Our Dear Satchel has developed a humongous issue with "hot spots" (a moist, raw sore on the skin of a dog or cat caused by licking or other continual source of moisture). Due to incontinence creating a need for many baths, we've made some adjustments to Satchel's bathing experience. We call it The Salon Experience at Salon Satchel.
First, we get him into the shower:
Soaped Up Satchel
He doesn't love it, but he's a very passive dog and will do whatever we ask...and he loves Jason.
We do our best to clean every crevice while keeping him comfortable and warm.
Because of his arthritis, it's difficult for him to shake, so we use a lot of towels and dry him off. Then we lie him down on something and get ready for the blow drying!
No, it wasn't made in 1875, but I purchased this in probably 1992 maybe...?
On the COOL setting, Satchel gets a VERY lengthy blow drying. His Labrador Retriever-like hair holds so much water, it takes ForEver to dry him. But if you've ever seen a hot spot on your dog and then you picture a 6-inch round one on poor Satchel, you'd blow dry him ForEver to avoid it. Sometimes I switch over to WARM, but it's mostly a cool Salon Experience.
Passive Satchel endures my attention once again
Satchel is growing more and more comfortable with this process and has started to actually enjoy it a little bit...
But it's Luna who really likes the WARM setting:
Luna says, "Ahhhhhhhh..."
After the Day at the Salon, everyone is worn out.
And it wasn't even Luna's turn at The Salon!
Sometimes Salon Satchel has to be open 24 hours, or there have been many occasions of The Night at the Salon, but this time it was just an evening of Salon Satchel.
Maybe he'll rest for more than 37 minutes tonight...
Casa Curtin-Hess is full-service. We haven't found anything yet that we won't do for each other.
Oh, how much time has passed...
It's been a LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNG time since I thought I might even remotely have something interesting to type about...I mean, the days have been filled with the things normally attributed to new parents: no sleep, lots of pooping and peeing, lots of baths, being creative about keeping our lovey comfortable, and no sleep. Virtually Zero. ...and our days and nights have been filled with some carpet cleaning too. So even though I don't have anything that interesting to type, here's just a snippet of our last night/this morning.
Dearest Satchel has been improving in some ways and having a terribly hard time in others.
We've made a few changes that have helped him sleep at night:
1. One meal per day.
2. One-room sleeping quarters instead of being able to roam 3 rooms.
3. Jason sleeps with him in one-room luxury which includes a computer, a TV that stays on all night, a gas fireplace and Satchel's beloved moving blanket.
These changes have helped him sleep comfortably for up to 7 hours in a row. He usually has to go outside only twice between 12:30-ish and 5am and is reportedly comfortable...or so it seemed.
Last night seemed great until the poop explosion at 5am.
Jason was roused from his sleeping quarters by Satchel's wanderings...
Jason's sleeping quarters in the office!
Satchel was wandering around the room, stepping in lots of poop and taking it with him wherever he walked.
He needed a BIG Shower. There are issues with showering our Dear Satchel lately because he has developed a 'hot spot' issue. It is IMPERATIVE to keep his skin clean and dry. Very difficult on a dog who is 90% incontinent, but we've been doing pretty well...and Satchel needed a BIG Shower!!!
That means the Salon Treatment had to come out and Satchel had to be blow dried!
Now those of you who know me will be Absolutely Shocked to know I even OWN a blow dryer...and it's pretty deluxe for being about 20 years old or so. It's perfect for Satchel's needs right now because it has not just the High & Low settings, but COOL, WARM & HOT! Cool is ideal for Sweet Satchel's Sensitive Skin during this trying time...!
Satchel's feet were cold after his COOL Setting blow out...and his beloved moving blanket was 'unfit' to lie on...
so here he is on an old comforter...comfort seems to be the word...
While I blow dried Sweet Satchel, Jason got out the new carpet cleaner. We just put it together last night! It was on sale for $140 at costo.com and you'd think it was as great as a new washing machine...oh yeah, our washing machine is broken as of yesterday...for the 476th time...it'll be hard to wash the moving blanket...oy...
So Jason filled up the clean water tank and got to work on the destroyed office.
The Hoover Spin Brush Steam Vac with Clean Surge...
but it doesn't work! I have to take it back to the warehouse!!!!
Could one of us catch a break? I mean, we realize we are not in the devastation of Haiti or Afghanistan...we were just hoping something would work to clean and sanitize our home.
So we got out the old Bissel carpet cleaner that cost $60 from Big Lots a hundred years ago...still works, just not nearly as well as it once did.
Office cleaned and sanitized. Satchel cleaned and sanitized, and hopefully dry enough to not irritate the 7-inch-pancake-sized hot spot on the inside of his right leg, and hopefully dry enough to prevent any other hot spots. Where is the Precious Peanut? Sweet Luna asked to be in a place where she wouldn't be in the way at all...up on the bed...
My Angel Luna wishing she was asleep at 5:30am instead of in the middle of a cleaning extravaganza
She's so great.
So the washer's broken, the brand new carpet cleaner won't work, Satchel's stomach is bugging him and he has the potential to be one big red & painful hot spot, Jason's slept about 3 hours, I'm working on how to remedy all of these things, and there is Luna, Precious Wonderful Luna, simply trying to stay out of the way. How did I get so lucky to be the one to live with and care for her?
My Mentor-From-Afar, Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, created a challenge on his new website for owners to walk their dogs for 1 hour each day for the next 2 weeks. January is National Walk Your Dog Month or something like that. Six months ago, Luna & I walked more than 1 hour each day. Over the last six months, Luna has had less and less of our essential time together: can't leave Satchel alone, temperatures too cold for her feet, treacherously icy roads, treadmill irritates her back...
I decided Today, that no matter what - no matter how tired I am when Jason is home to meet Satchel's needs, no matter how icy my neighborhood is - I will find a safe and fun place to walk with Luna for an hour every day again. If it's too cold for her feet, ok, but if it's not, we'll find a way. Luna deserves so much more than I can give her, so I will work to give her at least the very basics. Our walks together are a basic need. We've walked 25 minutes together so far today, and when I'm done working tonight, it'll be cold and dark, but we'll find a place to walk for at least 35 minutes and my Luna will be even more Perfect than she already is...as if that's possible...but she will be happier and that's what I want for her.
