My Poor Little Guy!

Dear Cubby,

Gosh, you've had a difficult weekend, haven't you?  Poor baby!  Friday night while cuddling you and  putting you to bed, it felt like you had gotten into something sticky behind your ear.  I called you out of your crate to take a closer look and there was a little quarter-size spot on your ear flap that was hot, fire-red, and weepy.  As much as I could, I wiped it down, put Neosporin on it and put you back to bed.

By Saturday it was much worse so I started giving you little localized ear baths with medicated shampoo that Dr. Katie gave you last year, but it continued to get worse, and man did it stink to high heavens!
We hauled you in to the vet this morning and found you have, of course, an ear infection, but we kind-of already knew that.  It was only after a good bit of your hair in front and behind your ear was shaved that we saw the extent of a massive hot spot.  The doctor likened it to a yeast infection which essentially spreads like wildfire and, since it had first appeared on Friday, the weekend gave it plenty of time to spread.  Wildfire is an appropriate analogy ... it's fiery red, hot, and out of control!

We got some meds for your ear, powder to put on your skin to dry it out, and oral antibiotics as well, not to mention putting you through a whole slew of blood work for a slight continuance of the same problem you had last time you were in there.

So needless to say, you're on the DL for a while, at least until your hair grows back.  I can't promise this will never happen again, but I can vow to be even more obsessive about your ears from now on.

You know, Cubby, if you want to see your friends at Bethany Animal Hospital, just say so and we'll take you.  You don't have to get sick!

UPDATE WEDNESDAY:  So much worse today!  It keeps spreading and spreading and this morning it reached your eye.  We hauled you back into the vet just to reassure us your sight wasn't threatened in that eye but there really wasn't much else he could do for you aside from adding some pain meds.  I know you must be in agony, Cubby!  And all I can do for you, other than medicate you with all that stuff, is lie there with you and cry. And pray!  I'm doing lots of that.
Lord, please heal my little guy!  I know it takes time but please help me make him comfortable until all this clears up.

Photo Descriptions:  8-inch square of shaved skin from ear to neck, with a fiery-red rash; massively hot-spotted neck, ear, face, & eye.