I hope everyone is staying warm. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring time and warmer weather. Although with that comes more allergens. So is the cycle of allergy life.
Update on Norman
A couple of weeks ago Norman had a reaction to who knows what. I was at the dining room table helping my daughter with a puzzle when Norman trots in there with super red skin, sores, and flakes on his back. You turn your back for just a couple minutes and he sneaks off to rub and scratch!
There is a large window in that room and the light hit Norman just right so I snapped a picture of it. It probably made it look even more dramatic. Anyway, I posted this picture of Norman on our Instagram and Facebook pages (pic below). Some of you may have seen it. Well let me know tell you, people definitely had some opinions about it.
Granted, most of the comments were very supportive. Many were curious, some expressed their sympathy, and others offered treatment suggestions for his skin. I’m very appreciative of these and I like that we can have an open dialogue about our dogs. I’ve received many great ideas from our readers.
However…there were a few comments that were not so helpful. Some were directed (negatively) towards our vet. And one person even scolded me for neglecting Norman. I found that one partly shocking and partly hilarious, but mostly just plain rude and definitely uninformed. In fact, several of our Itchy Frenchie pals responded in my defense! Thank you.
Moving Forward
Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but I think it would be best if we continued to be supportive of each other. A lot of us are doing everything we can to help our dogs and it does no good to tell someone how much you disapprove of their efforts based on a picture.
Like I said, there were some very helpful comments. The nice people at Dermapaw even offered to send Norman some samples to try! If you’re looking for a topical treatment for their skin or paws, it is worth a try. The texture is a bit like Carmex chapstick. And it softens as you scoop it so it’s very easy to rub in.
That’s about all for now. I have been thinking about trying to cook some meals for Norman and see how he does with that. I’ve been researching a little bit, plus taking in to account what he’s allergic to. I’ll give some more information once I get going with that.
Oh, and our vet mentioned something about an allergy shot called RESPIT. It is regionally-specific immunotherapy that you can get without allergy testing. The formulas vary based on your geographical area. It is available as an injection or a spray. It sounds intriguing, but I definitely need some more information about it. You can check it out for yourself here.
And here’s the pic I posted that got such a reaction.
