"Claflin Clinic"

If it's not one thing, it's another . . . .  Woke up this morning to hear Joey retching.  Got him ALMOST to the door before he threw up. 

When I checked him out before I gave him his breakfast there were several red area on his tummy.  Some that look almost like ringworm -- a red area surrounded by a ring of smaller red dots. 

In other areas the redness is less circular and more generalized.  You can see in the picture below that he actually has red spots to some extent pretty much all over him!  Poor guy! 

I called LSU and asked them to have the doctor call me back.  I really need to get some of that prescription shampoo and see if a medicated bath every day or two is any help.  Oh - and his ears are a mess now, as well.  I DO have meds for that and have used that once or twice EVERY day since his vet visit last week, but they're still a mess.  I don't know - maybe the poor guy needs to live in a house that's tidier than mine is.  God knows WHAT he's allergic to!

Then when I went out to feed the horses this morning, Ladybug had pulled the bandage off her ear and it was stuck to the rubber drain tubing and was dangling next to her eye so she was continually shaking her head to try and get rid of it.  I finally got the thing loose from the tubing but she wouldn't let me TOUCH her ear so I didn't try to flush it out.  The bandage didn't smell infected this time, so I don't think it'll be a problem to leave it alone until the vet comes this afternoon.  What I did was take a clean fly mask with ears and apply a bunch of that "Swat" stuff to that ear piece, then put that on her with a halter over it to keep it in place.  That will at least keep the flies away from the incisions until the vet can get there.  Come to think of it, I think I'm going to do that with both Bug's and Lizzie's fly masks EVERY time.  That "Swat" stuff isn't a fly repellant, it actually kills anything that lands on it, so that seems like a fine plan, now that I think about it. 

Oh - and Duke has been kicking at his belly as though there were a horse fly on there -- but there isn't!  He was doing that constantly when Zoilo was trimming his feet on Friday - NOT a good thing.  I asked Zoilo if he thought it might be because his stomach was hurting, but he said no, that he would lay down or try to bite at it if that were it.  Still, it's definitely not natural.  I thought maybe there was some sort of something there in that gelding recess in his tummy (whatever that's called), so I cleaned that out as best I could and stuck a whole handful of "Swat" around it.  But he's still doing that kicking thing periodically, though not quite as continually.  I'll have to ask the vet when she comes out for Bug this afternoon what could be causing that. 

AND . . .Boo has an ear infection, as well!  I'm telling you, by the time I get everyone treated for all their problems, it's pretty much time to start over again!  I REALLY wish I could retire and spend ALL my time taking care of everyone!