Skin infection makes a sad doggy

It’s been awhile since my last Tuesday update about Mitch, the wonder golden retriever puppy. This photo is of him basking in the warm sun on the cottage deck about a month ago.

Mitch really is a wonder: now nine months old, he is almost as calm and well-behaved as our last golden retriever, Taylor, was at 10 years. Well, except for the Cottage Life magazine he destroyed…was there something about the last issue he didn’t like? Or perhaps when dogs chew on something it’s a sign they do like it! On Sunday, while we were at a barbecue, Mitch pulled out the insole of one of my canvas shoes and shredded it. The shoe, strangely enough, is fine. I guess there’s still a bit of puppy left in our curly guy, after all. Yes, Mitch has still got his golden curls. If it weren’t for his smooth retriever face, you’d think he was a red golden doodle.

In any case, Mitch was not himself after his last visit to the cottage. He returned with small red bumps all over his soft belly and groin, which he licked and chewed until the whole area was seriously infected. An antibiotic and antihistamine have finally, nearly a week later, calmed the area (and the dog). Since he started to feel better, our boy has been remarkably cheerful, even while wearing a plastic cone around his head to keep him from licking the infected skin. Last night, as I watched him throw his ball up in the air, I was convinced he planned to use the cone as a catcher’s mitt.

We have a few theories about the reason for his skin problems. We wonder, for example, if he had been swimming in the swampy pond behind the cottage. Or perhaps his itchy skin was caused by an allergy to wading through juniper bushes—which would be a big problem at our place! Our friend John, who owns Mitch’s BFF Joey, thinks Mitch may have had a severe reaction to black flies.

Meanwhile, DH calls me the dog whisperer when it comes to administering the medication. It’s not so hard, really. The secret is to hide it in bits of bread liberally slathered with butter. What’s not to like?