Buns, Interrupted. // Shutter To Think

More buns. (This week's Shutter To Think post after the jump.)

There's a first time for everything, and this weekend's firsts include Watson's first emergency vet visit. Why do these things always happen when the animal hospital is closed?

Watson and I were taking a nap on Saturday afternoon and woke up to the sounds of Donovan dropping things in the office. He's working on another guitar, and the clamps were putting up a fight. So, Wats and I decided to get up from the couch and help him.

However, when Watson jumped off of the couch, he made a little "yelp!" and then turned around to look at me as though I had bitten him. When I asked what happened, he made a run for the back door.

A warning to sensitive readers: there is a "gross" factor to this week's story. I noticed his butt was covered in what looked like, well, diarrhea. Into the tub he went. I rinsed him off and he winced. It wasn't diarrhea. We got to the emergency clinic and learned that Watson was experiencing an abscessed anal gland. If your reaction to this is "Good god, man!" then it is entirely appropriate.

Now, I feel it's important to note that, as far as first emergency vet visits go, it could have been much worse. Apparently, this is a common issue. The sweet receptionist at the clinic also pointed that out to us, and she's right. We faced much worse with Buckley, whose first trip to the emergency vet included anesthesia and stitches, and who fought the cone tooth-and-nail in order to remove those stitches all by himself.

But heading home, in his brand new cone-of-shame, I felt just awful for my little buddy. His precious buns have turned on us all. The house is covered in towels and spare sheets. The cone-of-shame paralyzes him. He's so short, it hits the floor and he trips on it. Then he just stops moving, staring at me in horror. I feel like the worst dog-mom ever.

The good news is: he's already perking up. His buns are on the mend. Look at that face! (I took off the cone because I'm a sucker!)

"Shutter To Think" is the weekly game I'm playing with Patrick Mooney. To see his previous entries, head over to his blog: Patrick Mooney Photography.