slept. And rested. And cuddled. I know it's horrible to say, but she was so sweet!

Can't even lift her head at the vet's office.

Look at those sweet, sad brown eyes. 

Actually resting on the couch, not squirming around like a crazy dog. 

More sleepiness. 

Even shared lap space with her big (little) brother.

The doctor ordered that she eat only chicken and rice, but that crazy dog refused to eat anything but her own food. Seriously? I'm cooking you a hot meal, and you'd rather eat kibble? By Sunday, she was feeling much better. Not 100% and not back to normal food intake, but better. Good enough to play a little ball in the backyard. On Tuesday, she was back to her hyper self and was playing rough in the backyard with the other kids. I was relieved. Nothing every passed through, so it may have just been a bad virus. Either way, I'm happy to have her back to her normal self. And the best part? She hasn't forgotten how to cuddle. :)

All better and back to just sitting and smelling the air.