Buttons’ Disgrace
“Buttons” is the sort of dog whose feet never hit the ground. Being of fine breeding, she is the queen of all dogs-- Buttons is a lap dog. Buttons views her world from a throne exactly four feet above the ground, nestled snuggly in her owner’s adoring arms. She has the good life: a human companion who usually manages to feed her on time, a bed by the fireplace, and a profound misunderstanding of the word “no.”
One fine spring day, our canine heroine began to itch. It was a deep, insatiable itchiness, one that wouldn’t go away no matter how much she scratched, nibbled, or chewed. Buttons was 5 years old (though she claimed to be under 30 in people years), and this incurable, mind-numbing itchiness had never happened before!
The need to scratch occupied her every waking thought. Even her customary 10 treats a day had begun to lose their appeal. In two days, she managed to chew out most of the hair above her rump, and scratch the underlying skin to a red rawness that ached and oozed. With her haircoat ruined and her skin infected, Buttons was a disgrace! She had a real crisis on her paws!
Fortunately, Buttons’ owner, being of keen intellect, called the veterinarian for advice. The doctor suggested that they come down for a visit, explaining that these problems were troublesome to diagnose over the phone, and even more difficult to treat that way.
Buttons didn’t like going to the veterinarian. The vaccinations weren’t so bad- what she really despised was getting on the scale. Invariably, the doctor would want to put her on a diet, and for a week afterward she would only get 8 treats a day.
After a thorough examination, the doctor reached his conclusion. “Buttons has a flea allergy,” he announced. Buttons was shocked. Her owner was mortified. Buttons said, “Surely you can see this guy is a quack.” Her owner agreed, and explained to the handsome doctor that Buttons had never ever ever had a flea.
The doctor mentioned that flea allergy is like any other type of allergy- one does not have to see the culprit to be allergic. For example, people who are allergic to hay don’t need to live in the middle of a pasture to be miserable. Likewise, all it takes is one, clever little flea to bite a sensitive dog and cause all of the itchiness and irritation that Buttons had endured.
The doctor showed how the flea’s life cycle speeds up in the warmer months, making them an even greater nuisance than usual. He also detailed that purebred dogs, like Buttons, seemed to have more of a problem than those of mixed breeds.
“Fortunately,” he said, “we can treat Buttons’ allergy and make her a happy pup once again.”
Buttons was already feeling better by the time they were leaving the clinic. “There now,” said her human companion, “that trip wasn’t so bad was it?” Buttons just wagged her tail. The veterinarian was so busy treating her allergy, that he never had a chance to put her on a diet.
