Today was the day I was going to tidy my house and to teach myself social media, to Digg and Stumble my way into the blogosphere and wave at my tech savvy pals via Google.

This was not to be.

First, I decided that I’d really better take Frankie to the vet. His eye has been bothering him ever since I took him to the groomer to gussy him up for our trip to the Ritz Carlton, Dove Mountain. I kept wavering because of, well, money, and because he seemed to be improving. And then not improving.

Turns out he has a corneal ulcer. The vet thinks it might be superficial enough to clear up with antibacterial drops, to be administered every two hours.

diagram from Veterinary Vision Animal Eye Specialists

Then again, because of his diabetes, he might not respond as well as he should. In which case he’ll need surgery.

Fiddle dee dee, I’m not going to think about that now…

The vet also said the ulcer was square rather than round, and that this was weird. I guess it’s better than when she called Frankie weird because he wouldn’t pee for the vet techs. Still, it’s a bit disturbing to be told your dog — or his corneal ulcer — is peculiar. On top, of course, of being told that your dog has a corneal ulcer in the first place.

When I came home from the vet, Chris the repair guy was there.  Chris was going to fix the hole in the wall above the sink that the plumbers made and left gaping. I had told Chris when I phoned him that I needed the hole drywalled because the plumbers who had left the hole said, “Sorry, we don’t do drywall.”

It turns out that the hole needed to be plastered, which Chris doesn’t know how to do. If only the plumbers had said, “Sorry, we don’t do plastering,” Chris could have saved himself a trip. And I might have found a repair guy who does plastering.

Did I mention that the hole in my wall seems to be emitting toxic fumes, which Chris suggested I stifle with plastic bags?

So… I have a dog who needs to get eye drops every two hours and a hole in my wall that can’t be fixed, at least not today, and that is stuffed with plastic bags that I’m semi-convinced will combust from the toxic fumes.

Damned if I’m going to tidy a house that has a toxic hole in the wall — that just goes against every aesthetic principle — or try to do something that is bound to make me feel obtuse. I’ve got some cold beer in the fridge, and maybe there’s something good on cable…

14 thoughts on “Ulcers, mine & Frankie’s”

  1. Sorry to hear about Frankie. I really hope his eyes clear up and the drops work their magic.

    Mina, my lurcher, had severe corneal ulcers on both her eyes last year. Unfortunately, for Mina, it was too late for drops (very long story, but she’s more than likely allergic to ingredients in eye drops) so surgery was the only option. Thankfully the pet insurance has paid out and continues to pay out for her ongoing treatment.

    It does sound as though you’re having a time of it at the moment with holes in walls & toxic fumes. I’d definitely give the housework a mix and chill out with a beer or two & a trashy movie, plus cuddles from Frankie!

    1. Thank you for your sympathy and emphathy. Mina is such a pretty girl; sorry you had to go through that with her.

      Jeez, I was so busy blogging and tweeting about Frankie, I almost forgot to give him his drops… done now.

  2. So sorry to hear about Frankie, & I do hope the drops help him. Like children, when our dogs are sick it just totally drains you. Last Jan my old girl was diagnosed with cancer & put on 3 different drugs for several months, gradually decreasing them. Finally in Sept the drugs were done. Here it is a year later , the cancer is in remission, sadly within a matter of weeks her eyesite is totally gone. She is so headstrong as most Irish Setters are & she works against me when I try to guide her. It just breaks my heart to see her like this. Right now I am looking forward to celebrating her 13th birthday next month.
    Take care of your little guy..I wish the best for you both.

    1. Thanks for your good wishes, Betty.

      I’m glad Jan is in remission. As for the eyesight, don’t worry. She’ll figure out how to guide herself. When Frankie was first diagnosed with diabetes, I researched blindness because that’s often a side effect of the disease. I learned that, after an initial difficult period, dogs adjust very well by themselves. Just don’t move around any furniture!

  3. poor frankie! i hope that it clears up quickly & you don’t have to do a surgery. and best wishes on a speedy wall repair. it sucks when things in the house don’t look right.

  4. Let’s see if I can tie some of your previous posts together here!

    So because you are a celebrity slut, you just had to gussy up Frankie. Then travel to a fancy schmancy Ritz Carlton to see and be seen. You know darn right well this would not have happened if you just stayed at home.

    And, well, thank Dog you haven’t given up cable – otherwise you’d have to drink alone!

    If it makes you feel any better, we paid $2500 to have Ty’s eyelids done. (This was a couple of years ago – who knows how much it costs today!) The extra forehead skin was pushing down on his face, causing his eyelids to roll in/under, resulting in his eye lashes scratching his eyes, which can cause … taa daa … corneal ulcers. This is a common in the Shar Pei breed and is an excluded condition on his pet insurance.

    1. You’ve got that right, Rod — and thank you for reading my posts so carefully!

      But speaking of fancy schmancy, let’s look at Ty’s cosmetic surgery. Is this the canine equivalent of the deviated septum excuse for a nose job? 😉

  5. I suppose I am not supposed to take personally the crack about the deviated septum repair excuse for a nose job? I had mine when the nice doctor explained that I would die without the surgery — either from the non-stop infections or the increasingly rare and lethal antibiotics that would slow the infections down. Cosmetically speaking, I can’t say I thought it was an improvement.
    BTW It was only later that I realized that the surgery really does involve someone breaking your nose with something resembling a baseball bat. Had I but known, I would have held an auction for the privilege of swinging the bat!
    That said, I hope Frankie gets better before the lack of sleep gets to you!

    1. No, no — I had totally forgotten about out deviated septum conversation because, well, your nose doesn’t look like it ever had any work (and that’s a compliment!). I have to admit I was thinking about a friend who I haven’t seen since high school who is coming to Tucson later this week. She had the first nose job of anyone I knew and, it seems, got the classic “Dr. Diamond nose.”

      As for Frankie, luckily the vet said the every two hour rule doesn’t apply during the night. Whew!

    1. Thanks; glad to hear that about Dash. It gives me hope. Frankie doesn’t seem to mind the drops — although he’s annoyed that my approaches never involve food — so that’s a relief.

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