See ya later, Patches

My parents went on a long luxurious cruise to Hawaii. My dad asked me to take care of his little dog Patches while they were gone. She is a 3.5 lb chihuahua. I would have kept her at my house, but she tends to bite small children, and also foolishly picks fights with Francesca. She usually does this as Francesca is walking away from her, but Francesca will turn and pounce, and I'm afraid she might extinguish Patch in the name of aggressive play. So, my dad actually wanted me to board her at my clinic.

This worked out great. Patches was terrified (her state 90% of the time anyway), but we have a gentle kennel worker who would walk her for 20 minutes if that's what she needed to feel comfortable enough to poop. Many days I'd find her up front in the lap of one of the receptionists. She was weighed every other day to make sure she wasn't losing weight, and if she didn't eat her dry food, they fed her premium canned food.

Also while she was with us, I gave her a full check-up, ran comprehensive bloodwork, and did a dental cleaning. Boy, did she need it!



My parents drove up for a quick visit, and to pick up their Patch. She was so happy to see them, and her face finally relaxed into a doggie smile when she was in my dad's arms. It was nice to have a quick visit and lunch with them, and their grandkids were thrilled to get their vacation presents. Anthony and I got Kona coffee and macadamia nuts! What a deal.