Well, it’s been an interesting 48 hours in dogland.
First, we had an overnight visitor.
Second, Zoey is in a cone.
Let’s talk about our visitor first. Tanner went out for a run on Sunday night just as it was getting dark and called me about 15 minutes into the run. When I answered the phone he said, “I found a dog.” So of course I went to get the dog. She didn’t have a collar on but it was clear that she belonged to someone and was well taken care of.
She wasted no time making herself right at home. I posted her picture on a few Facebook groups and on our neighborhood Next Door page hoping to find her owners. We gave her water and food and let her spend the night. Unfortunately, she had to be kept separate from ours because while she was so sweet and full of cuddles with us, she was terrified of our girls and was growling. We thought it in everyone’s best interest not to chance it.
I took her to an animal hospital in our neighborhood on Monday morning to check to see if she had a microchip. The good news was that she did. The bad news is that if you take an animal to a vet to see if they are chipped you have to surrender them if they are. So I had to leave her abruptly and hope she’d be reunited with her family. If they can’t locate the family, the dogs go to Animal Control. I was VERY happy to learn that she did make it home…but apparently has already escaped again. I saw on Next Door that she’s now in someone’s garage!
I always try to help when I see a dog that’s lost or on the loose because I pray someone would do the same for us if one of ours got out. It was a great reminder for me to check our microchips…and I’m glad I did. They were both expired because my card on file changed. I also ordered both girls new collars from Orvis that are personalized with their names and my phone number.
As soon as I got home from taking the lost pup to the vet, I sat down at my desk to start working and Zoey came in. I noticed she had a hot spot on her flank that seemingly came out of nowhere. Work was put on hold while I trimmed the hair around her hot spot, gave her a bath, ran to the drug store to get medicine and then got the house cleaned up from the dog craziness. I’m trying to treat this one at home since we caught it early. They can grow and spread quickly so you have to stay on top of them.
I’m dabbing it with a mix of apple cider vinegar and warm water a few times a day and then dusting it with medicated Gold Bond powder (I read on some golden retriever forums that this is an effective and recommended treatment?). I’ve also got her in a cone to keep her from licking/chewing on it. And I’m giving her Benadryl.
I finally sat down to work around 2 p.m. These fur babies! Goodness.
Luckily, this one is giving me a break and is just being her normal chill self. 🙂
I’ve got a ton of work to crank through this afternoon but I just wanted to share these two stories with you and remind you to a) make sure your dog has a collar and that the address and phone number on it is current and b) check your microchip registration and make sure it’s valid and the info is correct!
Have a wonderful day.
xx
Jen
Any tried and true hot spot remedies? Really trying to avoid a vet bill on this one.
Has your pet ever been lost? Or have you rescued a lost pet?
That little pit bull face!!! <3 I hope she gets reunited with her owners (again) and they find a solution to how she's escaping.
No hot spot fixes, but I think a big part of it is just getting them to stop licking and chewing at it.
Lost an animal once- our apartment was broken into and the person used a tire iron to pry the door open- so the dead bolt was sticking out. Our cat got out but fortunately came home on his own. All of our cats are chipped and have collars with tags saying they're indoor cats. I've found countless animals and regularly TNR feral cats in my neighborhood.
I cannot believe your cat got out during a break-in. That is a terrifying chain of events!
Try oil of oregano mixed with coconut oil for her hot spot. Hope she’s better soon!
Thank you!
Poor Zoey!
My golden had a hot spot right under his tail about a month ago that he hid from us until a visit to the vet was unavoidable & he ended up with a bacterial infection 🙁
In the past if we kept him from licking & chewing it as soon as we notice it’s there it will normally scab & heal on its own. If you’re cleaning it make sure you pat dry afterwards; vet told us to keep it as dry as possible to speed healing!
If you find any other tips/tricks that work I would love if you shared in another post for future reference 🙂
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe your pup hid his hot spot from you! Poor baby. Ours ended up healing and scabbing on its own with the help of the cone! The gold bond medicated powder also seemed to work well!
Thank you for helping that sweet pup out!! So many people would just look the other way, especially if they look pitt-ish. Hopefully the owners find a better way to keep her safe, she was lucky to run into you guys!
We will always help a lost pup find their way home!
Oh no!! I’m so glad you found the home for the pup. I’ve been known to chase dogs down the street before that look like they belong to someone. Once Rhett got out and someone brought him home to me, so it’s the least I can do. It was AWFUL!
I don’t have any hot spot treatments… I usually end up at the vet and 100’s of dollars later… sigh. That cone looks really nice– better than the plastic ones!
The soft cones are where it’s at! A friend gave us this one and we’ve had it for a few years now.
I am confused about your microchip expiration issue. Does yours require on-going payment, or do you mean that your address/info. wasn’t updated? Ours was a one-time payment and is registered with our vet. I want to make sure I am not messing it up or doing something wrong. Thanks!
Hey Lindsay – sorry if it’s confusing. Apparently, some microchip companies require annual renewal and others are good for life. So I guess that’s the difference between yours and mine. I guess we just need to make sure we know what kind we have!
I swear by diaper rash cream, Benadryl and the “cone of shame”. I need to look into a cone like yours! Ours broke after the first use. No one has admitted guilt, but our retriever looked pretty happy it was dead 🙂
Oh diaper rash cream. That’s a good suggestion! The soft cones are the best.
I apply coconut oil to the hot spot a few times a day, and put my golden in either an old shirt or the cone. It works wonders!
Coconut oil is like the magic salve for all things!