I just dropped off Shiva at the vet clinic to get neutered. He didn’t want to go into the cage very much; the only time he’s ever been back there was about two years ago when he mysteriously collapsed. Brett and Jay took him to the vet, and he spent the weekend there. Dr. Weigert (I think) first gave him a farm poison antidote, which did nothing, and later gave him an anti-inflammatory which seemed to help. We worried briefly that he had some kind of nerve disorder but it never happened again. (While not likely, I don’t think it’s entirely imossible that he’d managed somehow to eat a pot brownie; there were some floating around that day as people were over and there was a BBQ going on. I don’t understand myself how people over the age of 18 can ingest those things and still function, but nobody asked me. Which is why I have a blog, natch.)

I signed all the paperwork and checked all the boxes, thereby adding probably another $80 or more to Shiva’s neutering bill, but I don’t see any reason why the vet should be disallowed any techniques he may need during surgery. (Can you imagine having to let an animal die because the owner didn’t want to pay for the bloodwork, or an EKG, or some other tool of your trade?!) I know I’m a softie, but he’s my puppy… plus, I paid for the extras for both Bindu and Stella so why break with tradition.

Now let me tell you about my morning! I got up and took a shower, then went upstairs and got dressed. Then Stella and Shiva came back from the pond, entirely covered in mud. They looked like chocolate labs, for chrissake! I took all my clothes back off, clipped a lead to Shiva’s collar, and took him back outside in the rain to hose him off. Yes, I stood in the rain naked this morning and hosed the mud off of my dog. Thank God for warm Iowa rain!

Towelling the dog off was lots of fun; he’s only ever had two actual baths in his entire life and he turns four this December. He has no towel manners at all, so it was a good thing I was naked so I could dry myself off afterward.

I grabbed a rug and put it in the back seat for Shiva to drip on and drove in to town. Shiva stayed in the Jeep for 45 minutes, so by the time I dropped him off at 10 he was down to merely damp, rather than soaked. (My whole car smells like wet dog now.)

Shiva will be staying at chez vet until tomorrow; the tech said I could pick him up any time after 8:30 tomorrow. I entreated the tech to take good care of my puppy, and she smiled and said they would. Sigh.