We used to just let them limp around…

Our rambunctious Goldendoodle, Chester, has gotten himself into another fix. Last week, apparently irritated by a bug bite or allergies, he shook his head so violently that he broke blood vessels in the flaps of his ears. He ended up with a hematoma in both ears, leaving them with a squishy mass of blood and fluid inside.

It didn’t seem to bother him, but of course we were alarmed when it felt like someone had sewn wet sponges inside his ear flaps.

Off we went to the vet, who offered us three options. One included just leaving it be and hoping it would all work out without further complications. The second was draining the fluid in hopes it would not return and covering Chester’s head with what looked like a nun’s headgear and protecting it with the dreaded dog “cone of shame.” The third option was more significant surgery, including stitching and even more time in the “cone of shame.”

We went with option two, and I think Chester has been in a state of depression ever since. My wife says I’m reading too much into his reaction and I’m sure she’s right. A neighbor said he looks like an animated vacuum cleaner when he tries to sniff the ground or grab treats that have fallen to the floor.

The trip to the vet cost a little over $600. (Some of that was for some routine medicine.)

It made both of us recall some of our pets when we were kids. I don’t ever remember taking a dog to the vet when we were kids. I guess they got rabies shots somewhere, but I don’t think there was a small animal vet in our town when I grew up. I know our dogs had various bruises, cuts, infections, etc., but somehow, we just let them soldier on and get over whatever malady they had. It if was bad enough, you’d probably just let them go off to the big kennel in the sky. I’m sure many dogs were simply put out of their misery with a gunshot.

Chester has already been at the vet three times this year — none of it, of course, covered by insurance. I’ll wager that by the end of the year we will have spent more out of pocket cash on him that we do for ourselves on doctor bills. I remember that when I had my open heart surgery three years ago, my out-of-pocket doctor’s co-pay was $800 on a six-figure total hospital bill. Chester’s vet visits this year will easily exceed that amount.

But in the end, he’s worth it in terms of companionship and entertainment. Of course, I’m sure he doesn’t appreciate us laughing at him because he looks so silly right now.