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Archive for the ‘rattlesnake’ Category

A few thoughtful readers have asked how my dog, Hutch, has been doing since the rattlesnake bites to his face.

The swelling went down, the lumps disappeared, his cheerful personality returned, and I’m happy to say, he’s completely back to ‘normal’.

I’ve been sensitive about taking him running since his neck was so grossly disfigured and swollen. His collar didn’t fit for more than two weeks after the bites and for at least another week after that, he was too sensitive to wear it.

Several weeks ago, I started to take him out once or twice a week. I wasn’t sure he would be able to adequately communicate pain or discomfort and was concerned about causing damage. Last week I got home from work and he met me at the door dragging his leash behind him, the waste bag holder bouncing off the walls and thumping loudly against the furniture.

I guess when it comes to communication, Hutch is pretty clear.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and decided to let him jog as far as he wanted to jog – assuming he’d tucker out at 3 miles or so.

At mile 7.5, I was the one to call it quits. When I turned around for home, he glared at me defiantly and pulled at his leash to continue forward. Apparently, the little guy is trying to make up for lost time. I missed my running buddy and I’m sooo glad to have him back.

His companionship makes the vet bill a little less painful to pay.

You can see one of the scars on his left side, but other than that, he looks great!