Today I went to a new veterinarian. My parents want to find a vet closer to where we live and one where we don't have to wait three to four hours while being seen. Now, we are in a bit of a dilemma. See, Mommy used to take me to the vet hospital at OSU where she used to go to school but, everytime we went we'd be there for three hours. Now that she is working it is harder to give up that time, even though she now works on campus right next door and can go back to work while I am being seen.

Well, my nails need to be trimmed, badly. I'm a bit past due. So we went to check out this nice veterinarian who works just down the road from our new place. They offer a free "get to know you" consultation and will do nail trims for free for their clients. You can't get any better than free nail trims. So we signed up.

I wasn't too excited about getting my nails trimmed, but it wasn't like I was going in to get shots and poked and prodded...or so I thought.

Mommy is a little peeved though and doesn't know what to think of this new doctor. I'm not sure I like her either because she basically told Mommy that she had to throw away all of my toys. ALL OF THEM! Can you believe it?!

After she told Mommy to throw away all of my toys, she proceeded to give Mommy a long list of health problems I currently have.

1. A fractured tooth. This is the reason why I have to throw away all of my teeth. She gave me a rawhide bone, which concerns Mommy. The Vet said it's OK if I swallow long sections of it and act like I'm choking. Really? Yes, "because we come from wolves and are used to eating huge hunks of meat off other animal carcasses." What? And because we come from wolves and are used to living in the wild means that I can't chew on nylabones anymore? That's what I'm thinking.....

Heres the thing, after months of learning through trial and error what toys are best for me, we have finally come to a list of acceptable toys. Rawhide bones aren't on them. Not only am I not allowed to chew it on the couch, but it gets really nasty, starts to smell and leaves white residue anywhere I lay it. Plus, I tend to swallow them whole, forget about choking it back up....

2. I have an irritated stomach. This means, I have to change my diet for the next few days and take pills. Another reason why I have to get rid of my toys. No more stringy toys (including ropes) because I eat the strings which causes stomach irritation. Who knew? This also means no plastic bottles because I risk swallowing the plastic pieces, thus irritating my stomach even further. Stuffed animals aren't really an option anymore because I eat the fuzz and I'm pretty sure the vet will come up with other excuses as to why I can't have those.

3. Ear Infection. I have another ear infection. Mommy was blessed with a toddler who is constantly getting ear infections..or a child with constant swimmers ear. I'm not sure this is the result of sloppy bathtimes or the result of my environment.

4. Pollen allergies. Could the ear infection also signify allergies? We are not sure yet. The OSU Vet said that they would have to test for allergies the next time we come seeing as how my ears are always infected. They were waiting to see if the ear infection cleared up and what my ears did after we moved. "It could be the environment," they said. Well, this new vet asked Mommy if I chew or lick my paws, in which she responded with "All the time, but it looks like he is mostly chewing his nails." "Pollen allergies," the vet quickly answered without another thought. "But, we'll discuss this at another time." Why not now? And, how do you know it's not anything else?

So, I'm curious to see what toys I'm going to have to give up for pollen allergies. The vet will probably make us move. Or I won't be allowed to go outside anymore and force me to use a pansy kitty litter box.

Mommy is thinking about getting a second opinion. Our "free" vet visit ended up costing us 130 dollars. I didn't even get my nails trimmed! Which, if you remember was the SOLE purpose of this visit. If I get my tooth extracted it will cost my parents even more money. Which is not good because they have to pay to get the Malibu door replaced because Mommy can't make right turns. And that is all we will say about that.

I'll keep you updated on what's going on. I hope my diet isn't going to be that bad. In the meantime, I have to scour the pet market for "acceptable" dog toys. The new vet gave Mommy a list of acceptable chew toys and non-acceptable toys. Because of the way I chew and eat my toys, pretty much everything on that list is off limits.

We're from wild wolves-yeah, right! If that's the case we should be able to eat anything we want. Second of all, have you seen pugs-do you know anything about the them-we are hardly savages. Hmmm...I feel a history lesson coming on.