A couple of weeks ago Brett and I had an interesting escapade with our dog Wrigley (yes named after the stadium). First off, I love my dogs, but they are dogs. They are not my babies, they are not human but I don't like to see them suffer.
I took both dogs to the groomers. Wrigley received his yearly shots and I picked up flee and tic medication for both of them. The vet had switched to a new brand of flee and tic medication so I decided to try it.
Got home did some things around the house, ate supper then put the new medication on both dogs. A few hours after applying the medication Wrigley started pacing around the house and rolling on the floor. I decided it must be the new medication and immediately gave him a bath. At 10:30 when it was time to go to bed he was still pacing almost as if he were on speed. He literally could not sit down. We went to bed and I continued to here him pacing the floor. He would lay down under the bed, crawl out from under it, go lay down in the bathroom floor, dig at the rug, walk to the living room, come back in, crawl under the bed over and over.
I got up and gave him another bath about midnight. It did not help. If I petted him, he would at least sit beside me, but would not lay down. He and I were awake ALL night.
Thursday I went on to work and called the vet and the company of the medication. Both said it sounded like an allergic reaction and should work it's way out of his system in 24 to 48 hours. They also both suggested I could give him Benadryl. So, I stopped at the store and picked up Benadryl on the way home. He was still pacing when I got home, and had added biting at his hind quarters as if something were crawling on him. I gave him a Benadryl it seemed to make him sleepy but he was still anxious and antsy. He would sit by you on the couch and basically fall asleep sitting up but would not lie down. At 10:00 we gave him another 1/2 of a Benadryl.
We went to bed thinking he would surly be so tired he would crash. He was still pacing, crawling under the bed where he sleeps, then crawling back out. Brett and I neither one could sleep so I got back up with him. I could finally get him to lay beside me in the spare room if I petted him but he still would not lay his head down. Just when you thought he was going to relax it was like he had restless leg syndrome and his legs would jump and he would be back up. At 1:00 A.M. I gave him the other half of the bendryl. He finally slept for about an hour.
Friday morning he was still no better. He was pitiful you could tell he just wanted to sleep but just couldn't relax enough to lie down. I took him to work with me determined to get him into the vet. Brett took him to the vet that afternoon, he had calmed down some but it was still as if he couldn't calm himself. He would sit by you if you were petting him but otherwise he was still anxious and biting himself.
The vet said he thought he was getting over it and should be back to normal soon.
Friday night he couldn't lie down again. Brett spend the night in the den with him. He said he slept a couple of hours but was mostly up on the bed then back in the floor then back on the bed.
Saturday morning we called the vets office again. They said bring him back in and they gave him steroids. We started those on Saturday and he seemed to calm down a little. Saturday night whether from the steroids or exhaustion he did lay down by me on the couch and sleep the whole night.
I called the company again Monday morning and asked them how long worse case scenario they had seen this last. The rep I talked to said there were a few cases they had reported that lasted a week. It was a full week before Wrigley was totally back to normal.
But, as I was sitting with him on the couch one night it struck me. This is how it should be with my relationship with God. If Wrigley was away from your side he was more anxious and nervous and pacing. Like he couldn't comfort himself or find peace. What if I were so close to God that when I stepped away or was not right at His side, I became anxious and nervous, and couldn't comfort myself? If I only felt at peace right by his side?
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful"
Thanks for reading!
