more meds and a haircute!

So last time we checked in we were a yeasty beastie. Dr Ringle switched our eye meds(haven't arrived yet) to a water based solution to prevent more yeast growth. He also suggested we do a MONTH of the Fluconazole. Hope actually seems to like this medication(not so much she'd just take it but enough to suffer it well) so it isn't horrible.

The horrible part is the diarrhea it is giving her. Awful, hourly diarrhea blasts. They are really lovely in the middle of the night. God bless her little heart, she gets up and walks to the edge of the bed to cry "Need to poop, Mama!" Needless to say I'm a little sleep deprived today.

Her face itches her fierce so we're back on the Temaril-P as well. She also started some Pepcid. Will it ever end?

As for Hope's fur situation....I decided to get her groomed today!! I have been hesitant to do it because A. Hope has been ill, cut open, and healing B. She is naughty and bites people. I happened into a shop called Fins & Feathers in Red Bank, NJ to drop off birds for rescue earlier today. I discovered the shop also does grooming. They were having a special on grooming($15 off!) so I inquired about it. I spoke to the shop owner's daughter first. She told me they don't advocate leaving the dogs there all day for appointments because it was too stressful(bonus point #1), they don't use cage driers because they are dangerous(bonus point #2), and that they actually owned a chihuahua who bit them all the time - which she shrugged off with a laugh (bonus point #3). I promptly made an appointment.

I found Hellen, the owner and a groomer there, to be very knowledgeable and kind. I told her about ALL of Hope's issues, medically and behaviorally, which she was familiar with. She was also very gentle with Hope and did not hesitate to handle her despite 'her rep'. Hellen sited that she wanted Hope to enjoy being groomed and not hate it so it would therefore, potentially, take up to 3 hours if Hope needed breaks during her time there. Bonus point #3. To quote her, "I could have 3 people hold her down and shave her but what good would that do her or me? I want her to like being groomed." At that point, I could have kissed Hellen right on the lips. I knew Hellen was the groomer for us.

Hope looked this like on the way to the groomer:


And 2 hours later, they called and brought out this cute creature.. we weren't sure who's dog it was...


Hellen said that Hope was better behaved than the other Maltese that was there earlier. WOW, that dog must be truly horrible if Hope was "good" compared to it.



I mean, how cute does it get? Of course being groomed was still stressful for little Hope. She was all tuckered out on the ride home.



Yes, those are BOWS in her hair. GLITTERY BOWS!!



There was discussion of Hope's breed. Prior to actually grooming her, Hellen said she was a Maltese. After spending 2 hours with her she said that Hope definitely had Chihuahua in her. We figure she is a Maltipoohuahua. :) She is special, that's for sure. Of course, not everyone got by unscathed by Hope. She was very adept at removing the muzzle at the groomer and did manage to nail Hellen once, but no broken skin.

At least she is a polite miscreant.