Poor Chappy. You know how I said yesterday that he was kind of quiet, especially right after he woke up? Well, this morning, not only he was quiet, but he spit up some blood in his crate, at about 5:15. At which time I was sound asleep and, I hate to tell you, lost Mommy points by not dragging myself out of bed.(I was, however, properly sympathetic and concerned when I woke up properly at 6:45.) He paused before he ate his breakfast, too, though he DID eat it. But, well, even small amounts of blood aren’t good, so I took him to the vet this afternoon.

The verdict? The vet couldn’t find anything wrong. He asked if Chappy had coughed up the blood, or vomited it up, but we both agreed that at 5:15 in the morning, they sound pretty much the same. He told me, though, that if it had come up from his stomach, it would likely have looked more like coffee grounds, but since it was fresh and red, it was more likely from his throat or esophogas. (Who knew?) But, from what he could see of his throat, it looked normally pink, there was no flinching, wincing or other signs of discomfort. The vet couldn’t get him to cough, and Chappy was generally alert and cute throughout the exam.

In other words, he’s stoic and doesn’t give up much (any) information. So. The $85 diagnosis? Wait and see if this gets worse, doesn’t go away, if he seems to be in any pain, and then give us a call. Sigh.

Of course, I’m happy that he doesn’t seem miserably sick, but I’d still rather that there be something solid that could be fixed. And he has been more quiet than usual tonight. His weight has gone down a tiny bit, to 33.9 lbs, and I’ve been thinking lately that his coat seems less shiny than usual–but that could just be that he needs a haircut and a bath …

Anyway, he’s not at his best tonight, poor boy.

He was entertaining at the vet’s office, though. We got there and checked in, then sat down in the dog’s waiting area, and he was fine. Not thrilled to be there, but being good. Then, in one of the examination rooms, a dog (dogs?) started whimpering. Loudly. Unhappily. Frantically. Which made Chappy VERY concerned. He sat at attention, watching down the hallway with a concerned look on his face, and then looked at me and then headed for the door. I told him we had to wait until he’d seen the doctor, but he just looked so worried–not for himself, but for whatever was happening to that dog!

Then, while he was intently staring down the hallway, one of the exam room doors opened and a large man and a 100-lb dog came rushing out, with the man saying, “I’ve got to get him outside before he goes on the floor!” Except … they were heading right toward Chappy and, well, that dog was a lot bigger than he is, so he ducked away and hid behind my legs. When the man came back in a couple minutes later (without the dog) to pay his bill, Chappy wanted nothing to do with him.

So, by then, I was petting him to help him relax, and suddenly I felt his chest vibrating. He was growling … but at what? I turn my head to see what he’s staring at … It’s a poster on the wall of a Chihuahua on a scale. The picture (being a Chihuahua) is lifesize and it’s freaking Chappy out. He doesn’t LIKE dogs that don’t move. Statues and lifesize pictures of dogs are, in his opinion, in the poorest possible taste. We even have a portrait of HIM that my aunt painted 7 years ago, and every now and again, Chappy growls at it, too, until he decides that the non-moving dog is not a threat.

Oh, and according to the vet? This means that Chappy not only has excellent eyesight, but a good imagination.

Like, we didn’t know that!

Here’s an update on my sweater.

Obviously the body is going more slowly than the sleeves did, but it’s moving. That odd stripe up the center? That’s going to be the steek. Of course, in retrospect, I’m a little concerned that the Silky Wool won’t “grab” quite so well as the Shetland called for in the original pattern, and am thinking that maybe doing a wider steek might have been wiser. But, well …

I suppose that if I were really smart, I’d knit myself a swatch right now and test this before I knit the entire body, only to find it unravelling…

Saturday update: Well, he’s still a little quieter than usual, but Chappy is more like himself this morning. Obviously sleeping on the bed with his Mom made him feel better!

• Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:5:15 //