So, check out my poor dog:
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This looked much worse on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. It’s the largest part of a hotspot that formed as part of a rash she developed across the whole upper half of her torso and extending in small patches across her entire body. I brought her into the vet in a panic about this on Tuesday and discovered not only did she have this rash and hotspot, she had a urinary tract infection, a yeast infection in her ears, and Lymes disease (again). I went from the weekend, with what I thought was a happy healthy dog, splashing around in the river in the dog park, to the unhappiest, unhealthiest Soolin I’ve seen. It was really heartbreaking to see. She’s normally always got this happy go lucky grin on, and Monday and Tuesday that was nowhere to be seen, her tail was tucked completely under her rear, and she was moping around with her head hung low.
So, that’s the bad news. The good news is that so far she seems to be making a good recovery. The cheek outbreak is already looking tons better, it’s no longer weeping constantly, she’s often back to her happy go lucky self, and the rash seems to be receding. The bad news is we don’t know for sure what happened, though Lymes is a good guess, and she’s got to be on 6 different drugs over the next couple of months – 2 weeks of a course of antibiotics for the hotspot, ear drops for the yeast infection, topical skin stuff for the rash and hotspot, and an antihistamine to try and keep her from scratching, then 8 weeks of a different antibiotic to fend off the Lymes. She also can’t swim or be bathed for the first 2 weeks and man does she ever stink from the yeast infection, plus it’s been hot and humid so she’s dying to get in the water and cool herself off.
Anyway that’s the story at present. I’ll post again if anything significant happens with her from all of this. I’m seriously considering shaving her next summer to try and help her avoid another hotspot outbreak too. She may look ridiculous but she’ll look less ridiculous than she does now with her patchwork shaved spots.
Dave's Place/Metamusing 
Oh man! That really sucks. I hope she gets better fast. Stan has been an itchy scratchy dog for the last week or so. I have been holding off from getting him his annual cortisone shot for allergies so that it gets him through August, which is typically the month of mega scratching.
I can’t believe Soolin had Lyme again. You would think after having it the first time she would build up some anti bodies to it or something.
Give her a pat on the head and a biscuit from me.
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Yeeks. Poor thing. I was thinking you should shave her now. There is probably some no rinse, powder, shampoo type stuff that you can put on her fur to help with the stench… I would clear it with the vet first though. A lot going on there already.
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So ahh, umm, hmmm… Soolin will be not so stinky when she comes to visit? My fingers are crossed here 😉
Patty says Stan “collapsed” yesterday. She also claims that the Honda wouldn’t start 2 weeks ago, and that turned out to be true. I see nothing wrong with the boy. He plays fetch and everything else just fine. Patty did take him on a long walk yesterday and it was HHH here. She is adamant that it wasn’t a stumble or that he tripped. He collapsed, but then got right back up, her words. He is due for some shots at the vet so I will be bringing this up.
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Soolin should be bathed by the time she shows up at your place. I can’t bathe her yet because of the wound on her face, but it’s clearing up. My plan/hope is wed or so she gets to swim then gets a big bath.
Stan could have gotten heat exhaustion, it happens to Soolin now and then and causes her to keel over. She does not get right back up though when that happens, she crashes and lays there panting until her system cools down.
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