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Visiting Tinky

21st July 2008

I haven’t posted since last Wednesday, because I was away visiting Tinky (my sis’s dog).

Took a direct 8 a.m. flight, not knowing that I was going to be faced with a 3-day heat wave!! I’ve experienced 42°C while doing Bikram, but the burning dry heat felt more unbearable than a hot humid room. I was going to do some shopping, but the heat prevented me from doing a full-blown retail therapy. Instead, I took Tinky to the vet. She was wheezing the whole night & she sounded horrible! As if she had some furball or food stuck in her throat.

She’s a heavy girl & there was no way I would walk to the vet carrying a 20 pound dog on my shoulder. The poor girlie had to walk & she wouldn’t stop panting!!! I had to pour some water on her forehead to cool her down. For awhile, I thought she was going to get a heat stroke, since she’s a short-nosed dog whose breathing is probably not efficient when it comes to taking long walks when it’s too hot out.

Good news though. Vet said that the wheezing was probably caused by some viral & bacterial infection. She was prescribed some medication for the bacterial infection, but it’s up to her own immune system to fight of the viral infection. My sister was also worried about her extra eye discharge & thought that it could be a symptom of cataracts. Apparently pugs are genetically more prone to cataracts. The way the vet explained it to me is that cataracts in dogs pretty much develop the same way as they do in humans, i.e. can be due to genetics, diabetes, old age. She had clear discharge, which is nothing to be worried about. Besides, she’s only about 3 years old & cataracts usually affect older dogs (9 years+). Once the discharge becomes yellowish/greenish, it’s more symptomatic of cataracts.

I had fun visiting Tinky & taking her for walks (even though I know she hated the heat), but I was also glad to be coming home to my furry rodents who were happily oblivious to the weather outside