Queasy…or in Spanish, Que Easy (What? Easy?)

I wish I could say this has been an easy week for me, but I have to admit, it’s been a struggle. I have, unfortunately, been dealing with a very upset tummy much to Gretchen’s consternation (and mine as well).

I have been a dog who has always had a very delicate constitution. It’s been quite a journey to figure out what I’ll eat and what my system will allow, but finally we got it under control and for the past month I’ve been eating more like my Lab side than my Doodle side.

Then it all went awry. I won’t go into the yucky details, but suffice it to say, we’ve had some late nights and we’re all pretty tired and worn out.

But duty calls and so we can’t exactly “call in sick” when we own our own business. Part of that business has been pet sitting and during this week, we’ve been spending our time at Rosie and Tyson’s house. Well, Gretchen has. I go home with Ann at night and she’s been taking care of me during those late, upset tummy nights.

I have to say that being sick isn’t any fun. But I’ve tried not to let it get in the way of my active and fun life. Even when we traveled to Port Townsend over the weekend, I tried to have as much fun as I could on the wooded trails with my pal, Dewey and take in the great beaches with Dewey’s brother, Buster.

Then my work week began with Rosie and Tyson, Monty, and Roux. They’ve each struggled with tummy upset so they did their best to wish me better days.

I guess the most difficult parts about being sick are that I’m not much bland diet eater. Cottage cheese, rice, boiled chicken, yogurt, pumpkin…they are not my favorite thing to eat so when Gretchen comes at me with a spoonful of something white I tuck my tail, throw back my ears, and if escape is possible, I take it.

But if I don’t eat, then my stomach gets more upset and it’s hard to go on my many walks for work because I’m constantly stopping to stretch out my achy belly or eat some grass.

And then there’s been the weather. I promised I wouldn’t talk about it anymore in this blog (now that is’t April), but it’s hard not to when the weather has gotten me down a bit too. In a word — RAIN…and yes, wind and cold. Being wet on top of being sick has made for a challenging week. And while I have some photos, I don’t have a lot because it’s been so wet. My apologies.

My apologies also to Woobie who we had to cancel walking this week because I had to go to the vet. While I missed seeing Woobie, I do love visiting my vet as she loves me, wants to help me, and is always very kind to me. She gave me all sorts of advice and some weird things — like slippery elm and oregano — to help soothe my tummy. It must be working because I have been feeling a bit better.

Of course, believe it or not, there are upsides to being sick. I know Gretchen really wants to give me a bath, but has held off because she knows I feel crummy. And when I feel this way, I sleep really close to my moms. I’m not the biggest cuddler, but when I feel like this, being close to my moms makes my tummy feel a tad bit better.

And I rest a lot. Rosie and Tyson, I’ve learned by hanging out with them at their house, rest and sleep a lot as well. And they are pretty adorable when they sleep. Rosie has her own HUGE round couch bed with 5 big pillows on it. Still she slides off in her slumber and her flews sag low.

Tyson, on the other hand, likes the small chairs at his house. He curls up like a cat and then rests his head on the arm of the chair. If there’s one thing these two have taught me this past week it’s how to take a load off!

And as you’ve most likely figured out, I haven’t done much blogging of late. I haven’t had all the energy I’ve needed to get my thoughts into words, but I’m slowly on the mend.

So I guess the biggest lesson I’ve learned has been that Queasy, isn’t easy by any means. But I keep moving forward, one paw at a time and now one meal at a time.

Soon,

Rubin