OUR POOR BABY BENNIE...still not too good.

We have been watching Bennie chew himself up from allergies for FOUR months. Yesterday I took him to the skin specialist in San Antonio for the 3rd. time. Left at 5:30 a.m. in a driving rain...for a 9:30 appt. Got home at 6 p.m. Dr. Scott detected a heart murmur so he was sent downstairs to the internist and heart specialist and is now on a heart med. Heart murmurs are not so unusual or worrisome according to the doctor. Whatever.

The place I take him is South Texas Veterinary Specialists and they have an excellent reputation. It is 26 miles down 1604 from Hwy. 90...so not even really into S.A. very far. Bennie has been tested for so many things at a HUGE expense. Is he EVER going to get well? They assure me that he will. It's a case of ruling out this and that and the other. Whatever.

Actually these pictures aren't even as angry and red as he gets sometimes. He has been on an extremely strong antibiotic for 60 days...finished with that now. He has at least 6 or 8 kinds of meds including- swabs, lotions, shampoos, unguents, ointments etc. etc. Two of his meds I get at the pharmacy at Walmart...he isn't a dog...he's  "people". Whatever.

Yesterday he finally had his skin test (he was tested for 30 things)and it did not show what we had hoped...so a blood sample was sent away for further testing. Dr. Scott said that Bennie's reaction isn't much compared to others he's tested. The bloodwork should be ready in a week and his serum will be mailed to us. Thus, begins a year of allergy shots.

He is a very brave patient and is popular w/ the staff at STVS...of course 3 legged dogs draw attention. Bennie says "WHATEVER!". On the way home just outside of Uvalde, TX... I saw 3 great big roosters running down the shoulder of HWY 90...in single file. They were running FAST. Where were they going? Where had they been?                                                                                                           On a lighter note: Willie (our other dog) was left trembling and scared with Gene in the garage yesterday morning. Willie is terrified of lightening and thunder. They were having coffee and cigarettes. Gene said he looked SO sad and scared that he took Willie to work and smuggled him into class. WILLIE WAS A ROCK STAR all day and got tons of attention. Unfortunately lots of people found out and Gene got a little paranoid and took Willie home at 2 pm. Gene denies everything and insists that he did NOT bring his dog to work. It was a dead pig at the end of a leash and the class dissected it...evidence gone bye-bye. Whatever Mr. Poole!!