spiders and stuff

So I mentioned that I graduated last week but forgot to show the proof. Petunia was teasing me and saying that I didn't really, but I did! I am officially a member of the first class to finish Level One at the new SAVES training area with Charlene Swainamer and All Paws Up.
My friend Doogan graduated also.

I haven't been chasing my friends Scratch and Hoot as much lately. For some reason they are allowed in my mom's flower gardens but I get yelled at if I even think about stepping foot in one!

 

I guess it's alright, she plays tug-o-war with me lots. My brothers and sisters are always trying to get me to play their games, but I have my own way of entertaining myself.

My favorite toys are the Premier Pet Toys, they are indestructible, have a great squeaky inside. The company also has a line of educational toys that keep me entertained for hours. I spend a lot of time at one veterinary hospital or another so having one of these toys that I roll or toss and a small reward of food comes out is a huge prize. Whenever I go with my parents to Stonecliff Animal Clinic at West Leb. Food and Supply I beg to go into the store. Kurt and Sharon Jacques (owners of WLFS) have a huge section of Premier toys......I love them (and they LOVE Labs).

So this week I got a taste of what it is like to be really sick and go to the emergency hospital. I am always chasing bugs, big ones, little ones, ones that buzz, some that squeak (my all time favorites). Mom always tells me not to, especially the ones that buzz really loud and are black and yellow striped and fuzzy. I try to listen but it is hard sometimes to ignore them.

So I finally know what she was talking about! A few days ago one of these bugs got back at me. I don't remember what I was chasing, tormenting as mom puts it. My eye started feeling funny and it got real hard to see out of cause the skin came down over my eyeball. By the next day I was in agony. Mom rushed me down to see my dad at SAVES at 4 o'clock in the morning. My eye had grown twice as big overnight, the skin was falling off and smelled really bad. Overnight I looked hideous (that's what Soph said)!

Mom felt awful. She didn't want to bother dad about it since it started as such a small bump. She gave me some antihistamine to decrease the swelling and counteract the allergic response I seemed to be having. She never thought it would progress to such a nasty looking site.
My dad thought I might have been bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider. These spiders are anywhere from 1/2" to 2" long and have a fiddle shape or violin shaped mark on their back. They hide under sinks or in wood piles as their name implies, they are reclusive. When bitten the venom causes a blister like lesion that becomes swollen and the skin hardens around it. The venom has an enzyme in it that breaks down the cellular membrane of the tissue and the the skin then begins to slough or fall off. After 24 hours a "volcano lesion" appears (this is exactly what happened to me), a hole in the skin develops which is caused by the tissue damage. Vomiting and diarrhea can occur at this point (I am embarrassed to say I had this) I was really sick when I got to the hospital. Dad gave me two injections, one was a steroid and the other a high powered antibiotic. Today I feel so much better. I am starting to see out of my eye again and my sister only says ewwwwww every now and then when I come near her! TaTa for now (and stay away from the creepy crawlies, trust me it is not worth the satisfying crunch of victory)