Sad News

Well folks, sad news is upon us. It seems that our dearest Melman has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Allow me to backtrack a little- I'll start by saying that I am officially the worst dog owner in the world because Melman was due for his annual vet visit in August but with all the wedding activities going on, and then the holidays, combined with the lack of an opportunity to get away from work for a long enough period of time to take him to his vet downtown, I only finally made it there yesterday. We went in and they always have you weigh your dog first, which for me means starting off the appointment with a nice feeling of guilt that my dog is a little heavier than the last time around. Yesterday he weighed in at a whopping 27.2 pounds, which is about 2 pounds heavier than last year and 4 pounds heavier than the year before. I was expecting a lecture on diet and exercise when the vet asked me if I thought Melman should be skinnier than he is, based on the amount of food we give him. It occurred to me that Melman is surprisingly large despite the meager portions of food he gets daily, which the vet said is often a symptom of hypothyroidism, so we decided to get some blood work done. Sure enough, his thyroid levels were low, and we are now on a twice-daily pill schedule. Anyone who has tried to trick a dog into eating a pill knows how frustrating this is going to be. The good news: hypothyroidism is one of the most common diseases in dogs, so the medicine (according to Dr. Google) is relatively inexpensive. The bad news: Melman will have to take it for the rest of his life. Poor little bugger. I feel so guilty for calling him fat when it wasn't even his fault! Here he is, looking a little mopey after being poked and prodded and wrestled yesterday:

Wish Melman luck on his new pill regimen. We also need to help him lose those extra 4 pounds, so let's hope that the medicine helps speed up that process. Oh, to be a dog owner. Melman's pretty lucky that he's so lovable, otherwise he would need to start earning his keep around here!