mr. beebs

Poor little Beeb man, currently known as "Droopy". Had a great time with M.A. in Priego de Cordoba. Fell in love with this town and the surrounding area....olive trees as far as one can see. Have many pictures to post shortly. However, I have had bigger and more important problems to deal with today. Last night, after I had settled a bit from the trip and got through the 86 e-mails that were waiting for me (Did I start working again in an office and someone forgot to tell me?!), I called the pets' caretaker to find out if everything had gone okay. Yes, yes everything was fine, pets were well behaved, etc. Great, I said, and thanked him for the help. I then took them on a short walk around the village and came back to give them dinner. Except that Mr. Beebs wouldn't eat. He had some water, but just looked at the kibble and walked away with his tail down. Very strange, as the Beeb man is known for being a bit of a hoover. He was restless throughout the night, never being able to settle properly. I heard him get up a couple times and go to the terrace, returning with his ears dragging. He seemed a little better this morning and played happily on the goat track, although he kept shaking his head and tugging at one ear. When we got back home, I had a closer look at both ears, only to find they were incredibly swollen and hot to the touch. Our usual vet is on the coast, but since we moved to the village, a Spanish vet has opened an office here. I have taken a stray dog to him for shots and flea meds and liked him very much, so I gave him a call. Took Mr. Beebs over straightaway, and it turns out the cartilage in both of his ears has been broken (hence, the draggy ears). He also has a very high fever. The vet gave him two shots, and Droopy is also taking tablets. I must take him back Monday because the vet didn't want to do any more to him as long as he has this fever. Assuming the fever is down, Monday the vet will drain the fluid in his ears, and the Beeb man has to have surgery either Tuesday or Wednesday to repair the damage. What I thought was swelling was actually two large hematomas from the bruising. He is now sleeping by my side, looking incredibly cute. But I have been a mess of confused emotions all day. I spoke with the caretaker again, and he says nothing untoward happened on their walks (no mixups with other dogs or nasty farmers). Which means something must have happened while they were alone in the house. But what? I have looked for all sorts of clues, things knocked over, places where he could have gotten stuck and struggled to free himself, etc., but everything looks in order. I may have to resign myself to the fact I will never know. What I do know is that he has to have this operation and certainly won't be able to stay at home when I go to Germany in 10 days. So I have booked both the dogs in at their favorite kennel, where little Beeb man came from in the beginning. The woman there is the only person I would trust to make sure he gets his meds and plenty of TLC while I am away, and will be there for him 24/7 should he need her. What to do with Mr. Beebs when we travel is always a tough call. Precious Boo rolls with the punches, but Beebster has been spoiled by my working from home and has never gotten accustomed to our comings and goings. His first longer stay at the kennel stressed him out so that he gave himself a urinary tract infection. Seriously. Which is why I thought I would try the vet's suggestion of a dogsitter at Christmas, when the kennel was fully booked. That seemed to work much better, so I thought we had found a solution to his anxiety issues. But now I am at a loss as to what is best for him. Never leaving his side is not an option, no matter how cute the sensitive soul is. Send your good vibes this way; the Mr. Beebs could use them. gracias, mylifeinspain