Not a Good Night

I came home yesterday and started the boyz's dinner routine. Diego-san didn't come down from upstairs like he always does. I went to check on him and he was lying there, leg held gingerly in the air. I brought him to the veterinary hospital close to our house. They determined he had an abscess near his rear end, probably from his anal glands not expressing like they are supposed to.  He's had ongoing anal gland issues for the past few years. So, they sedated him, cleaned out the wound, slapped a cone around his neck, and sent home a painkiller and an anti-biotic.

It was a long night. Theo wanted to sniff all the unusual smells coming from his brother, particularly the wound area. Diego-san stumbled around trying to overcome the anesthesia. He was really hungry though so I fed him, a little wary that he was just going to throw it all up.  He didn't.

I didn't want him and Theo in the same room overnight and Theo drew the short straw, getting locked in the basement.  He howled his displeasure throughout the night. I just didn't want Diego-san spending the night alone.

Thompson took Diego-san's usual spot lying next to me in bed. This morning though, Thompson was the one who freaked out most. When I served the boyz breakfast he hissed at Theo and then turned his hissing to his other brother who was trying to not bump into things with the cone. Thompson ended up not eating at all, which is not good given his continual weight loss. Theo sheepishly walked around not knowing why all the changes were happening.

Diego-san has to wear the cone and take the medicine for the next week.  I'm not sure how I'm going to handle each of the boyz at this point...