One bluppy puppy

There are few things less fun than having my Doodlebug (Darby) be sick. Of late it feels like it’s happening much more than usual.

First there was the night when he had a diarrhea explosion at around 1 a.m., making a huge mess in three (yes, you read right --- three) different rooms, including on the bedspread of the guest bed. We chalked that up to nerves, as my spouse had been ill the same night. Being the sensitive little dude he is (and I believe most dogs to be), we figured Darby got too upset at seeing dad clinging to the side of the toilet for dear life and his system rebelled thusly.

Then came the night when we had guests over. Never mind that they were my parents and he adores them, we were still willing to chalk up his digestive meltdown to being over stimulated. Fortunately, we had a little warning on that one, as he sat in his chair, panting far too heavily for a dog who hadn’t done more than walk across the room. Being properly concerned, we were able to get him outside just in time for a diarrhea explosion, followed by a few rounds of vomit.

Much like the first time, once he got past the immediate episode and enjoyed a little slumber time, Darby bounced back right-as-rain the next day.

So when he climbed in bed last night at around 3 a.m. (something he never does when he’s feeling his oats) and started up with the heavy panting, I knew that whether I had to be at work or not, there was going to be a whole lot less cleaning involved if I hauled my big butt out of bed and got him outside. Which I did --- just in time to save the carpets. I figured the worst was over, so we headed back to bed where I promptly gave up the bulk of my covers and more of my butt space than I prefer to accommodate his desire to cuddle up with us. We seemed on the right track until 5 a.m., when he needed to vomit. On the bed. Well, we were bound to wash it some time. Today’s as good a day as any.

Houston, we have a sickie in our midst. There were no guests, no illin’ house peeps, not even any stray human food to blame it on, as we had gone out to dinner last night and didn’t bring home a Darby bag. In a stunning change of the usual pace, we didn’t even give him dog treats last night.

We’re stumped. It could be that we got a funky batch of something we are feeding him. As he eats three different types of food at his two daily meals, plus dog treats, we could spend a week trying to suss that out. Or just throw it all out and start fresh. Expensive, but an option.

All I know is that the little dude still isn’t back to his usual self, which means we aren’t either. He’ll be on the baby food and rice train tonight. Probably tomorrow, too. Here’s hoping Doodlebug gets his ‘tude back soon.