Magic Tricks

I took Rocket to the vet today to have what remained of his stitches removed. He had three two weeks ago, but today he had just one. The first he deemed redundant almost immediately, the second he decided was irrelevant just yesterday and the third, the most important stitch, the one holding the whole thing together, he allowed the vet to remove. I tried to explain to the vet that Rocket is really, really in touch with his body and that is why he took them out - the areas had healed and the stitches were no longer needed.

She was not happy with me or the dog. She thought he was even more anxious than when she met him almost a year ago and she thinks he's on too many too strong anti-anxiety meds. She believes they are making him more anxious. He had just spent the whole day napping, he had not had his evening walk or his dinner meds but he had a neato trip in the car to a place he enjoys being to see people he likes  Of course he was excited! I was becoming unexcited about coming to a place I was quickly not enjoying while getting the riot act read to me by a person I was rapidly liking less and less.

I said that since he picked up med number two he is barking markedly less, he hasn't destroyed anything and he seems a lot more calm when I come home now and he is calmer over all. I also added that he is a remarkably calm weim and that others have mentioned it to me because the breed can be unmanageable nut-balls. She said its because he's drugged and without the drugs he would be a completely different dog.

I'm sure he would be. A completely freaked out, terrified mess.

She suggested that I teach him tricks to keep his mind busy - a busy mind being a tired mind. She said it was like if I wasn't interested in world history and I read a world history book it would make me really tired... I told her that he is in agility - she pishposhed agility  as it only makes him physically tired and  that he should be mentally tired as well. Perhaps I will find him a thirty years out of date book on Canine Contributions to World History I could bore him into good behavior.

So if I followed her advice and stopped the meds and taught him tricks as per her suggestion, such as "to turn on and off the lights"  that he would magically be cured and drug free. Bitch.